Sarum : The Novel of England

Rating:
Summary: Sarum will change your perspective of life
Review: Sarum will change your perspective of who we are as a people, where we have been, and where we are going. This is the best historical book I have ever read, if not the best book entirely because Rutherford takes bits and pieces of real history and weaves them together in a fictional novel. Tracing 5 families over 10,000 years, Sarum creates for you an understanding of the importance of the family lineage and heritage; in the end producing an overview of English society as we know it. I only wish the publisher would produce another hardcopy run because it is now out of print.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best that I've ever read.
Review: Like Michener, Rutherford brings life and history alive in this chronicle of one of England's most ancient cities. I am so impressed with his ability to weave history and fiction into an exciting account that teaches as well as entertains. This should be must reading for anyone who says they don't find history interesting. To follow a "family" through several thousand years is an outstanding accomplishment. His novel, LONDON, is just as engrossing.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: SARUM, by Edward Rutherfurd is an excellent novel of the history of this area. I found it so real that when studyign teh history of the ares in school, i almost expected the characters in the book to be mentioned. I recomend this book to anyone, even teenagers (because I am one) and hope that other people will read it and love it too.

Rating:
Summary: 1000 pages of living back in history. Fantastic!
Review: I didn't want this book to end. I think of this book as one of the top 2 books I've ever read. I plan to read it again if I can get my copy back from friends who are reading it. I think I'll have to buy a hardcopy to keep.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for lovers of European history
Review: Edward Rutherford weaves a fantastic tale that starts in pre-history and ends in the early 20th century. Using fabulous imagery, he captures the essence of each time period covered - no small feat when you realize the time span. Some liberty was taken with the physical locations, but the author states this in the foreward and should be forgiven for his trespasses. One of the best reads I've had; excellent on long business trips when you want to step out into another world. I'm looking forward to reading London and Russka next.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, enlightening, and marshy
Review: I, too, picked up this book while visiting England to learn more about Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, and the areas I saw. The stories were interesting, though feebly tied together. My regret was that he would pull out of the story to give a history lesson, instead of letting the story tell itself. I am still recommending this book, but only to people who are true Anglophiles.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest novels I have ever read
Review: This book, for me, was both an entertaining read and a source of knowledge. Although the writer stresses that it is more fiction than fact, the detail in which he describes how they built the mighty cathedral, for instance, is breathtaking and awe-inspiring. Admittadly, it took me a while to 'get into' this book, but I am glad I perservered. The story told is one which sends you on a rollercoaster journey through millenia. As the novel progresses, I felt as though I actually knew the families of Sarum as well as I know my own friends. Edward Rutherfurd has produced a masterpiece here and I for one am looking forward to reading 'Russka'.

Rating:
Summary: More to England than D.W.M's
Review: Rutherfurd is a talented, disciplined and ambitious author; with the Salisbury Plains as a backdrop, SARUM follows the lives of five families through almost ten thousand of history. Sounds daunting, but the book is a lively read that makes history accessible. Although the novel is approx. one thousand pages long, it can easily be broken down into sections (Rutherfurd does this himself) to make it more managable. The thing that bothers me about Sarum is the historical assumptions with which much of the novel is approached. Men are the focus. Women are often on the periphery of the stories, as wives, mistresses, prositutes or slaves. Of course women were these things, but the contibutions women made in these roles and in others are ignored. War, buisness, institutions and monuments (ie glory) are the focus of Rutherfurd's history. We don't really see social changes in the family, where children fit in, what women did both inside the home and out. We don't see much perspective from the poor, or in the recent dates from the working class or non-white population. A good novel, but not very good history. SARUM is a novel of the Dead White Male, as seen through the eyes of privilege. That is part of the history of England, but it certainly isn't the whole story.

Rating:
Summary: Educated While Entertained
Review: As a genealogist with roots in Southern England, I found Sarum to be very educational as well as entertaining. This writers style is so much like my favorite American writer, Mitchner. I've read Sarum twice and wish I had bought a hard copy - I'ts a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: Great! Magnifico! Tres Bon!
Review: If you couldn't tell I thought this was one of best books I have ever read. I lived in England for several years and visited Sarum/Stonehenge several times. If you can't make it to England this book is the next best thing. The only caveat I would give is that it is quite long. But don't let that stop you from picking it up. The book will keep you captivated as the linage of the characters unfold.