Questionaire - Thea

Looks like I am!! I got a copy of "The Secret Daughter" and the double Charles Dickens book.


2. I am reading Edward Rutherford`s "New York" and "Reading Lolita in Tehran" at the same time.

3. The last book I lent out was John Grisham`s "The Confession" (yawn)and Jan Guillou's first book in his Crusades Trilogy - "The Road to Jerusalem".

4. Bernard Cornwell "The Burning Land", Ken Follett's "Fall of Giants", the Dickens Omnibus, haven't thought any further than that!

5. I really enjoy Edward Rutherford, although his style is predictable. He starts off telling the story of a place, how it was established, as well as the whys and wherefores. He begins with a few key people/families, and throughout his epic tomes, progeny from these families keep coming forward. It's an interesting style, as sometimes you lose track of any given character and somehow he always manages to tell their story, even if it's in the most unexpected or underhanded way.

Historical figures come to life in his books. Right now, in "New York" the characters of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln come to life, and you learn things about these men that are not well known. He re-frames historical events in a fictional way, embellishing and fleshing the stories out to build interest. In an entertaining way the author teaches you historical events, yet the entire story is knit together.

Rutherford's characters are believable and human. They make mistakes, do reprehensible deeds, feel pain and joy, and are drawn into intrigue and drama. And throughout the book, the place in questions is explained and developed.

I never hesitate when I see a new Rutherford novel published. I buy them immediately