I can't remember the last time I started a book but couldn't be bothered to finish it. Jerusalem changed all that. I managed to get to page 235, but couldn't bear to read another page.
'The most thought provoking novel of the year. An utterly essential read' says Irvine Welsh on the front cover. Only if you've been snorting something or smoking something you shouldn't.
It tries to be a clever book, jumping from the Boer War to a bling covered moron of the talentless and vulgar modern media times, then to a tinpot African dictatorship. I failed to follow the connections so the book just seemed to inexplicably jump from theme to theme.
The characters are shallow, cliched and generate no warmth or sympathy. A bit of depth in the characters may have gone some way to redeeming the book, but they are as unconvincing as the plot(s).
Ultimately I think it was meant to be an attack on capitalism and our Imperial past. But it failed misersably.
Please don't waste your time, life's too short.
I won't lie and say I am hugely well read, but as contridictory as it sounds I love the way certain words sound. I hate the thought of books becoming extinct and adore childrens book's.Bravo for starting this blog encouraging people to enjoy the written word,good luck with your venture. Sharon
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