New York

The Novel

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 37 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

The best-selling master of historical fiction weaves a grand, sweeping drama of New York from the city's founding to the present day.

Rutherfurd celebrates America's greatest city in a rich, engrossing saga that showcases his extraordinary ability to combine impeccable historical research and storytelling flair. As in his earlier, best-selling novels, he illuminates cultural, social, and political upheavals through the lives of a remarkably diverse set of families.

As he recounts the intertwining fates of characters rich and poor, black and white, native born and immigrant, Rutherfurd brings to life the momentous events that shaped New York and America: the Revolutionary War, the emergence of the city as a great trading and financial center, the excesses of the Gilded Age, the explosion of immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the trials of World War II, the near-demise of New York in the 1970s and its roaring rebirth in the '90s, and the attacks on the World Trade Center. Sprinkled throughout are captivating cameo appearances by historical figures ranging from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln to Babe Ruth.

New York is the book that millions of Rutherfurd's American fans have been waiting for. A brilliant mix of romance, war, family drama, and personal triumphs, it gloriously captures the search for freedom and prosperity at the heart of our nation's history.

©2009 Edward Rutherford (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"Like James Michener and Leon Uris, Rutherfurd does a magnificent job of packaging a crackling good yarn within a digestible overview of complex historical circumstances and events." (Booklist)

"History has never been so fun to read.... Rutherfurd's research is exhaustive...fun.... This is history, but with a very readable story line." (USA Today)

Incredible work of art

Edward Rutherford is impeccably skilled in not only storytelling but also in prose and descriptions that keeps u hanging on every word. My new favorite author!

terrific

Terrific book. I enjoyed the story with the intertwining paths of the families over time and thought this was very well done historical fiction. Mark Bramhall is one of the best narrators on Audible and does a great job as usual.

Engaging throughput

I wasn’t sure what to expect from 30 hours about the history of New York but it was fantastic. I wasn’t bored for a minutes. The author told the story beautifully through the engaging characters. I loved this story more than anything I have listened to in a long time.

I absolutely loved this book!!!

I loved following generations of families through history. Each time a thread was picked up and a name was recognized I’d get a thrill as if being reunited with a long lost relative. The stories of the fictional families in this book brought a very real history to life.

Great History Lesson

Learned so much about the beginning of our great country. If you are a history buff then this book if a must read. I enjoyed every chapter, may even listen again.

Incredible Story

My first book by this author and I was riveted to his masterful storytelling! I look forward to reading more by this author. Also, the person reading the story was a master at the many voices required. Wonderful story! I hated, as all stories do, hearing it come to an end.

Absolutely amazing!

What a beautiful, well written, positively lovely story! The narrator is phenomenal and the length is great to make your credit well worth it! Highly recommend!

long, but worth it

The book is long, but we'll written and a fascinating way to learn some history while following the heritage of families through the centuries.

Absolutely fabulous!!

Wow! I can't begin to say how much I enjoyed this book. It is the first of Rutherford's books that I have read, but it sure won't be the last! The story is beautifully written and I loved the depth of character development. The Master family became part of my own extended family, and I felt that I was right there with them. I was also pleased with Bramhall's performance, and that makes a big difference in a book of this size. His inflection and reading style are similar to my own and made the 36-hours of listening so very enjoyable. Truly, an 11 on a scale of 10.

Be patient, starts slow but...

Then it gets very interesting but bear in mind, this is a novel, no a history book