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stagemel's review against another edition
5.0
I read this after reading The Inferno with Dr. Coulter. I have stalled here, still awaiting the right time to get to Paradiso...
steelcitygator's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books that makes me really desire for Goodreads to be a 10 point rating system than a 5 point one. It is much better than a 3 star (average) book, and I should not for anyone who doesn't know this is the second part of the Divine Comedy, but I feel terrible giving it a similar score to its predecessor section (Inferno). Musa provides more amazing notes with an easy to read and faithful translation. I will say it is not as good as Inferno, but this review can be summed up like this: If you read Inferno and need to continue Dante's journey this is an enjoyable experience, though it aims for more grandiose and spectacular imagery. On the contrary, if you didn't enjoy Inferno or are on the fence and comfortable with ending Dante's story on his escape from hell than this may not be the book for you.
seanwane's review against another edition
3.0
if my ghosts don't come back and send me to hell how bad can it really be
braiaia's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
geneticginger's review against another edition
3.0
Dante is just difficult to read overall. I enjoyed seeing how he imagined purgatory and the growing friendship between Virgil and Dante the pilgrim
nelsonlala's review against another edition
4.0
"Vid havet stod vi än likt folk som har sin färd i tankarna och framåt skrider med hjärtat men med kroppen dröjer kvar". (s. 13)
"Ur stånd bann från dem att så förgöra att evig kärlek ej kan återvända så länge hoppet låter grönt sig göra". (s. 20)
"När något skådas eller hörs som är i stånd att fängsla själen intill grunden märker man därför ej vart tiden bär". (s. 21)
"Jag sa: min mästare, vart skall vi skrida?". "Låt ej ett steg ens dala", bjöd han då. "Må branten jämt av dig bak bli tagen tills någon syns som visar rätt oss två". (s. 22)
"Sådant är berget", sa han, "att jämt duger är branten nedan till att börja med men gör ju mindre ont ju mer man stiger". (s. 23)
"En våldsam död fick alla oss förgöra; vi syndade tills sista timme. Slog då himlen lät sitt ljud oss vakna göra så att vi ångrade, förlät och dog förskonade med Gud som nu oss bränner med längtan till sin åsyn smärtsamt nog". (s. 26)
"För ogjort, ej för gjort är jag fördriven ifrån den höga som som du vill se och varom kunskap blev för sent mig given". (s. 33)
"Hur kan, ifall ett gott är delat på ett flertal ägare, väl dessa vara mer rika än ifall det äga av få?" (s. 67)
"Är världen nu på avväg bör ni manas att söka skälet där det är, i er; av mig skall det nu verkligt efterskönas. Han som förrän den finns med kärlek ser på den, han låter gå ur sina händer den enkla själen som sig flicklik ter och barnsligt grips av gråt och skratt i sänder och bara vet att den sig gärna tyr till fröjd då skaparen den glad ut sänder". (s. 71)
"Väl kan du se att dålig ledning bär skuld till att vrång är världen, att ej bär den naturen vars fördärv är i er man lär". (s. 72) !!!
"Det högsta goda, själv sin enda fröjd, lät mänskan skapas god till gott och vara till pant på evig frid på denna höjd". (s. 119)
"Ur stånd bann från dem att så förgöra att evig kärlek ej kan återvända så länge hoppet låter grönt sig göra". (s. 20)
"När något skådas eller hörs som är i stånd att fängsla själen intill grunden märker man därför ej vart tiden bär". (s. 21)
"Jag sa: min mästare, vart skall vi skrida?". "Låt ej ett steg ens dala", bjöd han då. "Må branten jämt av dig bak bli tagen tills någon syns som visar rätt oss två". (s. 22)
"Sådant är berget", sa han, "att jämt duger är branten nedan till att börja med men gör ju mindre ont ju mer man stiger". (s. 23)
"En våldsam död fick alla oss förgöra; vi syndade tills sista timme. Slog då himlen lät sitt ljud oss vakna göra så att vi ångrade, förlät och dog förskonade med Gud som nu oss bränner med längtan till sin åsyn smärtsamt nog". (s. 26)
"För ogjort, ej för gjort är jag fördriven ifrån den höga som som du vill se och varom kunskap blev för sent mig given". (s. 33)
"Hur kan, ifall ett gott är delat på ett flertal ägare, väl dessa vara mer rika än ifall det äga av få?" (s. 67)
"Är världen nu på avväg bör ni manas att söka skälet där det är, i er; av mig skall det nu verkligt efterskönas. Han som förrän den finns med kärlek ser på den, han låter gå ur sina händer den enkla själen som sig flicklik ter och barnsligt grips av gråt och skratt i sänder och bara vet att den sig gärna tyr till fröjd då skaparen den glad ut sänder". (s. 71)
"Väl kan du se att dålig ledning bär skuld till att vrång är världen, att ej bär den naturen vars fördärv är i er man lär". (s. 72) !!!
