Who Would Like This Book:
If you love sprawling historical epics or are fascinated by the history of cities, "New York" will absolutely pull you in. Rutherfurd does a fantastic job weaving together the stories of multiple families, both fictional and real, from the 1600s all the way to the early 2000s - making New York itself the true star of the book. You’ll experience the city’s transformation through the eyes of merchants, slaves, immigrants, and socialites, making major events and obscure facts come alive. Readers with a soft spot for family sagas, anyone curious about how the Big Apple evolved, and fans of Michener or Ken Follett will feel right at home.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Those looking for deep, lingering character development or a tightly focused narrative might find this book a bit frustrating. Because the story leaps across centuries and generations, some characters come and go quickly, which can make it tricky to get deeply attached to anyone. The pacing is uneven - earlier eras are given more detail, while the 20th century sometimes feels rushed or thin. People hoping for a richer portrayal of New York’s full diversity or a deep dive into events like WWII or the city’s LGBTQ and modern immigrant stories might feel things are glossed over. And if lengthy novels with hefty info-dumps aren’t your thing, be prepared for some textbook-like passages.
About:
New York by Edward Rutherfurd is a sweeping epic historical novel that traces the lives of several families in New York from 1664 to 2009. The author skillfully highlights various parts of history, showcasing how New Yorkers adapted to events through highs and lows, wars and peace, and joy and sorrow. The novel delves into poverty, wealth, and race issues, although not in great depth, and successfully brings historical events to life within a captivating narrative.
The book follows generations of families, offering a perspective on the city's development from its earliest days with Native Americans and trappers to more modern times. While some readers found the latter part of the novel less interesting, the overall portrayal of New York's history and the intertwining of various families throughout the centuries make for an engaging and informative read.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The novel includes themes of slavery, violence, racial tensions, and references to traumatic historical events such as 9/11.
Has Romance?
While the primary focus is on historical and familial narratives, there are subplots of romance and relationships among the characters.
From The Publisher:
A sweeping, epic novel of the greatest city in the world.
From the empty grandeur of the New World to the skyscrapers of the City that Never Sleeps, from the intimate detail of lives long forgotten to those lived today at breakneck speed, Edward Rutherfurd's acclaimed novel is a true epic.
The novel begins with a tiny Indian fishing village and the Dutch traders who first carved out their hopes amidst the splendour of the wilderness. The British settlers and merchants followed, with their aristocratic governors and unpopular taxation which led to rebellion, war, the burning of the city and the birth of the American Nation. Yet a country that had already rent itself asunder once did so again over slavery. As the country fought its bloody Civil War, the city was torn apart by deadly riots.
Hopes and dreams, greed and corruption - they have always been the companions of freedom and opportunity in the city's teeming streets. As the immigrant ships berthed next to Ellis Island in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, they poured more and more Germans, Irish, Italians and Jews into the churning ethnic mix of the city. Deals were struck, politicians corrupted, men bought or assassinated, heiresses wooed, fortunes were speculated on Wall Street and men became rich beyond the dreams of avarice. The heady seesaw of wealth and poverty was seen in the Roaring Twenties and the Great Crash, the city's future symbolised by its buildings which literally touched the sky: the Empire State, the Chrysler Building, the Twin Towers.
Rutherfurd tells this irresistible story through a cast of fictional and true characters whose fates interweave in the rise and fall, fall and rise of the city's fortunes. It is the story of how in four centuries New York became the envy of the world. And in telling the story through the lens of New York, Rutherfurd brings the story of America itself to unforgettable life in this epic masterpiece.
Ratings (9)
Loved It (5) | |
Liked It (3) | |
It Was OK (1) |
Reader Stats (37):
Read It (10) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (19) | |
Not Interested (7) |
What can you read after
New York?
About the Author:
Edward Rutherfurd was born in England, in the cathedral city of Salisbury. Educated locally, and at the universities of Cambridge, and Stanford, California, he worked in political research, bookselling and publishing. After numerous attempts to write books and plays, he finally abandoned his career in the book trade in 1983, and returned to his childhood home to write Sarum. Four years later, when the book was published, it became an instant international bestseller, remaining 23 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. Since then he has written seven more bestsellers: Russka, a novel of Russia; London; The Forest, set in England's New Forest which lies close by Sarum; two novels which cover the story of Ireland from the time just before Saint Patrick to the twentieth century; New York; and Paris. His books have been translated into over twenty languages.
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