Epic

I loved this book. The wit, the humour, the pathos, the word play, it doesn't get much better than this oh and Simon Vance the narrator was exquisite. 60 hours of my listening life was a small price to pay. Enjoy.

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Alan Moore writes like the very best of our dreams, every sentence and every word a fanatical gift. Simply extraordinary.

I admit to being a fan of Moore since his days at 2000ad, and his US debut on DC'a Saga of the Swamp Thing, but if anyone doubted he could make the leap from comics to novels, Jerusalem will absolutely shatter that misconception. There are not just chapters or paragraphs here that I would die happy if I had written them, their are clauses of such brilliance it almost hurts to hold them in your mind's eye. Aside from the beautiful prose and wonderfully drawn characters, it's a genuinely funny book (i had forgotten just how funny Moore can be) that somehow also manages to be have a sense of creeping dread and an acidic indictment of gentrification and the slow murder of the working class since Thatcher.

For medical reasons too tiresome to get into here I struggled with reading Jerusalem in print. I'm so glad that I took a punt on the audiobook. This reading by Simon Vance - all 60+ hours of it - is really well done, right up there with Peter Kenny's excellent readings of Iain Banks work. If I had any further recommendation, it would be to have a print copy available while you're listening because you're going to want to share some of the prose with your friends.

Simply magical. In a year of excellent books read or listened to, one of the best in my 55 years of reading, this is the standout. Don't be put off by the length of the book - it's a feature not a bug, and by the end of the novel you'll wish it was twice as long.

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Magnificent

My goodness this book by Moore is truly epic.
The range of intertwined stories from the contemporary, historical, mythological and the fantastic is extraordinary. Part family lore, part Enid blytonesque adventure story, bit of fantasy some sci fi, some James Joyce styled sex (I think??) and topped with a commentary on the politics and other ills of the modern age. The whole lot combined to create something of a clear eyed love letter to Northampton.
I also think I have discovered my new favourite character in Alma Warren.
The narration by Vance is also brilliant.
Loved it. 80 odd hours of listening almost wasn’t enough

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Absolutely Extraordinary

This is my first non-graphic novel Alan Moore experience, and it feels like an epiphany.
A mix of history, poetry, myth, biogeography and fiction, it's truly astounding. It seems to be a trend these days for authors to have incredibly detailed explanations that wind into complete irrelevance, and maybe they are trying to do what Moore masters - that is the picture, the representation of the ordinary, the extraordinary and the sublime. I do hope they stop and leave Alan Moore to have his winding tales, his contemplative characters and his mindbending interplay of fantasy and reality.
Telling you what this book is about would do it a disservice. but suffice to say it is a love story for a place, a people, and a class. Part shocking reality, part quest, the story is not one story, but multiple intertwined tales unlike others I have read.
It is graphic, blunt, poetic, even pastoral in the appreciation for a sense of place.
Simon Vance was a perfect choice for narration. adding character and subtly, brutal truth, painful experience and a sense of acceptance by the protagonists of their lot in life.
Honestly, this is a fantastic listen. I don't know how anything can possibly eclipse it... Thank you Alan Moore, and Simon Vance for bringing the words to life.

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A quite extraordinary book.

I’ve listened to the audio book and read the paper book simultaneously. In my opinion Jerusalem represents the greatest piece of writing seen in the English language for many many years. It has officially usurped Ulysses as my favourite book of all time. Allan Moore is the William Blake of our time. A genius.

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Wisn’t wanting it to end.

A great adventure, beautifully written, expertly narrated. I’m bereft to have reached the end.
I recommend the investment.

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