∎ PDF Sarum The Novel of England Edward Rutherfurd 9780517223543 Books

Sarum The Novel of England Edward Rutherfurd 9780517223543 Books

Download As PDF : Sarum The Novel of England Edward Rutherfurd 9780517223543 Books

Sarum The Novel of England Edward Rutherfurd 9780517223543 Books

I was forced to read this book in high school, and didn't like it. As I got older, I found myself more and more interested in the meaty side of history (as opposed to just the glamorous parts), and I suddenly remembered this book. After reading it twice now, I can say it stands out as one of the best fictional history books I have ever read. If you wanted to get a sense of the history of England, and also what life was like for everyday people during various periods in the past, check this one out! I am going to start reading all of Edward Rutherfurd's books, based on this one.


Tags : Sarum: The Novel of England [Edward Rutherfurd] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A masterpiece that is breathtaking in its scope, SARUM is an epic novel that traces the entire turbulent course of English history. This rich tapesty weaves a compelling saga of five families who preserve their own particular characteristics over the centuries,Edward Rutherfurd,Sarum: The Novel of England,Gramercy,0517223546,Historical fiction.,Salisbury (England);Fiction.,Salisbury Region (England);Fiction.,FICTION Historical General,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction Historical,Fiction-Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,Historical - General,Historical fiction,Salisbury (England),Salisbury Region (England),Sale Books,Domestic fiction

Sarum The Novel of England Edward Rutherfurd 9780517223543 Books Reviews

I have noted with interest the number of reviewers who are not charmed by "Sarum." If a person is not enthralled by Stonehenge he might not be enthralled with this epic book. Perhaps a person has to be a Stonehenge junkie to enjoy Rutherfurd's sojourn into Neolithic Britain and the long, long road to the present.

Many years ago, when you could still roam around Stonehenge, I sat on one of the great rock slabs The rock felt cool even though the sun was shining. I ran my fingers over the lichen tracings which were as delicate as lace and I thought "hundreds of years from now when I am long gone, this rock and this lichen will look exactly the same as they do now." That was sixty years ago. As the author remarks in Sarum "the glory of the Island was made of stone." If wonders like Stonehenge thrill you, chances are good you'll love "Sarum" and the descriptive events swirling around the great astronomical monument are among the best in the book. The superb Salisbury Cathedral is also a nucleus of activity and a reflection of the English spirit and made of stone.

This immense novel takes a long time to get through but perseverance is worth it and you'll come away thinking about Britain in a new light because you will feel yourself an observer. You were there when Neolithic men first came down from the North, you were there for the next 10,000 years. In the Fifth century Britain is over-run with the Romans, then Germanic tribes-the Goths, the Saxons- and the Viking marauders from the north. King Alfred the Great manages to keep his kingdom of Wessex from being conquered by its numerous enemies and from that small kingdom Britain the Island will become England the country, a diverse people under one flag. As the history panorama rolls by you'll visit Norman England after the Conquest. In the fullness of time men will marvel at the great Sarsens at Stonehenge but they have forgotten what the eerie circle of silent giants was for.

Sarum follows the lives and fortunes of five families who lived on the Salisbury Plain- the family of Porteous, the Wilsons, the Masons, the Shockleys and the Godfreys. Families like these and the individual men and women who comprise them, some good, some bad, mold England over the centuries, give it its character, its uniqueness.

In the fourteenth century come the reigns of John, the magnificent Edward I and his disastrous son Edward II. Salisbury Cathedral rises from the plain, a church so light and airy it looks from a distance as though it were made of lace. The Black Death, a bacterial disease spread by fleas fro rats, decimates the population of Europe. In the Fifteenth Century Henry V wins the battle of Agincourt. The Tudor dynasty emerges after the death of Richard III. Henry VIII dissolves the monasteries, England is plunged into Catholicism by Mary and Elizabeth I wrenches the country back to Protestantism. She demands the Cathedral at Salisbury to contribute money to fight the Spanish Armada, knowing that the Spanish ships are positioning themselves for invasion. She executes her mortal enemy, "the Frenchified Mary Queen of Scots."

In the Sixteenth Century James I and his son Charles, devoutly believing they rule by divine right, try to govern Scotland as well as England without understanding either country. In the next century Cromwell, the Restoration. Citizens are buffeted one way then the other. The nineteenth century. Napoleon. Nelson. The little frigate called the "Euryalus" is tucked right next to Nelson's ship the "Victory" at the Battle of Trafalgar. "We were Nelson's watchdog" the seamen said. "We were his extra eye and arm." But Nelson in his admiral's jacket covered with flashing medals strides across the deck, giving orders, an easy mark for an enemy sniper. A concise description of the great battle which destroyed the French navy forever is written into the story. The British nation becomes an Empire, stretching around the globe. Queen Victoria is not mentioned.

Author Rutherfurd's authoritative and convincing story goes to the heart of the British nation, to the people who are the country's backbone. And Stonehenge, which had fallen into private ownership, was sold in 1915 to a gentleman for 6,600 pounds. In 1918 that gentleman gave Stonehenge to the nation.
Mr. Rutherford has done an amazing job of following the descendants of a handful of families based around Salisbury, Engalnd through time. Starting around 9000bc and progressing to 1980 and creating vignettes at important points in England's history showing how those historical events impacted the families at each point in time. It is a great social history.

I found it quite Interesting how the author showed physical features and personality traits descending through the lines. And I was moved by the way the reader was put I to the various battles, ie the Roman defeat of Bodeccia and her Iceni followers, Alfred and the Vikings, The War of the Roses etc., as well as other events. His approach brought greater understanding to the events.

I thought that the building of Stone Henge and Salisbury Cathederal was a little too drawn out and thus limited what could be presented in other events. But the book is dedicated to the cathedral and thus I give him his leeway.

Some have given lesser ratings complaining about the book bogging down at points but I personally thought it moved along much better than some of James A Michener and others' works. I think the book will be well received by those who enjoy reading about history and not so well by those who don't.
I was in my grandparents' living room, thirteen years old, and saw this book laying on the coffee table. A tome, almost a thousand pages, no dust jacket to clue me in to the content. I picked it up and opened to the first page "First, before the beginning of Sarum, the world was a colder and darker place......" That was it for me, I was in. I devoured the book with abandon, nevermind the occasional sentence that runs on for a whole paragraph, dizzying me with confusion. This was my introduction to historical fiction, and what an introduction it was. It was the first book in a lifelong obsession with the genre. The way that Rutherford handles his subject, telling the story of a particular place over time, using characters that change but families that don't, is genius. I have since read his others but Sarum will always be my favorite.
Quite a thorough saga! Sarum really is the story of the history of England, from prehistoric times to the modern era. By taking several family lines and creating a series of interlocking stories set in the Salisbury, England area, but sometimes 100s of years after each other, I got the feeling of being there during each major period of history. My wife and I now are planning a trip to Salisbury to see and feel the area that we have come to know through these powerful stories. Each story, although new, felt familiar because the descendants of the previous stories were the characters in the next story and some of the physical and behavior traits were carried along the generations. A fascinating way to learn history. I could put the book down after each section for the first 500 pages, but after that, the next 300 pages pulled me along in a trance.
I was forced to read this book in high school, and didn't like it. As I got older, I found myself more and more interested in the meaty side of history (as opposed to just the glamorous parts), and I suddenly remembered this book. After reading it twice now, I can say it stands out as one of the best fictional history books I have ever read. If you wanted to get a sense of the history of England, and also what life was like for everyday people during various periods in the past, check this one out! I am going to start reading all of Edward Rutherfurd's books, based on this one.