First million-selling novel in England
This is Hall Caine's most ambitious novel. The story spans seven decades and reminds one of the 'Godfather' films. The Eternal City is set in Rome and incorporates almost everything that affects our lives: religion, politics, bigotry, corruption, romance, love, betrayal, bereavement, loneliness, old age and nostalgia.
Hall Caine's writing style has been described by some critics as tedious, melodramatic, mundane, sensational, pretentious, moralising and even dull. This is, arguably, being unfair to him.. How do they account for the fact that The Eternal City was the first ever novel which sold over a million copies.in England! In his time, Hall Caine was tremendously popular with the reading public and a bestselling author at a time when books did matter, in the absence of radio and television.
If one is an unbiased reader and ignores what so-called literary critics have said or say, after about a hundred pages it becomes difficult to put this book down and another 400 pages follow. Suffice it to say that the novel follows the careers and aspirations of its two main characters, Rossi and Roma, the political and the spiritual, with a huge supporting cast. Indeed the novel had its fans in the cinema and theatre world as well. Again, if one has enjoyed watching the 'Godfather' trilogy, one should enjoy reading this novel, without paying attention to the adverse comments of some critics about Hall Caine's literary style.
Hall Caine was talking about a Europe without national barriers as early as 1901, when The Eternal City was published. For some years, he was also a correspondent for the New York Times. He spent most of his life on the Isle of Man where he died in 1931. Today, he is, sadly, virtually forgotten, if not unknown, but the earlier editions of his books have become collectors' items and reprints have started appearing again. The time may have come to revisit Hall Caine's novels and reassess his work. The Eternal City is considered by many readers to be his magnum opus.
