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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
A truly astonishing book if you can get into it - scholarly and erudite, but not overpoweringly so - for at its heart, it really is a clever whodunnit. Full of social history and genuine events/characters. Unputdownable.
I don't usually read anything that starts out with maggots and bugs. Since it was about Dante, I made myself keep going and it was worth it. A wonderful mystery/suspense. A little too many gruesome details for me, but I just closed my eyes during those parts. ;)
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
If you like Dante and are interested in Longfellow, you can probably make it through this book, but you also probably don't want to. Props for a fun idea, but the execution is poor
Having read Matthew Pearl's [b:The Last Dickens|5588668|The Last Dickens|Matthew Pearl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440872878l/5588668._SX50_.jpg|5760012], and enjoying it thoroughly, I thought I would try his first novel as well. I really like the way he uses actual history as a background for his novels. In this one, a group of history's greatest poets including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell and publisher J.T. Fields have formed a scholarly club for the purpose of translating Dante's [b:The Divine Comedy|6656|The Divine Comedy|Dante Alighieri|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624535952l/6656._SY75_.jpg|809248] into English for the first time. So when a series of murders take place using the bizarre physical nature of "The Inferno", the Dante Club feels somewhat responsible. After all, they are the only ones outside of Italy who really know the contents.
This is another interesting historical mystery but it does take some effort to read. Some would call this "literary fiction" but I shun that term because many take it to mean "boring". Well-drawn characters with an intriguing plot combined with a well-researched historical setting make this one a good read. Matthew Pearl's work continues to impress.
This is another interesting historical mystery but it does take some effort to read. Some would call this "literary fiction" but I shun that term because many take it to mean "boring". Well-drawn characters with an intriguing plot combined with a well-researched historical setting make this one a good read. Matthew Pearl's work continues to impress.
This was hard to get into, but once I did I was hooked. It's historical/fiction/mystery featuring 19th century American literary figures. What I found appealing about this book was that it really enhanced my understanding/appreciation for Dante's Divine Comedy. It also made some historical figures really "come to life." This prompted alot of discussion for my book club. The ending is a real surprise, which everyone liked, but some people had qualms with the graphic nature of the gore (think Angels & Demons).
adventurous
dark
tense
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:
No
A fairly-written whodunnit with erudite characters. Pearl’s love of poetry, literature, and Boston/cambridge is alive on every page. This is a book I wanted to read more slowly to savor it.
Trying to be the Da Vinci Code, but terribly disoriented writing style. Never know fully what's going on or who's talking to whom.
I listened to the Poe Shadow and enjoyed it. I had a hard time paying attention to The Dante Club and really getting into it. I kept listening though.
I think Pearl did a good job explaining Dante and The Divine Comedy to someone who did not know anything about it. It is hard to use something as an inspiration and then have to make sure everyone is on the same page as you are.
The most interesting part of the book came towards the very end though. It is always interesting to me when the root of all evil lays in man and man alone. The fact that the killer's time in the war is what led him to kill so many and find such solace in the idea of Hell was extremely well explained.
Overall the book seemed disjointed, shifting from different perspectives. Pearl also did they age old, 'we saved someone from death, but the killer escaped and there's way too many pages left in the book not to realize that the killer will attack the main characters of the book' ploy. It was transparent.
I think Pearl did a good job explaining Dante and The Divine Comedy to someone who did not know anything about it. It is hard to use something as an inspiration and then have to make sure everyone is on the same page as you are.
The most interesting part of the book came towards the very end though. It is always interesting to me when the root of all evil lays in man and man alone. The fact that the killer's time in the war is what led him to kill so many and find such solace in the idea of Hell was extremely well explained.
Overall the book seemed disjointed, shifting from different perspectives. Pearl also did they age old, 'we saved someone from death, but the killer escaped and there's way too many pages left in the book not to realize that the killer will attack the main characters of the book' ploy. It was transparent.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No