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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
2,000 Years of London Life -- Long, But Worth the Effort, January 28, 2000
This is a big, sprawling, initially intimidating (mainly because of its heft) but ultimately rewarding read -- a journey that follows several British families, from all walks of life, through 2,000 years of London's history. You'll start with the Druids and Caesar's crossing of the Thames, and finish with The Blitz and a bit of modern arachaeology. In between, you'll watch history come to life (each chapter revolves around a major event in British history), with the usual artistic embellishments expected of historical fiction. But it's all in the name of good fun, so don't be a stickler -- sure, modern-day English didn't come out of the mouths of the Tudors, but who cares? Rutherford is, for the most part, faithful to reporting events As They Really Happened and to Life As It Really Was. While it's the Ducket/Doggett/DuQuette family that serves as the focus of the book (keep looking for those folks with the webbed fingers and the shock of white hair as you read), it's the City of London itself (and, arguably, its architecture) which is the book's real showpiece. Be prepared to stick an extra bookmark at the front of the book where the maps are, because you're going to need it. If there was a Roman road leading out a City gate, Rutherford has marked it in the text and you're going to walk down it eventually, so get your bearings early. The cast of characters also grows exponentially through the years, as family trees are wont to do, so keep the page of the family trees marked as well. This isn't a novel (as the cover proclaims) so much as it is a series of vignettes linked by a constant (and consistent) narrative and cast of characters, and Rutherford makes the most of it. There's some laugh-out-loud bawdiness in here, a dash of The Classic Chase (a la Keystone Kops), a bit of high drama, a few nods to Shakespeare, and even a bit of the Prince and the Pauper. Rutherford makes good use of his time, but there ARE instances when things seem to get wrapped up rather too quickly and too neatly in order to clear the way for the next chapter. The middle sections of the book seem to move the fastest, which makes sense, given the historical period this portion of the book covers -- the Glorious Revolution, the Civil War, the War of the Roses, and a peek at a Henry VIII who's the biggest skunk you'll ever see this side of Richard III. There's also some real beauty in here, and Rutherford doesn't skimp on the details of British life and living that really make the book come alive. It's going to take some time to get through, and you WILL find yourself thumbing back and forth between chapters, maps, and family trees to keep everything sorted out, but it's well worth it. Set aside a week or so, put aside nitpickiness, and just enjoy watching Rutherford go to work.
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56 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
History (and Literature) Lite, February 28, 2001
Rutherford takes on the formidable task of relating 2,000 years of London history and must be given some credit for the result. He has obviously done a great deal of research of his subject and doesn't overburden the reader with an overly detailed , dry, scholastic recounting here. Considering the amount of ground he covers, (taking us from the period of Roman occupation to the German Blitzkrieg), he does so rather economically. The problem lies in his failure to provide us with a coherent narrative. His framing device of a hidden hoard of gold Roman coins comes off as contrived. His method of detailing generational threads leaves a lot to be desired. Though he strives for at least a quasi-realistic approach, how often, in real life, do succeeding generations mirror their ancestors to a degree they do here? Rutherford's approach is in fact anti-Darwinian. There is very little in the way of variation as one generation succeeds another. The offspring are practically clones of their forbears, with the same attitudes, attributes and overall composition. The bad seeds spawn more bad seeds. The good, honest, simple folk likewise pass on their exact characteristics to their children. Normally, in family trees, there is at least nominal deviation. Not so in Rutherford's London. The device makes it easier for the reader to make connections as the eras pass forth, but true history, we remind ourselves, doesn't happen this way. The book, therefore, succeeds as a primer in the history of a city. We are given the relevant details of the Roman conquest, medieval revolt, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the Great Plague, followed shortly thereafter by the Great Fire, etc., etc. Keep in mind, however, that it is a primer only. In some respects the drawbacks are similar to those faced by Lady Antonia Fraser in her book, The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England. Just as the reader becomes engrossed, or at the least engaged, in the period depicted, the author skips on to a different era and a new story. Of course, in Fraser's defense, she does treat the Royals in much more depth in all of her other books. If you enjoy Rutherford's accounts, please look to authors such as Daniel Defoe (on the Plague), Samuel Pepys (The Plague, the Fire and the Resoration in general). For amusement, as well as insight, you can't go wrong with Boswell's London Journal or his life of Samuel Johnson. For a compelling account of the Wat Tyler revolt in medieval London, turn to Tuchman or Froissart. A better contemporary novel depicting Restoration London is Rose Tremain's book, Restoration, which can be found here on Amazon. For the most vivid account of London in the 18th century, turn to Jonathan Swift's poem, "A Description of a City Shower." If you want the history, without the fiction, there have been at least four full-scale London histories written in the past decade, most notable among them is Stephen Inman's A History of London.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable journey, January 18, 2000
I had not read Rutherfurd's other books when I picked up London, but I imagined that it was much in the epic style of James Michner whom I have read extensively. In a sense I was correct, but I was unprepared for the complexity of this book. It is easy to understand that the main character of the book is the city itself, the sheer number of other characters is a little overwelming. Where Michner takes a few families through the vagarities of history, Rutherfurd throws several families at us who are continuously intermarrying throughout the history of the city. After a while it got a little difficult to follow who was who, but it did not hinder my enjoyment of the characters at any particular moment whether he was a wealthy 3rd century Roman or a poor 19th century East-Ender.However, the most fascinating aspect of this book was the historical growth of London. With each chapter, Rutherfurd reveals more and more characteristics of London such as how certain areas acquired their names or their architectual features. Rutherfurd shows us how gradually the Thames went from the greatest uniter of the people of London to its greatest divider. All in all, though London didn't keep me reading until four in the morning, I always looked forward to picking it up again the next day.
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