Peter Ackroyd's staggering and prodigious capstone accomplishment, London: A Biography, details the history and-perhaps most ardently-the tenor of his hometown with indelible care. From the Iron Age to present day, Ackroyd's narrative sweeps through the centuries with an effortless immediacy, bringing the city to life.
In this selection, the bestselling and award-winning author delivers a resonant account of the raids on London during the Second World War. Bombs and fires flare, naturally, but it is Ackroyd's esteem of Londoners themselves that endows this story with energy: "It was the invisible and intangible spirit or presence of London that survived, and somehow flourished, in [this] period of devastation." A rich, immersive plunge into some of London's darkest days.
