New York: The Novel

Edward Rutherford is an excellent writer and if you haven't read him - do and if you have read him - continue. This book does seem to cover less of a timeline than his others but we are a very young country. What I found most compelling was realizing the headlines of past centuries are being re-written almost verbatim in today's news reports. Historical fiction is fascinating to read because it's the politics, financial shenanigans, rags to riches and riches to rags stories, clashing cultural mores and tragedies that have shaped societies. New York is a great read and I bet it will get you thinking about what you think you know.

A great trip through the earliest days of NYC through 9.11. Wonderful insights into the origins of such places as Wall Street, Governor's Island, Bowling Green, etc. Also interesting to share a Loyalist perspective on the revolution -so many "modern" complexities, revisited.

If Edward Rutherfurd's "New York" is not as sweeping as his epic "London", or as historically fascinating as the classic "Sarum", it is a no less enjoyable read: a vibrant, swashbuckling snapshot of New York's City's rich and colorful origins. It has to be impossible to capture New York in a single volume, and despite a full 880 pages in hardcover, the breadth of New York's sometimes sordid, sometimes-noble, and usually triumphant past is reduced to only fleeting snapshots of the actual events. But if the content is light, especially compared to Rutherfurd's massive two-volume "Ireland" saga, he makes up for it with an extraordinarily empathetic cast that is developed more carefully, with greater impact, than in his previous works. This is partially the result of a focus on one fictional family - the Master's - with not much more than cameo appearances from a short list characters whose paths cross the Master clan from generation to generation, bridging all the way from Peter Stuyvesant's 17th century New Amsterdam to the summer of 2009.

Rutherfurd - and the Master's - careen through war and peace, crime and corruption, boom and bust - especially boom and bust - painting a vigorous portrait fitting for New York's larger-than-life image. And while the author is faithful to the formulaic approach that has served him so well, I found myself swept up as much with the Master's as with the historical content - a truly gripping and poignant series of tales of love and loss through generations which, if at times melodramatic, was never maudlin. Strong common threads run through this tightly knit chronicle, closing a 300-year loop with a compelling and satisfying payoff.

So kudos to Edward Rutherfurd for proving he can tell a story on this side of the Atlantic that is as exciting and historically illuminating as his great tomes of the British Isles. Not that there was much doubt, but "New York" is further proof that Rutherfurd is the reigning master of historical fiction, with every new release an important event. And Oh - a quick plug for Kindle's light weight, gutterless elegance - the perfect venue for "New York's" nearly 900-page mass.

As always with Rutherfurd's books, I thoroughly enjoyed "New York." I was visiting the city for the first time when reading it on my Kindle, so it was very timely. Rutherfurd does a wonderful job with the early history of New York, and I learned a lot about the city during the American Revolution which was very interesting. His characters are very real, and he deals well with relationships and the social conditions of the various periods. The characters reflect the early Dutch settlers, their immediate followers, the English, who soon gained control of New Amsterdam, and the native Americans who lived in the area. Later, he deals with the immigrants who flooded into New York, and with their problems and successes in the new land. Everything is tied together with an Indian artifact which is passed down from generation to generation. His handling of 9-11 was wonderful. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves the history of the U.S., the city of New York, and multigenerational family novels.

Rutherfurd writes a great and captivating novel---for the first 700 pages. Then he runs out of gas and gets mired into 150 pages about the pretty boring lives of the Master family in modern New York. When he starts describing the drinks individuals have at a dinner party, descriptions of floral arrangements in an apartment, insights into New York banking (woo-hoo!), etc., it becomes too much. The first part of the book was historical fiction at its best. The last part was a let-down. He should have quit around page 700.

I love the historical fiction genre. Born, raised, and live in the South, but have visited New York dozens of times. Also have lived and worked in London and I have had a career in the financial services industry so I have direct experience with a number of the places and subject matter. I loved the first half of the book more than the second half as the generational connections were there but the plot line became less captivating and it seemed like the story had to progress to present day so it could end.

The characters felt authentic and made the story come alive. Definitely would recommend the book, but with the last quarter of the book I felt more like I had to finish because I had invested so much time rather than can't stop reading because the story is to intriguing. Not quite a Follet, Clavell, or Michener but not too far off either.

Looonnnggg! Lol. I love historical fiction. I learned a lot from the book and I enjoyed the characters and their various storylines. I felt that some of the landscape descriptions were over written. This is a style choice and I just happen to not be a fan. If you enjoy Ken Follette you'll enjoy this book.

