London

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrated by: Andrew Wincott

Length: 49 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

"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.

Absolutely fascinating

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

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.

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 .

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.

Historical fiction marathon - not a sprint

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

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.

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.

Great Historical Novel ! Learn and be entertained

What a bargain - over 49 hours of history with a cast of entertaining characters. While most characters were fictionalized, their lives, conduct, emotions, and motives were consistent with my over 60 years experience. How Mr. Rutherford ties the characters together over the span of almost 2,000 years - he is a craftsman. The story very complex, yet could be followed and always fascinating. I like entertaining learning and the book LONDON, educates in the history of London in a very entertaining way. Narrator Mr. Wincott - excellent.

So glad the author has other books that I can enjoy.

Great for history and archaeology lovers!

If you are at all interested in London and it's history, you should read this book. Following generations of fictional families through non-fictional events and time periods allows for a very enjoyable review of London and its mixture of people. The only thing I would have liked more was if the author spent a little more time on certain historical events and periods. Some lasted a lot longer than others in the book. The voice was pretty good, but really only had one for women, but that's understandable since it's a man speaking.