LONDON

by Edward Rutherfurd

At 1152 pages, London is easily one of the longest books I have ever read. And although it took me almost a month to finish, I think it was worth the time and effort. London takes an in-depth look at the geographical, cultural and societal developments in and around London, England starting in the 4th century and continuing to the present day. Rutherfurd leaps as many as 300 years between chapters in the beginning, but as he approaches the modern era, his gaps lessen to 25 years. As someone who lacks great spatial visualization skills, some of the descriptions of the geography were challenging to understand. But seeing a society ebb and flow over such an extremely long stretch of time was incredible.

Rutherfurd’s ability to create dramatic snapshots in each era immediately drew me in and kept London from becoming a dry history lesson. But I especially admire the author's capacity to weave family genealogy throughout the book and that's what kept me reading. Using distinctive physical traits, connected surnames and inherited professions, the reader can trace one generation after another through marriages and deaths and all kinds of reversals of fortune.

As someone who has always been fascinated with certain eras of British history (Henry VIII and Shakespeare, Queen Victoria, and of course the time period shown in The Crown), I really loved filling in the gaps in my knowledge with so much more than a list of monarchs. I know London won’t appeal to everyone, but if an incredibly detailed historical novel with a truly epic scope is what your summer is missing, look no further! (Lily)