Reviews

I finally finished this trilogy!! A fascinating read for sure, though maybe not one I'll reread. While it was a bit of a struggle to get myself to sit and read it, it was still interesting and I would encourage anyone that's been curious about Dante's work, especially The Inferno, to give the whole trilogy a shot. It was interesting to read about how Dante envisioned hell, purgatory, and heaven, and it was especially interesting to read about who or what he claimed could be found in each. I really appreciated the Notes section after each Canto, because it explained a lot of the historic (both factual and legendary) names or events that I hadn't heard of before. Not necessarily a reread for me but would still encourage others to read if they've ever been interested in doing so.

josiahdegraaf's review against another edition

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5.0

Paradise is certainly the most challenging and least-easily-accessible portion of The Divine Comedy, largely due to its lack of poetic images, but the depth of it is simply phenomenal. Whether it be a large theological treatise all to explain why people can fly in Heaven, the deep investigations of the nature of God's justice, the constant theme of focusing one's gaze on Christ, or the thoughtful reflections of the three theological virtues, this book has a ton of depth--much more than I was able to plumb this time around. I've read this last section of Dante's epic three times now and only now do I feel like I'm beginning to get what Dante is trying to do with it.

I'm going to need to read this more carefully a fourth time eventually to fully unpack Dante's point here. In the meantime, I just need to mention that, as often as I've read this book, the ending of The Divine Comedy gives me chills every time I read it. What a conclusion:

"Thither my own wings could not carry me. But the truth I longed for came to me, smiting my mind with lightning flashing bright. Here ceased the powers of my high fantasy. Yet, as a wheel moves smoothly, free from jars, my will and my desire were turned by love. The love that moves the sun and the other stars."

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Excellent).

hakansid's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

the end of the biblical fanfic trilogy

samtheoboeguy's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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