Reviews

Paradiso by Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara Reynolds, Dante Alighieri

basilbasil's review against another edition

3.0

I actually read Sayer's translation of the Inferno, but as I couldn't find it listed on Goodreads, I just used this one instead.

thomcote's review against another edition

5.0

The Paradiso is the most difficult part of the Divine Comedy and Ciardi's translations deserves a lot of credit for making it reasonably digestible. The footnotes are also very useful for understanding and appreciation of Dante's remarkable talent for both line-by-line style and grand-scale structure.

boneyking's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

emilymadeline's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

kpdoessomereading's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

shaavit's review against another edition

4.0

Had beautiful moments, and finished the commedia well. Wasn’t as fun to read as inferno, but still a classic.

rissasreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective 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

3.5

I already knew Paradise was probably going to be my least favorite out of the whole Comedy but it was such a chore for me to get through. Overall, I still enjoyed some of the imagery we got in this but I found the writing to be less enjoyable than the previous Cantos. I know Dante wrote this very close to the end of his life which probably impacted that and he still put something amazing together but it wasn't what I wanted.

I'm not religious nor was I raised in a religious family so some of the references were completely lost on me, but I enjoyed the fact that Dante calls out the "modern" church (for his time) and some of what is said is still very much true about the people that are looked up to. I think more people that are religious should read this. Even though I'm not religious I thoroughly enjoyed some of this.

fierymoon's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

dante is so in love with beatrice i'll actually cry likeeee the way he talks about her???? THE WAY SHE IS LITERALLY QUITE LITERALLY HIS HEAVEN AND SHE WALKED HIM THROUGH THE ACTUAL HEAVEN????? oh i'll kill myself it was so beautiful to read

bookishlysophie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Not quite as enamouring as the rest of ‘The Divine Comedy’ but it’s still wonderful, complete with beautiful imagery that truly encapsulates Dante’s writing style. I just didn’t find the grit that was in the other books. I’d still recommend.

haley_j_casey's review against another edition

3.0

Not as good as the Inferno, which is a bummer because in my opinion someone's description of heaven should be equally as enthralling as their description of hell. Oh well.