If your eyes glazed over while reading history books or in class, this may be just what was missing while you were in school. Author Edward Rutherfurd painstakingly presents us with the development of London through 2,000 years of history. While Rutherfurd is a scholar, this is not a scholarly work. Nor, is it a dry accounting. Interwoven through the centuries are the generations of fictional families that give us the human interest element. You might even think of it as history delivered soap opera style.
A work of this scope cannot dwell for long on any single period of time. The early story includes the Ice Age, Vikings, Druids, Caesar crossing the Thames, and the Roman occupation of (then) Londonum. Despite the many hundreds of pages, major historical events receive a smattering of attention. This novel presents us with Medieval times, brings us into the Renaissance and into our present day. While doing this, Rutherfurd includes architecture, the royal houses of Europe, literature (even Chaucer is a character), theater, the Catholic Church and Protestantism, politics, wars, the beginnings of guilds, and the development of London's sprawl from a primitive settlement to a modern city.
There are a few points to mention. The first one has nothing to do with the story but rather, reading this book on a Kindle. Obviously, it is far easier to lift/carry/hold than the heavy paper version. But the downside is that, it is impossible to see the maps that are so helpful in the hard copy version.
Sometimes it was difficult to remember characters. If you don't read for a while, continuity may be lost. There are so many characters it's hard to keep them in mind.
While I applaud the author for writing an engaging historical novel, character development was lacking. But then, how could he possibly have included such a scope of history if he had not curtailed his characters in some way? True to the times of sons following fathers in their line of work or being apprenticed out, Rutherfurd's history is accurate. However, he used specific trans-generational traits that just didn't ring true. Characters imbued with strength, honor, or simplemindedness for example, made them less believable. Conversely, it could be seen as the author's device for helping the reader keep track of the many characters.
Is it worth investing your money and time to read LONDON: A NOVEL? Yes, if you enjoy (re)learning history. Yes, if you like seeing how climate, politics, wars, illnesses, and human frailties have forged into creating our past and (hopefully) appreciating how they impact our future. And yes, if you relish seeing places you've been or, plan to see for yourself.
Patricia D. Rivera
Sharon Beverly