TCCDM Dig & Flip: "Sarum: The Novel Of England" - Edward Rutherford (1987)
Sarum: The Novel Of England
by Edward Rutherfurd
(1987)
Paperback, 1035 pages
NO SPOILERS:
I've always been struck by how my homeland, America, holds little quarter compared to the centuries of history that England has endured. Author Edward Rutherfurd introduces us to Sarum, England, better known as Salisbury, where Stonehenge and the famous Salisbury Cathedral are located. From the Stone Age to the mid-twentieth century, we are introduced to a variety of characters throughout many generations who are affected by this strange and beautiful area.
And it's that balance of characters and place that gives the reader a peculiar sense of smallness. Where the land is bigger than any person or persons could ever be. Rutherfurd offers many vignettes along the way that are both engaging and easily devoured. Although no one we are introduced to within these pages overstay their welcome, I was happy to meet them and often sorry to see them go.
Historical fiction, when done correctly, gives the reader some intriguing and entrancing information while serving it up on an entertaining platter. When I turned the last page, I felt smarter than when I began. That wonderful feeling of time well-spent. Sarum is over a thousand pages long, and the print is small, but don't let that discourage you. The book reads easily. It does not feel like work. Sarum is a fun and fascinating page-flip and, but for the much-too-rushed ending, I was happy to have read it.
"Out In The Country" - Three Dog Night / "It Ain't Easy" (1970)
Good stuff.
Comments