The reviewer finds 'Jerusalem: The Biography' by Simon Sebag Montefiore to be an engaging and impossible-to-put-down account of the city's bloody history, filled with intriguing details and a good storytelling approach. The book spans 3,000 years, offering a comprehensive narrative that, despite some minor issues with religious terminology, remains vastly enjoyable and informative.
The reviewer describes 'Jerusalem: The Biography' as a gripping and detailed chronicle of the city's history, highlighting Montefiore's talent for storytelling and his ability to weave together historical facts, legends, and eyewitness accounts. The book's chronological structure is praised, though the reviewer notes some inaccuracies in religious terminology. Overall, the review emphasizes the book's engaging nature and its success in making the complex history of Jerusalem accessible and fascinating.
Quick quotes
Jerusalem: The Biography,” Simon Sebag Montefiore unleashes so many kings, killers, prophets, pretenders, caliphs and crusaders, all surfing an ocean of blood, that the reader may begin to long for redemption, not from the book, which is impossible to put down, but from history itself.
Montefiore notes that between 1919 and 1938, before the British turned off the tap of Jewish immigration, the Jewish population of Palestine grew by 343,000; Arab immigration was even greater, swelling the population by 419,000 during the same period.
This turns out to be a hard standard to maintain, even for a historian like Montefiore.