New York: The Novel (Abridged): The Novel Audiobook

" Historical fiction at its best! "

" This would have been a much better book with some fact-checking. While I enjoyed the book, once the Peace of Paris was reassigned to 1763 (instead of 1783), I found myself questioning too many other supposedly historical details. "

" Great book to get better acquainted with the history of New York in a historical fiction setting. I've been to New York plenty of times but this strengthened my affinity for the city (previously I had a love/hate feeling -- mostly distaste). On the other hand, I kind of wished the author put more details on New York's history rather than weave the mildly interesting fictional tales. I found some characters interesting and other not so much. Some others have complained that the author missed out on some important parts of New York's history (such as the development of the black community in Harlem). For me, I thought it was well balanced (although tended more to the aristocratic edge of the populace) and interesting. "

" I liked how the author had one or two family trees that he followed through the history of NYC, but I wish they were better developed. I don't know if it is possible in a book like this to do that, but often I didn't care *that* much about the characters because they were fleeting to the story. "

" Story line seems contrived to bring in historical events and people. Not up to the standard of his other books. "

" A little tough to get through but I'm glad I stayed with it! A lot of history of New York but a little too detailed and boring in parts. "

" My first introduction to Rutherfurd's books. This makes me want to read all the rest. So glad this was recommended to me by a friend. "

" A long read, but so worth it! "

" Excellent book. Rich in details and historical facts, this is the story of the city of New York and how it became one of the most dazzling cities in the world. "

" Must read for all New Yorkers! "

" Wonderful historical novel of NYC. For anyone who loves the city, this novel gives you answers to the origin of the city and city life. I kept saying, "that's where that comes from!" Really enjoyed! "

" good for historical fiction...sort of big to carry on the train 800 some pages. But worth it. "

" This is a LONG book that covers Dutch settlers through 9/11 in NYC. I learned a lot about NYC and US history, and I didn't tire of the story even after 100s of pages. Highly recommend if you like historical fiction. "

" It was well done .. it does spend most of it's time in colonial era .. and revolutionary war period and then races through the rest. And some story lines just disappear. "

" Very good, but just too long! Lost a star for that ;) "

" This book is long and takes a while to get into, but its really good and gives you a rich history of New York City. "

" What a great way to get a history lesson. If you like historical novels you will like this. I love New York so I enjoyed reading about it's history. Only gave it 4 stars because the character development really drops off towards the end of the book. A little flat. "

" Love this book, it's my second time reading it. "

" Interesting in the beginning but too long and I got tired of it. "

" Thoroughly enjoyable read especially when anticipating my first visit to this awesome city. "

" It was great relearning the history of my home town. I really enjoyed the focus on the same families from one generation to the next and how their lives intertwined with each other. "

" New York is the most wonderful of characters in this epic. She is lovely. She is strong. She is bold and brave. She loves her people and they love her. New York captures the essence of the great city and her story is fantastically told in this book. Loved all 869 pages of it! "

" This is a really great book, but I found it difficult to keep all of the characters straight after a couple centuries. This book should come with a family tree! "

" This didn't grab me like some other Rutherford books have. Maybe the format is becoming tired. "

" Loved it. Can't wait to read more of his books. "

" I learned a lot about the history of New York. It was an interesting read in novel format. "

" I wish we had half stars on here - I would say 3.5 stars for this one. Very long, very detailed, but interesting historical fiction that follows a few families that cross paths for hundreds of years in the New York area, from the colonies to 9-11. "

" Because the novel spanned 4 centuries, a bit of skipping was necessary. Unfortunately, I would get invested in the characters and then there would be a forty year skip, losing the resolution of the plot point. That got to be a bit frustrating. "

" Rutherford traces many generations of New York denizens. I particularly enjoyed reading about the revolution from the perspective of New Yorkers. "

" There were some slow spots and then there were spots where the history was glanced over. Not his best book but certainly worth reading "

" This book made me want to experience every moment in New York's history. I felt like I was there through everything. The people and descriptions were so real. I felt homesick for a place I have barely been to. Historical fiction is my favorite genre and this sage has it all. "

" So far, this book as been simply written - nothing overly flowery or complex. He spells out every nuance for you. The history value is huge, though, as it covers New York from the Dutch Settlers until after WWII. I am listening to this book and it is over 32 hours long, but the reader is good. "

" Loved reading one of Rutherfurd's captivating histories based in my own country! I love New York and US history even more now. "

" great long book 800 pages full of history "

" In one review that I read it said that Edward Rutherfurd is the history teacher that you wished that you had. I totally agree. Growing up on the edge of the Hudson Valley, this book gave me information that I had always wondered about. "

" I loved this historical fiction novel! It moves from the 1600's to current day loosely following a family. It was really brilliant in the way the connections were made and the different immigrant experiences. "