London

A History [Modern Library Chronicles]

By: A. N. Wilson

Narrated by: Christopher Kay

This entertaining volume provides a concise history of one of the world's premiere cities. Acclaimed author A.N. Wilson starts at the beginning, when London was founded by the Romans, and continues to contemporary times, hitting all the historical highlights along the way. London is the perfect starter book for anyone wishing to understand this great city a little better, and even seasoned London fans will find new information here.

opinionated

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It started off OK. Interesting facts and snippets of history, but the last chapter descends in to a rant about London's shortcomings. I can just imagine the author bashing away on his typewriter, grinding his teeth as he thinks of more things he hates about living in London. If you hate it so much, why live there?

Random Walk

Not a "concise history" - more of a random walk through some interesting and arcane bits of London's history. Marred by filtering historical events through 21st century culture, a tendency toward social commentary and biased architectural criticism.

Nevertheless, worth adding to many other histories of London and worth a listen

Some Insights

I listened to this book on the plane ride back from London and found it interesting. So much of the London history books deal with kings and queens but this book discussed more the the architecture, business and sociological issues in the city.

concise history of London

narrator was easy to understand the subject matter was thorough and enjoyed the author's point of view

Very Informative

I must admit the reason why I enjoyed this so much was the fact I was visiting London at the time I listened to it. I found it very informative and it truly enhanced my trip. I listened while I rode the train to nearby towns to London and every evening. I could picture some of the places that were mentioned, it was very relaxing.