Palm Beach Houses Book

Whatever sense of longing one leaves with after reading Goldhill's extensive, yet concise tour through Jerusalem, the reader will have probably felt a strange affinity to the complex system of buildings and ideologies, politics and religion, art and pious frauds. Goldhill taps into the imaginative abilities of his readers'the same imaginative abilities which often have endowed Jerusalem and its sites with so much significance'in order to guide them through a spiraling tour of Jerusalem. This tour encompasses the sights, the sounds, the oddities, but also the history, the religious traditions, the politics, and the ephemeral yet lasting complex cultural dynamics of Jerusalem.
Goldhill presents his writing for this exact reason: to take his readers on a tour of Jerusalem and its many layers. He walks his readers through the streets, with great attention to detail, in order to uncover the layers of stories which give and have given these places their significance. This book, he claims, is "a tour guide for the thinking visitor" (vii). Goldhill does not set out to give a comprehensive history of the political or theological or cultural influences which have shaped the Jerusalem that is seen today. Yet, as he paints a picture of the city's architecture and quirks, he beautifully interweaves historical knowledge, religious reflection, and political powers into the story of Jerusalem. After finishing his book, one wonders how anyone could set out to describe Jerusalem without addressing its multifaceted history, as Goldhill does. While not exhaustive, he poetically combines histories to present a complicated and layered approach to viewing the great city.
His framework for the book is to move the reader through the city in one week. Each day, or chapter, is spent focusing on a different aspect of the city, although there is often overlap between chapters. The first day is spent at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The next day one wonders over to the Western Wall. On the third day, one goes up to the many domes of Haram al-Sharif. The fourth through seventh days are spent exploring the city more broadly instead of remaining at specific sites. The reader moves through the Old City, the Oldest City, the Victorian City, and the Modern City.
Any who have even vague interest in the city of Jerusalem as a tourist or pilgrim would find this book to be an enlightening read. However, even those who are interested in the complexities of the conflict raging there today will find that Goldhill has much to offer. What Goldhill achieves in this book is a generally nuanced and engaging view of Jerusalem that allows the reader to enter conflicts through story. By placing stories, pilgrims, families, and religions at the forefront, Goldhill does not shy from conflict but is also not defeated by it. The reader will most certainly have a better understanding of the long history of Jerusalem and a stronger longing for peace after reading Goldhill's Jerusalem. A City of Longing.