As a fictional novel based on true historical facts I was amazed with the author's ability to weave both together so fluidly. It is a 'must read' that is very difficult to put down, and as a long novel, that means some dedicated reading time. The interplay of the characters and their prodigy, the development of each character, and the masterful interplay of historical events makes for a terrific read.

I have several other Rutherfurd "place" novels but this own really hit home. I have never been to Russia or Paris, but his words transported me there and made me appreciate the people, land , and history. I am a New Yorker by birth and the author has enlightened me about my home town as no one before.
His history and characters brought the metropolis to life. Thank you again, Mr. Rutherford.

How did I miss this wonderful book? It is February, 2016 and I just discovered. It's a great read and at the same time gives us a bit of history of
New York City going backs to the late 17sth century. Light on history, rich in the lives of the generations of the family we follow.

Its literary merit is borderline. But its a great entry concerning American History which is fascinating for the uninitiated. The characters are 1 dimensional and there is a repetition regarding his depiction of relationships. The books subject is challenging and Edward partially succeeds.

For me it was like a competition between the story of NYC and US and the narratives of his characters. The strength of the book for me concerns the context of the lives of the characters as they relate to historical events.

Overall, it was a worthwhile read, enjoyable and an easy way to learn American History.

Very enjoyable read. I love the way Rutherfurd makes history more interesting by fictionalizing it. His prose are almost poetic sometimes. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I'd like him to follow up more on some of the specific characters since they become so likeable or at least very interesting.

I bought this book with real excitement, as 350 years of history would, I thought, be very detailed. Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to the anticipation. I'd lent Rutherford's books out with great recommendation, but I would hesitate to recommend New York. Rutherford seems to lose interest in any other story other than that of the WASPish Masters family(Rutherford introduces a Dutch-American family; an African-American family,an Irish -American family; a German-American family; a Jewish-American family; and an Italian-American family only to drop them within a generation or two to return to his WASP family narrative. The book became frustrating in its lost or neglected stories(being a free person of color before the Civil War-never mind; Five Points and its gangs-never mind; the prejudice against the Irish-never mind; the German-American experience during WWI-never mind; the Harlem Renaissance-never mind, etc). The entire history of New York is seen largely as a reflection of one family's experience. A wasted effort.

I found this book frustrating. Just as I started to get really into the characters, the author switched to a new generation of characters. I experienced it as sudden and then had to figure out how the new characters related to the old characters. If the author wanted to tell the history of the city of New York, I think he could have done it in a better way than this.

This novel captured my attention from the first page and kept it throughout. I cared about every character in it! It is skillfully written with a minimal narrative style but it packs a great punch of reading enjoyment. Lots of New York history enriched by the stories of generations of the families who lived there and loved it.

My endorsement is by behavior. I have bought this book for my friends, and I am not generous. I also bought this book for my grandchildren to learn American history while being delighted by a believable storyline. To be "entertained" while learning is priceless. Does that make sense? Other reviews have been written that capture everything wonderful about this book. So, all I can say is learning history has never been presented so profoundly and compellingly.

I hope this helps. Cheers!!

I loved this book. Ruthefurd has wound his own cast of fictional characters through this historical drama with real characters that we all know from history. It is a truly entertaining tale of how New York City came to be. I would recommend this to anyone who cares about Americana. It also helped me to learn about the geography of New York, of which I knew very little. I think you will find this a truly enjoyable read.

I'm wading through this Rutherford novel just after having finished Follett's 20th century trilogy, but find Rutherford's writing style less engaging than Follett's, even discounting Follett's overabundance of "spice." I'm only three-quarters through its 860 pages, so I may update this review once I'm finished.

I enjoy his books immensely. This one, NEW YORK, just isn't his best. He's a wonderful story teller and
weaves the families through generations very skillfully into meaningful stories and history. Fascinating!

I have loved and raved about other Rutherfurd books and even bought and gifted a few to friends who/that enjoy great writing. This book however does not seem to written by the same author. It is plodding and unimaginative at best and a downright snore at most times. I'm half way through and doubt I can finish it. At this point (in fact much earlier) in Sarum and London I was losing sleep from the inability to put the book down and go to bed.

This is a tremendous disappointment from a great writer.

