London Audiobook By Edward Rutherfurd cover art

London

The Novel

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London

By: Edward Rutherfurd
Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
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Buy for $33.75

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“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

A master of epic historical fiction, Edward Rutherford gives us a sweeping novel of London, a glorious pageant spanning two thousand years. He brings this vibrant city's long and noble history alive through his saga of ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and intrigues of a half-dozen families, from the age of Julius Caesar to the twentieth century. Generation after generation, these families embody the passion, struggle, wealth, and verve of the greatest city in the Old World.

Praise for London

“Remarkable . . . The invasion by Julius Caesar’s legions in 54 B.C. . . . The rise of chivalry and the Crusades . . . The building of the Globe theatre . . . and the coming of the Industrial Revolution. . . . What a delightful way to get the feel of London and of English history. . . . We witness first-hand the lust of Henry VIII. We overhear Geoffrey Chaucer deciding to write The Canterbury Tales. . . . Each episode is a punchy tale made up of bite-size chunks ending in tiny cliffhangers.”—The New York Times

“Hold-your-breath suspense, buccaneering adventure, and passionate tales of love and war.”—The Times (London)

“Fascinating . . . A sprawling epic.”—San Francisco Chronicle Historical Fiction Sagas Literary Fiction Genre Fiction Middle Ages

Critic reviews

“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

“Remarkable . . . The invasion by Julius Caesar’s legions in 54 B.C. . . . The rise of chivalry and the Crusades . . . The building of the Globe theatre . . . and the coming of the Industrial Revolution. . . . What a delightful way to get the feel of London and of English history. . . . We witness first-hand the lust of Henry VIII. We overhear Geoffrey Chaucer deciding to write The Canterbury Tales. . . . Each episode is a punchy tale made up of bite-size chunks ending in tiny cliffhangers.”—The New York Times

“Hold-your-breath suspense, buccaneering adventure, and passionate tales of love and war.”—The Times (London)

“Fascinating . . . A sprawling epic.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Engaging Historical Narrative • Interwoven Family Sagas • Rich Historical Detail • Captivating Storytelling

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

Superb

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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 fiction

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

Classic, Excellent Edward Rutherford

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

Historical fiction marathon - not a sprint

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

Absolutely fascinating

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