Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top 5 Books Ever, 22 Nov 2004
I purchased this book when it was first published and I have just re-read it, something I cannot ever remember doing with a work of fiction. I put this book in the top 5 of all the books I have ever read.
The book is so vast that to give a coherent review in the space available is virtually impossible.
Suffice to say that the book starts 7,000 years BC and ends in modern times. It relates the lives of five families and their histories through this vast time scale.
Read this book for the pleasure it will undoubtedly give you, but at the same time you are receiving a lesson in the history of the British Isles (if only they were like this at school).
Perhaps the main character in the book is not a person at all but a building, the Catherdral at Salisbury.
Rutherford brings everything to life in the most magical of ways. If you are interested in historical novels you must read this one.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting way to learn history, 11 Oct 2002
By A Customer
I've just completed this book. It took some time since it's rather long, some 1400 pages. The book chronicles the history of Britain in general and the Salisbury region in particular through the lives and shifting fortunes of 5 families from the end of the last ice-age through to our own century. The book is in the form of a series of short novels, all dealing with different periods, linked together.The book is, in places, very interesting, like in those chapters dealing with the building of Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral. Other parts I felt very indifferent to, and some parts I found right out boring. But this is probably to be expected in a book as long as this. However, I felt that the interesting chapters were in too short supply. But I'll be fair and admit that my opinion is, in part, based on my previous knowledge of history. I didn't know much about the stone-age, Roman invasion and the Middle Ages etc. so I tended to find those chapters more interesting. Periods like the civil war, Victorian England among others I knew a bit about. Consequently, I had a pretty good idea where the story was heading, and that took some fun out of it. Also, I should point out that at times this book felt more like a history book than a novel. By that I mean that the stories were a bit weak, sometimes to the point where I felt they were just an excuse for chronicling historical events. The conclusion must be that if you know British history very well, this may not be the book for you. On the other hand, if you don't, and are looking for an entertaining way to learn history, I would definitely recommend this book.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular!!!, 20 May 2004
If you plan to read just one book this year, make it SARUM. This is a truly amazing book, a work of art, a journey into history, a voyage of discovery. Like the other Rutherfurd productions, SARUM is an enormous book of epic proportions. It recounts the tale of 5 families, starting circa 7500 BC and the last chapter takes place in April 1985. Needless to say, there is plenty happening in between - adultery, murder, treachery, rivalry, mystery, love, hate, passion, war, anarchy, peace etc etc etc. Every aspect of the human emotion is examined against a real historical background. The characters and their lives are genuine enough that you can empathise with them, Actual historical facts further enhance the authenticity of the characters that you may find yourself actually believing that these people really did exist. Despite the the fact that the books deals with events that took place over 100 centuries, there is never a dull moment. Somehow, Rutherfurd manages to glide smoothly through the centuries of history that has defined our present including the shaping of the British Isle, the building of Stonehenge, the devastation of war and life in feudal England. In my opinion, this is the author's unparalleled genius - that he can hold the readers' interest for that long. Read this book for an insight into the people who were instrumental in shaping Salisbury plain and in giving us what is probably the most breathtaking piece of architecture - the truly magnificent Salisbury Cathedral.
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