When I think of truly epic reads, Edward Rutherfurd is at the top of my list. I picked up London more times than I care to admit and before I can even cracked it open, I found myself wondering if I am ready for something this epic? I finally did read it and it was so wonderful but the thing tat stood out above everything was the intense research!
Rutherfurd’s books cover hundreds and in some cases thousands of years of history! It’s a lot to wrap the mind around! The amount of research that he must do for just one novel is INSANE! Not to mention that he does a great job incorporating the character stories, lives and families in such a mind-blowing way, I mean his books should be required reading before on vacation!
When I saw that his latest novel China, is hitting shelves this month, I couldn’t wait to feature it on my blog! While this book focuses on a smaller portion of China’s rich history (it begins in 1839), it promises all the trademarks of Rutherfurd’s epic tales. I am so excited to read this one, I don’t know much about China’s history and I am eager to read more about it’s history and also follow Rutherfurd’s characters throughout the tale. If you love epic historical fiction you need to get this one on your radar now! It sounds incredible!
Summary
The internationally bestselling author of Paris and New York takes on an exhilarating new world with his trademark epic style in China: The Novel
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of readers with his grand, sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations. Now, in China: The Novel, Rutherfurd takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom..
The story begins in 1839, at the dawn of the First Opium War, and follows Chinese history through Mao’s Cultural Revolution and up to the present day. Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families, as they negotiate the tides of history. Along the way, in his signature style, Rutherfurd provides a deeply researched portrait of Chinese history and society, its ancient traditions and great upheavals, and China’s emergence as a rising global power. As always, we are treated to romance and adventure, heroines and scoundrels, grinding struggle and incredible fortunes.
China: The Novel brings to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country. From Shanghai to Nanking to the Great Wall, Rutherfurd chronicles the turbulent rise and fall of empires as the colonial West meets the opulent and complex East in a dramatic struggle between cultures and people.
Extraordinarily researched and majestically told, Edward Rutherfurd paints a thrilling portrait of one of the most singular and remarkable countries in the world. (summary from Goodreads)
The Lit Bitch 
I read Rutherfurd’s Paris and yes, the amount of research he puts into his books is amazing, and yet, he still puts in the fiction. This sounds the same. I might decided to read it if I’ve got a year or two free!