General Chat

Ann, I read Dublin a few years ago. Like London, I have passed it on.
As you know it is another BIG book.

I found it quite interesting but it is a story which needs to be digested slowly.

It should be how little I knew about Irish history.

Hope that you enjoy it when you have the time to read it.

review London by Edward Rutherford

Well, what can I say that has not been said already? It is a huge book, both in actual size and in content. I wish it had been in two volumes as it is very daunting to know how many pages there are to go!! Besides length, because it covers so much history between its pages it takes longer to read than normal books, each fact has to be digested and I am afraid at time I had a sort of mental indigestion!
It is an excellent book though for the facts that it gives and as has been suggested it would make good reading for 6th form college history students. In fact I am going to suggest my Grandson who is studying archaeology at Uni reads the final paragraph at least. Especially this line: “When we dig down we find it and we may put it on show. But don’t think of it as just an object. Because that coin, that pipe belonged to someone; a person who lived, and loved, and looked at the river and the sky each day just like you and me.”
I have to admit that at times I found it a little confusing to distinguish between the fact and the fiction. So may actual historical figures are in the story but we have to remember that it is essentially a novel and, as such a lot of the actual human stories are from the author’s imagination.
An excellent book and I enjoyed it but a long read and I am not sure if I would tackle Dublin or Sarum. Although Dublin is a mere 800+ pages long!!!

It wasn't just how many pages Ann, it was the fact that there were so many words on the pages as well.....My daughter said to me "Told you to get a kindle" ...... I took my copy of London down to Wellington with me, but I couldn't really cart it around on the buses every time we went out.

I have now read Sister and Thanks for the Memories, and I finally got a copy of Water for Elephants from the library ... it is in large print (I didn't order large print) as well. Can read it without my glasses.

Persie

Perse yes and the print was smaller than the usual print. I found it daunting to be halfway through and still have a 'normal' book left to read.

By the way, glad you are OK, not seen you around much lately but now I can see your reading list I can see why!!!!

Ann

What is your Tenerife reading thread's web link.?

I have also been tree tidying and working outside and we are often out... Have been doing research for one of the GR members - she has a lot of ancestry here.. so with that and reading and Facebook I don't get that much time on here.

Persie

I have nudged it up for you perse.

http://www.genesreunited.co.za/boards.page/board/general_chat/thread/1281936

Cheers Ann

All copied and pasted...

Pxx

London Edward Rutherfurd

OMG what a huge book, which I finally finished at the weekend and returned to the library today with the fine to pay for the book being overdue :-P and the copy I had from the library was a hardback doesn't make for a comfortable read in bed. I found it somewhat hard going at the start until it got more into the medeavel part (my favourite time in history), it was an interesting read about the what types of people made up the people of the city.

Thank you Michelle, don't think I would have wanted to read it in hardback, the paperback was bad enough!!!