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I would actually give this 3 1/2 stars if I could. But it was formulaic. It was rather predictable. I found the first half (dare I say?) a bit boring though the second half was much more compelling. I still LOVE learning about the art and the history. His short chapter / cliff hanger style works and keeps you reading no matter the hour but Brown really isn't the best at making things clear. In other words, in several places I couldn't picture the action he was describing even after a second read of the paragraph. Also, his character development is lame. I didn't enjoy feeling politicized. Also, there were a few loose ends that were unresolved. For instance, the story line with Ferris felt unresolved.
All this being said, this book was fun to read. It was a neat roller coaster ride. I was curious to see what would happen next. And I liked that it was based on a work of literature.
All this being said, this book was fun to read. It was a neat roller coaster ride. I was curious to see what would happen next. And I liked that it was based on a work of literature.
You could have cut out 200 pages of this book and still told the story. I was also not satisfied with the ending and just felt like it left a lot of questions unanswered.
É stato in generale un buon libro, ma la lettura non mi ha davvero preso fino alle ultime 200 pagine. Tutti gli excursus su storia, arte e quant'altro sono molto interessanti ma non fanno altro che rallentare la trama, e a volte ero talmente annoiata che ci ho messo due mesi a leggerlo tutto.
In ogni caso, la storia è geniale e il finale mi ha tenuta incollata alle pagine fino alla fine.
It was overall a good book, but I couldn't get into the book until the very end. All the description and details about history and arts were very interesting but sometimes they slow down the story itself, which was so boring at times that it took TWO MONTHS for me to finish it.
Anyway, the story is so good and the last part kept me reading until the end.
In ogni caso, la storia è geniale e il finale mi ha tenuta incollata alle pagine fino alla fine.
It was overall a good book, but I couldn't get into the book until the very end. All the description and details about history and arts were very interesting but sometimes they slow down the story itself, which was so boring at times that it took TWO MONTHS for me to finish it.
Anyway, the story is so good and the last part kept me reading until the end.
It wasn't as good as the brown book before. but it was an okay book that leaves you we a lot to think about.
Yeah. Original scenario, but so poorly conceived that it is grieving. A beginner's job?
Better than Lost Symbol... not quite as good as Angels & Demons. I liked the action, the twists and the turns to the same degree as I did The Da Vinci Code but found this one's ending a bit less satisfying. Still it kept me guessing & made me think and feel- even managed to infuriate me at one point which is no easy task- all of which are the indicators of a quality read. If you are generally a Dan Brown fan, this will certainly not disappoint. It is well researched and we'll written, if a bit less neatly wrapped up than I tend to prefer.
It was good and thought provoking. However, it was not as good as some of his previous books such as digital fortress.
Another fast-paced read from Dan Brown. Brown seems to be one of those lightning-rods where you love him or hate him, for whatever reasons. As for me, I enjoy his books, and "Inferno" was enjoyable for me. Two aspects of his books that I could never tire of: getting his characters out of seemingly impossible, dead-end situations, and learning a great deal.
Dan Brown's masterpiece is Robert Langdon. Langdon is an almost stereotypical college professor. He has a little Indiana Jones to make him unique enough from the average prof. And in this read, Langdon does his professorial best in Florence, Venice, and Istanbul. It's amazing how he manages to get away from pursuers, especially considering his pursuers in this novel are highly trained foot soldiers with large quantities of assets at their disposal. It seems one of Brown's underlying messages involves brains outwitting brawn, in a general sense at least. Langdon's eidetic memory and unsurpassed knowledge in all things art history and symbology make him a formidable foe or priceless ally, depending on if you're a good guy or a bad one.
Which brings me to the educational aspect of "Inferno" and Brown's other works. A lot of it may seem trivial or arbitrary, but a great deal of the information passed along to readers remains impactful to this day in explaining the importance of buildings and locations, how traditions and customs have come to be, and even explaining why the words and images we use every day are integral to an important past. History, art, linguistics, literature, architecture, religion, symbology, cultural studies, politics, etc etc. are explained in nearly every chapter, if not close to every page. I particularly enjoy "The Divine Comedy," so I couldn't help but be enthralled by all the Dante Alighieri data inserted throughout the book. You can feel smart after reading "Inferno" with all the information that gets inputted in your head. After reading this book, I want to go listen to certain pieces of music, visit some places, and read specific books, mentioned in its pages.
