Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I went back and forth between two and three stars for this one. The story itself is pretty promising--gruesome murders with Dante-esque elements, as historic literary characters hunt down the cause. But the writing is so...tiring. I've always felt calling writing "self-indulgent" was a bit pretentious, but I can't find another descriptor. Everyone is "crying out," everything is dramatic and overwrought. If the writer had just calmed down a bit (or his editor had slashed a bit more eagerly), this could have been a lot less annoying.
Also, the ending motivations for the killer are somewhat of a letdown. Without giving too much away, there's a build up and then things just get anti-climatic. I really wanted to like this, but, mostly, I just felt frustrated.
Also, the ending motivations for the killer are somewhat of a letdown. Without giving too much away, there's a build up and then things just get anti-climatic. I really wanted to like this, but, mostly, I just felt frustrated.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Could not get into this book. I gave it about 35 pages and had to give it up. Very disappointing.
I absolutely loved this book! First of all, I love historical fiction and the fact that this book's main characters were all famous American writers/poets/scholars (Longellow, Holmes, Fields, Lowell) was what made me buy it. But the book was very entertaining and I wasn't disappointed.
Someone is killing people in horrible ways based on Dante's Inferno (think the movie "Seven" and the Seven Deadly Sins). The scholars, experts on the Inferno, try to figure it all out. I could hardly put the book down.
Easy and fun read with a little history thrown in to boot!
Someone is killing people in horrible ways based on Dante's Inferno (think the movie "Seven" and the Seven Deadly Sins). The scholars, experts on the Inferno, try to figure it all out. I could hardly put the book down.
Easy and fun read with a little history thrown in to boot!
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).
At the end I nearly gave it a four, it definately picked up pace and the characters grew towards the end. This was the first historical fiction set in this ear that I have read in a while and I loved how truth and fiction blend so well together, I also had to stop myself from thinking just pick up a phone! The only downside for me, was it chopped and changed alot in the beginning and it took a while to get some perspective on what was going on.
Enjoyed the Fireside Poets, but at the end of the day one bizarrely over the top serial killer is very like another.