Jerusalem

....the best book i have ever read! is it? let's see,it's a mystery bookit's a history bookit's a geography bookit's a tour guideit's a science fiction bookit's a children's adventure bookit's a ghost storyit's a life or death thrillerit's a love storyit's a family treeit's a tearjerkerit's a comedyit's a hard lessonit's a theoretical physics bookit's a biographyit's an autobiographyit's a memoirit's a true storyit's all liesit's an operator's manualit's a gift catalogueit's a book of judgementit's all booksit's a best book in the world bookit's a lifelong live in my memory book.......and no, i'm not on the mad apples! nor do i have the vocabulary to review this magnificent work!

You'll thank me later.

Moore's epic 'Jerusalem' actually shares many similarities with his earlier novel 'Voice of the Fire', with the first and third 'books' that make up the whole (literally, if you've bought the three volume paperback version), consisting of distinct yet interlinked narratives set throughout Northampton's history, each told in its own unique voice or style (including chapters told in verse; in the format of a play; and in Joycean experimental language). Unlike the strictly chronological progress of 'Voice of the Fire', here the time scales flits backwards and forwards, and amongst these sections I found the most enjoyment - the first 'book' in particular contains several stunning short pieces. Undoubtedly the most difficult however, is the James Joyce inspired 'Round the Bend', which will test the patience of all but the most committed reader. Told in a nearly impenetrable word soup mixing phonetic language and puns, I could barely get through more than a couple of pages a day without getting a headache. And yet - for all that it is frustrating, it is also rewarding, as Moore's compacted language allows for multiple meanings of practically every other word - the result is heady stuff, and offers more than can be found by simply looking up a translated version online (of which there are more than one).Where the novel most resembles a conventional narrative, is with its second 'book', as we follow the linear journey of Michael Warren - a young boy who has choked to death on a sweet, and his adventures in the afterlife. However, despite much wild invention, this is also the section where the pace slows to a crawl, as Moore devotes page after page on his theory of the workings of the universe, and the ongoing story creeps forward in a series of overlapping waves as each chapter spends the first dozen pages recapping the events of the last from a different angle.At it's best, 'Jerusalem' offers some great rewards, but it is by no means perfect. It's overlong, the Joycean obsession with detailing every street the character's walk down in minute detail will have you tiring of constantly flipping back to the map, and the faint whiff of 'old man moaning about how things were better in the old days' does hang heavy at times. But still - the highs are very high - and for something as wildly over-ambitious as this, the occasional stumble is a small price to pay. If you are unsure however, I would still have to recommend 'Voice of the Fire' over this - in the final analysis it does a similar thing with far less pages.

A true experience - I found myself wandering the streets 'The Boroughs' on google maps - and might even visit there - is someone doing a walking tour? It was sad to see how little remains. It will be impossible to be there, after having read this book, without looking up and expecting to see Mansoul above. There is Justice Above the Streets!

That was without a whisp of doubt the greatest novel I've read. It's very big, and very funny, and horrible and gorgeous and fascinating and exciting and mind-blowing, but most of all it's funny. A magnificent, transformative and delightful epic 💚

If you love literature, language, history, character, caricature, description, art, fantasy, philosophy, attitude, grieving, joy and horror, this is the book for you.

The greatest book ever written. Can't stop reading it. Get to the end and start all.over again. Bless Alan Moore

Phew - that took sometime to get through!!A very original, unusual book. I found it very well written some lovely phrases and images created by Mr Moore - the man can can write!!Like some other reviewers - I found the first 2 books the most interesting - especially the second book/part Mansoul which sees young Michael in a bizarre afterlife…the imagery based more on a bizarre Dickensian world than the Garden of Eden. On recollection, there wasn't a great deal of action - though his meeting with Sam O'Day successfully increased the tension.I was impressed with the first book - The Boroughs - numerous characters are, on the whole, sympathetically described ..them and their links to The Boroughs. Great descriptions ..though in one chapter I thought if the author names one more bloody street I will scream!!But it is in the final book - Vernall's Inquest - where I knocked one star off as I found this section to be disjointed and meandering. But despite it being less satisfying for me, it is still nicely written and the author does succeeded in at least rounding things off with the exhibition …it's just that i found myself reading through it quickly to get to the conclusion.The book left me wanting Moore (sorry!) - and would definitely encourage me to look for his other works - which are hopefully as well written but a little more succinct?

The only book in the world, encompassing all others. A quantum physical apocalypso of art, leaving you speechless in the face of its brilliance. If you can ever finish the feckin thing, that is. Took me two years.

Reconciles you with life death art got to read it a couple more times before it s all over... String of dead rabbits still a puzzle

This book is unreviewable. And yet it must be experienced. Must. Be. Experienced. Someone on GoodReads claimed this to be this century’s Ulysses. I’d say Alan Moore has crafted this century’s Ulysses-Gormenghast combo. I cannot dare to review Jerusalem. I can only plead that all of you out there must experience it. Must. Experience. It.

At 1200 pages i admit i listened to some parts on audiobook so i could finish a little quicker. It's a delight of a book, take your time and enjoy it (book 2 drags a bit but stick with it!)

In the end, I don't think the book quite works, though it provides vast entertainment while it fails. It is written in a very visual style (think overblown Peake) with the unfortunate consequence that nearly everybody sounds the same. The plethora of adjectives, and a vague sense that some sections have been generated by repeated recourse to a thesaurus, becomes overbearing. That said, I kept going to the end, and if the Finnegans Wake parody was a flop, the Beckett parody soon after was worth the price of admission alone. What was it Rossini said of Wagner? Wonderful moments, but awful quarter-hours - that fits fine.