London

The Novel

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrated by: Andrew Wincott

"A tour de force...London tracks the history of the English capital from the days of the Celts until the present time.... Breathtaking." - The Orlando Sentinel

Here is Edward Rutherfurd's classic novel of London, a glorious pageant spanning 2,000 years. He brings this vibrant city's long and noble history alive through the ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and intrigues of half-a-dozen families, from the age of Julius Caesar to the 20th century. Generation after generation, these families embody the passion, struggle, wealth, and verve of the greatest city in the world.

©1998 Edward Rutherfurd (P)2018 Random House Audio

Superb

Can’t rate this highly enough Fantastic on all counts: historically, narration, story. Just get it.

Great historical fiction

I really liked this book and have since purchased a few other books by Rutherfurd. The novel runs the entire history of London from pre-Roman times to modern day (although the meat of the book focuses on up to Victorian times.) The author explores the changes in London’s different social classes through the experiences of seven families who climb and fall the social ladder over the years and tend to bump into and marry each other repeatedly. The book is also a pretty hefty one at over 1,000 pages. I started on audio book and then bought the physical book because I found it hard to keep track of the families. (Note: there is a family tree at the beginning of the book and you can just google it if you choose the audio version.) Each family has a specific physical or personality trait that is used to identify them prior to their name being mentioned. For example, one family tends to have a patch of white in their hair and webbed fingers. This works but takes a while to catch on.

The story winds through major historical events like the great fire and the bombing of London in the Second World War. It also contains encounters with lots of significant historical figures such as Henry the VIII and Shakespeare.

Living in London currently, I found this a really interesting way to explore some of the city’s history while getting a fun narrative at the same time. I am going to read “New York” next.

Classic, Excellent Edward Rutherford

Classic Edward Rutherford, narrated to perfection. Sometimes hard to follow the families from the dawn of England through the present day.

Historical fiction marathon - not a sprint

Rarely ever riveting but tremendous walk thru of London if you are a historical fiction fan.

Absolutely fascinating

loved every moment. throughly enthralled by the historical detail. especially the building and expansion of London

I never knew that!!

Being a Londoner I was fascinated by this book and learned some wonderful and fascinating bits about my home. Thanks so much.

Miniseries Worthy

The best book that I have read in a long, long time. I have not enjoyed such a well-written, enthralling historical novel since James Michener. England has Edward Rutherford, J.K. Rowling, and George R.R. Martin, all first-rate scholarly writers. Unfortunately, I cannot think of one contemporary American author who is their equal.

Awe inspiring story of a magnificent city and people

The only reason I didn’t give the narrator 5 stars is that his voice gets too quiet toward the end of a sentence. If you are listening in the car this is a problem. With headphones it would be fine .

Beautiful flowing historical story of London

While the audiobook is very long, it is a beautiful story of the history of London since before the time of Caesar. It follows several families thru many, many generations and is a compelling story with several neat stories that are closed toward the end. A great story that anyone who might be visiting London should invest the time to listen to.

Magnificent!

The more I listened, the more enthralling I found the history/stories of London/Londoners through thousands of years. Incredible. The characters were vivid. I just finished the (audio) book and I can still see and hear them in my mind. Fantastic writing from E. Rutherfurd but also fantastic reading from A. Wincott! Bravo!!!