Typical generational story, which I like and typical of Rutherford. Read one, read them all. The history of New York is interesting and provides a good starting point for further research and avenues of investigation of other books about New York.

ALL RUTHERFORDS BOOKS ARE EXCELLENT.
I CAN'T SAY I HAVE A FAVORITE.

HE COVERS VARIOUS COUNTRIES- CITIES IN HIS WRITINGS SO YOU MAY WISH TO GO TO THE BOOK SECTION OF the store AND UNDER THE AUTHOR PAGE- SEE ALL HE HAS TO OFFER IN THE WAY OF TITLES.

Amazing perspective on NYC. Provides a lot of information on the evolution of the city and the names of various streets and places. The character development seems at first to be a bit excessive but it eventually gets you more thoroughly involved with the novel as a whole. This is a great book for a kindle because it is physically heavy. Try London as well. I plan on reading a lot of Mr. Rutherford's books.

Just returned from first tourist visit to NYC. Many references to places we went. Gave me a better appreciation of what had transpired for many years. Very well told story lines. Thouroughly enjoyed this book.

This was an interesting book and I enjoyed the interplay between historical figures and characters in the various chapters. I found myself not wanting to say goodbye to one character, who in turn, would be replaced by the next generation and so on. The length concerned me at first but the book flowed well and I stayed up too late some nights to finish it up.

I love history. E. Rutherfurd's story telling is very compelling! He takes his characters and weaves them into historic events so well that you can actually "see" them in their environments. All of his characters could have existed in those times and places. Very entertaining! I've read all of his novels and did not regret one.

A real American history novel, spanning several centuries and multiple generations. Based in NYC with radii extending through-out the rapidly growing USA, at least in early chapters. Toward the end though, it becomes focused on the NYC elite. Still a good read, and historically informative.

This was an interesting book and I enjoyed the interplay between historical figures and characters in the various chapters. I found myself not wanting to say goodbye to one character, who in turn, would be replaced by the next generation and so on. The length concerned me at first but the book flowed well and I stayed up too late some nights to finish it up.

I love history. E. Rutherfurd's story telling is very compelling! He takes his characters and weaves them into historic events so well that you can actually "see" them in their environments. All of his characters could have existed in those times and places. Very entertaining! I've read all of his novels and did not regret one.

A real American history novel, spanning several centuries and multiple generations. Based in NYC with radii extending through-out the rapidly growing USA, at least in early chapters. Toward the end though, it becomes focused on the NYC elite. Still a good read, and historically informative.

This is a fabulous book. Epic, well-developed, with characters you learn to love and are genuinely sad to let go as you progress through the years. I'm left all the more breathless by the city, by the humbleness and grandeur of its past and present.

The only thing I would add would be a family tree style relationship chart like he has at the beginning of Sarum.

Another great read from Edward Rutherfurd. Having read "The island at the centre of the world", by Russell Shorto, I have found the story of New York fascinating and this book didn't disappoint. From humble Dutch beginnings as New Amsterdam in the 1660s, the small settlement developed rapidly to become a powerhouse of the world and financial rival to London. Along the way we meet characters, historical and fictional, who carry the saga along for more than 350 years. A good read if you like history and long books. Now I'm off to find another Rutherfurd.

Excellent book. While absorbed in the story and narrative I learnt more about New York's history and development than I could have any other way. Having lived in that wonderful city during seven years, I have come to understand the reasons why, of many names and places. If I have a chance to go once again to N.Y.C., I will revisit it with this book as a guide. I highly recommend "Paris" by the same author.

As Rutherfurd's other novels do, New York traces the history of the title's place based on imaginary family lines through the years. I think this actually works better here than it did in the European-based books. From beginning to end was less than 350 years, so the connections between the people presented was clearer than with a book like Sarum that covered thousands of years.

I wondered how a Brit would cover the Revolutionary War, & was a bit surprised how much coverage it received. Being told the story from the Loyalist point of view, I learned some things. The one I think is most important is that one of the reasons that the British government didn't want to give more power to colonial assemblies was that Ireland would have wanted the same local power.

After the Revolution period, the Dutch/English/African families were joined by Italian & other European families, Hispanic Americans, etc. to make the city what it is today.

Recommended by a friend who actually gave me the book. I then downloaded it to my Kindle so I could take it where I pleased. It is very very good and very contemporary even though it starts in the 1600's. If you like historical sagas that take you through hundreds of years of history to current day and makes you care about every one of those years.. this is your book.