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mnkeemagick's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If you are sensitive to triggers and you're looking at reviews to decide if you want to read this, start there and come back. Many of the tags I've listed are very explicit and some of them are even point of view.
Now then, I can confidently say that it feels like I've got smoke pouring from my ears after this one. This 1200 page behemoth was something to behold: it's a blur of philosophy, experimental writing form, various points of view, and shifting styles all wrapped into a love letter for the downtrodden, dirty, and forgotten. The way that Moore writes is enthralling without the prose itself being flowery or pretentious or overtly complicated, and it ultimately kept me going. Some sections range from slow to downright hard to get through either emotionally or technically, but overall, if you're a fan of experimental writing, nonlinear storytelling, interesting philosophy on death or God, or just want to experience a true delve into a lower class slice of life as they're immortalized and given mythos, then this is worth chewing through.
As I said above, be warned. There are many parts of these stories that feature explicit sexual assault, violence, harassment, and abuse. Parts of it are literally made hard to read at their most basic technical level. It's not a book for everyone, and in many instances it may not even be enjoyable, but it is certainly an interesting exercise that I feel is worth reading, and a ride worth taking.
Now then, I can confidently say that it feels like I've got smoke pouring from my ears after this one. This 1200 page behemoth was something to behold: it's a blur of philosophy, experimental writing form, various points of view, and shifting styles all wrapped into a love letter for the downtrodden, dirty, and forgotten. The way that Moore writes is enthralling without the prose itself being flowery or pretentious or overtly complicated, and it ultimately kept me going. Some sections range from slow to downright hard to get through either emotionally or technically, but overall, if you're a fan of experimental writing, nonlinear storytelling, interesting philosophy on death or God, or just want to experience a true delve into a lower class slice of life as they're immortalized and given mythos, then this is worth chewing through.
As I said above, be warned. There are many parts of these stories that feature explicit sexual assault, violence, harassment, and abuse. Parts of it are literally made hard to read at their most basic technical level. It's not a book for everyone, and in many instances it may not even be enjoyable, but it is certainly an interesting exercise that I feel is worth reading, and a ride worth taking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Islamophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, War, Hate crime, Incest, Torture, Child abuse, Car accident, Self harm, Suicide, Physical abuse, Racism, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Child death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Alcohol, and Sexism
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
2.0
Crazy disappointing to give out two stars after putting in so much time and commitment, but that’s honestly all it was worth. About 800 pages in there was a frustrating section lasting quite a long time where the character spoke in an impenetrable dialect. I nearly gave up, persevered, but thereafter I was waiting for the book to end. The plot lines were so esoteric and then just fizzled that it couldn’t hold my interest. Frankly the book was just too long (over 1,200 pages). After getting so far in I was not going to stop, but I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed any part of the last 500 pages. Overall I really didn’t like the novel (which would normally warrant 1 star); however, even beyond the author’s commitment to the story at such a length, I decided to give the read one extra star for my personal effort. Too much work and not enough reward. I’d recommend skipping this book.
willow1113's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Classism, Sexual assault, Incest, Sexual violence, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Drug use, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Grief, Antisemitism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Slavery, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Sexism
lost_gods937's review against another edition
5.0
"Warry, seriously, everywhere's Jerusalem, everywhere trampled or run down. If Einstein's right, then space and time are all one thing and it's, I dunno, it's a big glass football, an American one like a Rugby ball, with the big bang at one end and the big crunch or whatever at the other. And the moments in between, the moments making up our lives, they're there forever. Nothing's moving. Nothing changing, like a reel of film with all the frames fixed in their place and motionless until the projector beam of our awareness plays across them, and then Charlie Chaplin doffs his bowler hat and gets the girl. And when our films, our lives, when they come to an end I don't see that there's anywhere for consciousness to go but back to the beginning. Everybody is on endless replay. Every moment is forever, and if that's true every miserable wretch is one of the immortals. Every clearance area is the eternal golden city."
-Alma Warren, Jersualem, Alan Moore
-Alma Warren, Jersualem, Alan Moore
eantczak's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
aarws22's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jstrahan's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most impressive books I’ve ever read in its scope. Very hard to explain what it’s about, as there are very few things it isn’t about. One chapter in this book tells the story of the universe from the Big Bang until the end of time and still manages to be personal, specific and beautiful. One of those books that feels like it stretches your mind as you read. Alan Moore is one of the greatest writers alive today, and I can’t praise this book enough. It takes a while, and a lot of breaks for something lighter, but it is worth it.
retrophrenologist's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
deadlight01's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
trilbynorton's review against another edition
5.0
I'm hard-pressed to think of any other artwork that so thoroughly and comprehensively conjures a place as does Alan Moore's mammoth opus. I've never been to Northampton, and had only a brief tour of Google Maps street view to aid my mind's eye, but after almost 1,400 pages I feel like I know the Boroughs as well as any lifetime resident.
Know it in space and in time. Time is Moore's other major concern, both as a dimension and a human experience. Angles [sic] observe history as a four-dimensional plane in which every instant happens at once, while in Northampton the ghosts of eighth century monks walk down the high street.
The two most apt comparisons I can make are James Joyce's Ulysses and Moore's own From Hell. The former because, like Joyce's work, Jerusalem shifts form and style with every chapter (changing from stream-of-consciousness to verse to theatrical script), and of course is set in a single place, albeit extended into the fourth dimension. The latter because, as with Moore's exploration of Jack the Ripper, the century which birthed him, and the century which he in turn birthed, Jerusalem seems to be about...well, everything. History, economics, physics, philosophy, literature, Bauhaus.
Five stars seem somehow inadequate. Perhaps some sort of higher-dimensional score, of which stars are merely a lower extrusion of a points system beyond human comprehension.
Know it in space and in time. Time is Moore's other major concern, both as a dimension and a human experience. Angles [sic] observe history as a four-dimensional plane in which every instant happens at once, while in Northampton the ghosts of eighth century monks walk down the high street.
The two most apt comparisons I can make are James Joyce's Ulysses and Moore's own From Hell. The former because, like Joyce's work, Jerusalem shifts form and style with every chapter (changing from stream-of-consciousness to verse to theatrical script), and of course is set in a single place, albeit extended into the fourth dimension. The latter because, as with Moore's exploration of Jack the Ripper, the century which birthed him, and the century which he in turn birthed, Jerusalem seems to be about...well, everything. History, economics, physics, philosophy, literature, Bauhaus.
Five stars seem somehow inadequate. Perhaps some sort of higher-dimensional score, of which stars are merely a lower extrusion of a points system beyond human comprehension.