Sarum

The Novel of England

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Length: 45 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

In Sarum, Edward Rutherfurd weaves a compelling saga of five English families whose fates become intertwined over the course of centuries. While each family has its own distinct characteristics, the successive generations reflect the changing character of Britain. We become drawn not only into the fortunes of the individual family members, but also the larger destinies of each family line.

Meticulously researched and epic in scope, Sarum covers the entire sweep of English civilization: from the early hunters and farmers, the creation of Stonehenge, the dawn of Christianity, and the Black Death; through the Reformation, the wars in America, the Industrial Age, and the Victorian social reforms; up through the World War II invasion of Normandy and the modern-day concerns of a once-preeminent empire.

©1987 Edward Rutherfurd (P)1994 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Nadia May is ideal; her British accents fit the locale, and her pacing and characterizations are smooth, unobtrusive and compelling. The ease of her reading leads the listener to forget she is there, the sign of the perfect narrator.” ( AudioFile)

Like a lot of fibre

This was very good info to chew over and learn from It was very well performed. But like too much fibre, it was quite heavy going in places.

Clever book

I really liked the author's execution of this book. It was well planned and I loved getting to know so many generations of the same families.

Great historical novel!

Great narrative and contains a lot of history. I listened just prior to my first trip to the UK. It really opened my eyes to some new facts. Understanding that this was not the intent of the author, it would have been nice to have a little more character expansion.

And Oldie but still a Goodie !

Used to read a tomb each summer. Great audio listen meant more continuous read time. Loved it - again !!!

Probably would have been better to read this

Would you listen to Sarum again? Why?

Possibly, just to understand the stories.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sarum?

What one character does when he realizes he has the plague.

Any additional comments?

I tend to listen to audiobooks when I am doing other things. This book is just so hard for me to get into. I think it would have been better if I read it. It is hard for me to follow names and stories by listening to this.

Good story

I liked story. wish it had more on other areas of England. also more on major kings and queens time not so much on their person.

Wonderful

A wonderful combination of history and fiction writing. I throughly enjoyed every moment.
The author, Edward Rutherfurd did an outstanding job with the enormous volume of British history while combining characters that captured each time period to flesh out and make human the occurrences in the timeline. As the author explained, there are historical changes made for the story's sake, so this is a novel that gives you the essence of the times and happenings and not a dry exact historical reference. Read, listen and enjoy the ride for pleasure. Wanda McCaddon is one of my favourite narrators, so thank you!

Great Book for an Historical Angliphile

Very interesting look at Salsbury a specific place in England from pre- history thru the mid 1900s. Written and performed, pleasantly during a journey thru time.

enjoyed this book so much

i really enjoyed this book. the story line was consistent, the people and times were engaging. the movement through time was handled expertly. i learned a lot and i expect i’ll read this one again at some point. Great story!

okay, not great

I enjoyed the book but chapters and characters didn't flow very well. Okay, not great.