Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd – An Epic Novel Reviewed

Sarum is Edward Rutherfurd’s first epic novel spanning over 100 Centuries of human history in Salisbury. Beginning with early human settlement in the region after the last ice age, this historical novel tells the tale of human development in Southern England right up to the 1980s when the book was first published.

From the building of Stone Henge and human sacrifices to appease the gods, through to the Roman occupation, the Norman conquest, the protestant reformation and the second world war, this story novel tell the story England through the development of Salisbury.

Those unfamiliar with Rutherfurds novels, he tells the story of how a city developed through the stories of local families. In Sarum, through the fictional family stories of the Godfrey’s, the Stockleys, the Masons, The Porters, the Wilsons and the Forests this novel tells family stories of lust, intrigue, feuds, murder, poverty, love and heartbreak. Through these family stories, we learn the history of the region. While the families the fictional, the series of events are based on detailed historical analysis.

Rutherfurd novels are a must for those wanting to know more about history, but not wanting to spend hours trawling through dusty history books. If you want to brush up on your English history while reading a well written work of fiction, Sarum is a must.