Edward Rutherford

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Edward Rutherford was born in Salisbury, England. He studied at Cambridge and Stanford before embarking on his writing career. His popular works of historical fiction include Sarum, Russka, London, The Forest, and The Dublin Saga (The Princes of Ireland and The Rebels of Ireland).

[edit] Style

Known as a James Michener disciple, Rutherford invents four to six fictional families and tells the stories of their descendants. Using this framework, he weaves them in out of historical situations, having them interact not only with each other, but also with significant historical figures. As a result, his books serve an educational purpose.

[edit] Format

Rutherford's novels are generally at least 500 pages and sometimes even over 1,000. Divided into a number of parts, each chapter represents a different era in the area of the novel's history. There is always an extensive family tree in the introduction, and each generational line matches with the corresponding chapters.

[edit] Breadth of Readership

Though Rutherford's novels have focused mostly on the British Isles, his popularity extends worldwide. From book clubs to academia, Rutherford draws a diverse pool of readers.