The pace, as always, is relentless, and the pieces of the plot fall together in a piecemeal fashion similar to a Tarantino movie. While the characters are memorable for their unique physical and mental traits, they can feel a little canned and stretched. And Brown's world-perspective articulated via his characters can be disagreeable (stay away from politics and religion unless you want to indulge in heady dialogues after all, Mr. Brown) and far-fetched, but that is to be expected from any artistic endeavor, and so should be looked upon with affability.
You've done another fine job, Mr. Brown, and I look forward to your next work. And to future readers, after reading this book, you should read "Young Michelangelo", by John T. Spike; it is an enthralling, well-researched book on Michelangelo and the Italian Renaissance world in which he lived and labored.
Dan Brown's masterpiece is Robert Langdon. Langdon is an almost stereotypical college professor. He has a little Indiana Jones to make him unique enough from the average prof. And in this read, Langdon does his professorial best in Florence, Venice, and Istanbul. It's amazing how he manages to get away from pursuers, especially considering his pursuers in this novel are highly trained foot soldiers with large quantities of assets at their disposal. It seems one of Brown's underlying messages involves brains outwitting brawn, in a general sense at least. Langdon's eidetic memory and unsurpassed knowledge in all things art history and symbology make him a formidable foe or priceless ally, depending on if you're a good guy or a bad one.
Which brings me to the educational aspect of "Inferno" and Brown's other works. A lot of it may seem trivial or arbitrary, but a great deal of the information passed along to readers remains impactful to this day in explaining the importance of buildings and locations, how traditions and customs have come to be, and even explaining why the words and images we use every day are integral to an important past. History, art, linguistics, literature, architecture, religion, symbology, cultural studies, politics, etc etc. are explained in nearly every chapter, if not close to every page. I particularly enjoy "The Divine Comedy," so I couldn't help but be enthralled by all the Dante Alighieri data inserted throughout the book. You can feel smart after reading "Inferno" with all the information that gets inputted in your head. After reading this book, I want to go listen to certain pieces of music, visit some places, and read specific books, mentioned in its pages.
The pace, as always, is relentless, and the pieces of the plot fall together in a piecemeal fashion similar to a Tarantino movie. While the characters are memorable for their unique physical and mental traits, they can feel a little canned and stretched. And Brown's world-perspective articulated via his characters can be disagreeable (stay away from politics and religion unless you want to indulge in heady dialogues after all, Mr. Brown) and far-fetched, but that is to be expected from any artistic endeavor, and so should be looked upon with affability.
You've done another fine job, Mr. Brown, and I look forward to your next work. And to future readers, after reading this book, you should read "Young Michelangelo", by John T. Spike; it is an enthralling, well-researched book on Michelangelo and the Italian Renaissance world in which he lived and labored.
The book was completely disappointing. Some chapters felt like they were written only in order to achieve the desired number of words.
There are some mistakes in locations (at least regarding Florence).
A lot of product placement and a lot of irrelevant facts whose only purpose is to convince the reader that Robert Langdon is a knowledgeable man. I really didn't see any point in Robert telling us how he saw in one of Venice's palaces Gustav Klimt's "Kiss" when it was on loan from Vienna.
As for the topic of the novel, even the connection between overpopulation and Dante's "Inferno" seemed forced.
At the end I don't think I will ever read another book by Dan Brown.
There are some mistakes in locations (at least regarding Florence).
A lot of product placement and a lot of irrelevant facts whose only purpose is to convince the reader that Robert Langdon is a knowledgeable man. I really didn't see any point in Robert telling us how he saw in one of Venice's palaces Gustav Klimt's "Kiss" when it was on loan from Vienna.
As for the topic of the novel, even the connection between overpopulation and Dante's "Inferno" seemed forced.
At the end I don't think I will ever read another book by Dan Brown.