Sarum: The Novel of England

This overview of English history, full of characters to love and hate, begins with the earliest settling of the Salisbury Plain by primitive hunters and farmers. As civilization develops and flourishes, so the story, evolving into a saga of five families who shape and are shaped by the events of this bit of the British historical story.The creation of Stonehenge will invade your imagination. Christianity comes and the Salisbury Cathedral is a result. Lives and loves of men and women with their triumphs and disappointments evolve against the parade of ages -- kings and their wars and kingdoms, plagues, revolutions, until we get to Queen Victoria and an age that developed faster than ever. The reader gets the impression of a snowball rolling downhill -- time begins with few people and slower development but one bit of progress inspires 30 more and on it goes, bigger and faster ad infinitum.Rutherford's research is thorough but it doesn't impede his story. With narrative under strict control, his style is clear, descriptive and tight. Relationships wax and wane through the generations as families grow and change with the times.Rutherford has said about this book that he admires James Michener and deliberately set out to accomplish for England what Michener did for Hawaii, Texas and others. I think he did it better.

I have often wondered about the almost endless stream of ancestors which have preceded me. Piecing together my own roots all the way back into prehistory is completely impossible; however, with Edward Rutherfurd I believe I have discovered the next best thing. Reading along through the ages with Rutherfurd's chosen families not only gives one an intimate view on technological advances, political changes, and religious upheavals. A careful reading also gives you a chance to see how your own family's history might have unfolded. I have always found that I enjoyed books best that not only drew me into their stories, but sparked my imagination to envision stories of my own. It would take me an entire lifetime to write a book this big; fortunately, it only takes me a few weeks to read one. I strongly encourage potential readers to take the plunge and not be put off by the book's length. Even after reading several hundred pages, you will still wish that you could find out more about the lives of many of the poignant characters he creates. As a bonus, the average person will find his or her knowledge of English history greatly, and entertainingly, enhanced.

As a casual traveller in Southern England, I walked into Salisbury and sensed the history before reading the book. "Sarum" (named for the Bronze Age hillfort settlement above modern Salisbury) puts historical dimensions on general knowledge of the people who lived during the various eras in Wiltshire over a span of 10,000 years. Weaving fictional family characters throughout the many ages of English history (and prehistory), Edward Rutherfurd provides a rich tapestry of human emotion on the backdrop of otherwise dry events and dates of historical note. A particularly interesting observation of family interaction over many generations is a depiction of many aspects of human nature which have affected the fortunes and misfortunes of individuals and family welfare. Rutherfurd manages to provide villans who "win" and good people who "lose" in the cycle of life's adventure, whether during Roman times or under Elizabeth I. History becomes understandable for this part of teh world because Rutherfurd makes it human. For anyone with English origins who is remotely interested in history, "Sarum" provides a terrific overview with a climax in the 1980's when it is decided to make extensive renovations in the Salisbury Cathedral, built 700 years ago. Since one cannot critically review history, it would be safe to give Edward Rutherfurd high marks for telling the story of his "home town".