alisonwong_'s review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Interesting wellwritten but boring
mundinova's review against another edition
4.0
“The history of Jerusalem is the history of the world.”
Montefiore should be congratulated for packing so much history into such a short book. At 650 pages, it skims and dances across 3,500 years of kings, wars, three major world religions, and the modern formation of Israel. Reading Jerusalem: The Biography is like drinking from a fire-hose: the information never stops and once you think things have settled down, everyone dies. It shows us that the craziest of Game of Thrones story-lines won't come close what really happened in Jerusalem's history.
This book was lent to me by my VP after a work trip to Tel Aviv. I went into it thinking I knew very little about Israel. I now know for certain I know very, very little about Israel.
Message/Argument: 4 stars
Prose/Language: 5 stars
Montefiore should be congratulated for packing so much history into such a short book. At 650 pages, it skims and dances across 3,500 years of kings, wars, three major world religions, and the modern formation of Israel. Reading Jerusalem: The Biography is like drinking from a fire-hose: the information never stops and once you think things have settled down, everyone dies. It shows us that the craziest of Game of Thrones story-lines won't come close what really happened in Jerusalem's history.
This book was lent to me by my VP after a work trip to Tel Aviv. I went into it thinking I knew very little about Israel. I now know for certain I know very, very little about Israel.
Message/Argument: 4 stars
Prose/Language: 5 stars
thereadingrobyn's review against another edition
2.0
Finally finished this. Very checkered reading experience. Disappointed with the last third. Feeble seems the most accurate description.
tinyhands15's review against another edition
4.0
Endlessly intriguing and enthralling. Obviously well-researched, although it's fairly plain that some of his sources are emphasized by his familiarity.
jerihurd's review against another edition
4.0
History that, for much of the book, reads like a novel. It's tougher going the last third, once we're past the Ottoman Empire and it's just a back-and-forth of who's fighting for control. Still, you leave the book recognizing as never before that Jerusalem has often been an idea more than a city, which is both its glory and tragedy.
abigailniamh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.25