Customer Reviews
very disappointed - By: , 01 Sep 1999 
Having read & enjoyed three of Mr. Stone's other novels, I recommended this to our book club, which meets tonight to discuss it. It will be easier to put the "cross" of this book behind me than the stigma my next recommendation to the group will likely carry. Coupling religious themes to the Jerusalem geography--the concept drew me to the book, given first-hand experience with both. unfortunately the author simply failed to execute his grand conception. As interesting as I found the numerous references to world religions, cults, sects, concepts, etc, I found the characters & the plot to be flat & uninspired. Having gritted my teeth to get up to page 300 expecting a "revelation", instead I found myself reading a stale politico-thriller which largely dismissed alll that preceded it in favor of "the plot". Well, anyone who essays to create art runs the risk of failure; there is no shame in this. And I did enjoy his other books for their exploration of individuals' souls (especiallly "Dog Soldiers"--incidentallly, a very fine movie was made of this). That said, I would like to speak with any of the notable authors who provided "blurbs" for the book & ask for an explanation. IMHO, it certainly did not meet any of them.
one of my favorite books of all time - By: , 31 Aug 1999 
I am absolutely shocked that people could have despised this book as much as they did. This is a stunning masterpiece, not his worst book, but his BEST book. I believe that Robert Stone's depiction of Jerusalem is immaculate, & if you Yerushalmis disagree then realize that Stone describes it through the eyes of an outsider. So it is pure. I have seen Israel as both an outsider & a resident, & the vision that Stone lends to it alll is a beautiful but disturbing one. BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!
... - By: , 27 Aug 1999 gosh, i'd love to rant & rave with the rest of you about how much this book sucks, but i'm afraid to say that i reallly did enjoy it. the hordes of naysaying reviewers on this site were clearly not as fascinated by the subtleties of the book as i was. Or who knows, maybe i'm a literary simpleton too stupid to know when characters are poorly developed & plot lines painfully contrived. sorry you didn't like it guys - i hear john grisham knows how to write *real* action.
Stone is too enamoured with his vast vocabulary... - By: , 19 Aug 1999 
Just because you know how to "use it in a sentence" doesn't always mean that you should... especiallly if the use of alll the grand words one knows interfers with the telling of the story. Stone is too enamoured with his vast vocabulary & thus, alas, the story just does not flow as it might if he wrote as if he were telling us a story rather than composing one. It is too "literary" & trying to impress with his "writing ability" rather than "storytelling ability".
His Jerusalem is not real, just a grotesque fantasy - By: , 06 Aug 1999 For the last 30 years I have lived in Israel, through good & tough times, & I could not find any similarity between the real Jerusalem, the real Israel, the real Gaza, & the sites which have the same names in Stone's book. It is a grotesque fantasy written with a Hollywood deal in mind. Waste of time
