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jazz_literary_cafe's review against another edition
Wanted to take a stab at the classics, but too difficult to read, even with all the notes. Knowing the plot itself is interesting, but to read it felt like a chore
l1saenn1s's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
megsk22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
livlaffloaf's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful novel. The distinction between Dante the poet and Dante the traveler is truly genius. The first to put a physical space to the name of hell, the world that Dante creates is absolutely marvelous. It is clear to see the care he took in distinguishing each circle from one another, including citing examples and stories of people within each circle. I recommend reading a version that includes notes on Italian history, since the novel is chock full of allegories and examples of Florentines.
olivia60's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
sydneyqamar's review against another edition
4.0
Dante's descriptions of his vision of the underworld supersede expectations. The endnotes in this edition proved immensely helpful in understanding the work without an English professor by your side. Dante evidently adored incorporating his reality into his works, as numerous allusions exist throughout this first third of his epic. Character developments seem to me rather subtle. Only a truly attuned reader will manage to recognize changes in Dante the Pilgrim without the aide of the endnotes. Overall, definitely worth a few weekends of reading.
catiemcgee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
smoores415's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Honestly this book is impossible to give a rating to, because while it was very difficult to understand, took me a while to get through, and incredibly dry, I am happy to have read the book to understand certain references and see Dante's imagination. I also don't agree with certain people being put in Hell (Helen of Troy and Cleopatra) or certain sins being punishable in such extreme ways. To me, there were way too many references to people living at the time and too many things that had to do with Dante personally for it to be a great classic. In my opinion, he should have worked harder to not put so many of his personal opinions or talk about his political stance and I could see it being more timeless.