"Det högsta goda, själv sin enda fröjd, lät mänskan skapas god till gott och vara till pant på evig frid på denna höjd". (s. 119)
wetdryvac's review against another edition
3.0
Most of the love I have for this is Gustave Dore's art. Dante's writing really leaves me cold, though it's fascinating in terms of context.
ashra's review against another edition
2.0
probably going to spend 1,000 years going around Mount Purgatory for this one but *clears throat* Book 2: Purgatory? more like, Dante and his Self-Insert Mary Sue OC of the Same Name, Part 2, including Daddy Virgil from the Aeneid (And Some Guy Named Cassius)
2.5* maybe because I really liked the diction up until the middle-end here
He sure did create Purgatory himself, and huge props to that, because much like the book that came before it, the guy has a ball inventing the strange and inventive imagery that houses these books. I did find Purgatory less interesting than the Inferno, but I guess that's bound to happen when one of these place is intended for the most cruel and opposite punishments against sins and then the other one is "they must HAPPILY repent their sins before they get to go to paradise." like ok, they can't exactly get turned into lizards anymore. (but tbh the lizards were cooler.)
I did think certain parts of Purgatory were very interesting, though not always nearly as compelling. I like that the Pride sinners have to carry giant boulders around, that's funny. Envy sinners with their eyes sewn shut, good stuff.
I love how the Sloth sinners have to run eternally around and around like hyperactive dogs until their heart is ready to repent. That greed hill where they have no choice but to lay on the dirt?!
The lust sinners hanging out in a giant fire, lol. now that's steamy.
I really appreciate Dante's concept of Purgatory, and how it's changed Christian doctrine as a whole. I think he has a really good point here, that it would be kind of messed up to send people straight to Heaven, especially those who may have accepted Divine Love in their heart but who have done horrible, horrible things in their lives. I think repentance is key and so is enforcing that shades can only move on when their hearts have truly rolled over from it. I love that. I wish we talked about that a little more, but I think it's great. Also wish we saw a little more out of his Greek influences, which I feel like we lost a bit of post-Inferno.
I do also feel like some of Dante's creative fire is dampened in his attempts to really hone in on RIGHTEOUSNESS and such, which is a shame. We do start to get some bite with Beatrice at the end there. Freaking -- her description is phenomenal. She's gorgeous. I do believe that that's Divine Love. No idea what version this is but I am enamored with it:
"Exactly so, within a cloud of flowers
that rose like fountains from the angels' hands
and fell about the chariot in showers
a lady came in view: an olive crown
wreathed her immaculate veil, her cloak was green,
the colors of live flame played on her gown."
I genuinely thought that Beatrice was Dante's ten-years-dead wife or something, but no, I just looked it up, apparently they only ever met twice. I have no idea how Dante decided to make her Divine Love but that kind of just makes it even funnier. WHAT A GUY.
I like that she's mean, though. I think Dante deserves it. Knock him down a few hundred pegs. I hate how he writes himself like a 1,000 year old mary sue. he really is though... ugh, Beatrice GET him. do it for me please!
Freaking Dante. He started referring to Virgil as his dad and I am sorry but I could not keep a straight face, THIS GUY. And the way he keeps forgetting to give Cassius things to do. He's just kind of hanging out here. Now that's character.
The narrative definitely felt more cohesive in the first book. This one did have some bombastic and lovely prose, but not quite at the heights of the Inferno. It was interesting enough, but I definitely felt it lagging by the end there and I just couldn't bring myself to care about Paradise. It sounded really frothy and not super compelling. I've got a week left on my library book though so let's see if I can finish the trilogy before the end of finals!!
Anyways I'm sure I'll be crouched outside the gates to Purgatory for 30 x my life for this one, so I guess I'll see y'all there, assuming I'm not in Hell for being gay (God loves gay people right. I think so <3)
2.5* maybe because I really liked the diction up until the middle-end here
He sure did create Purgatory himself, and huge props to that, because much like the book that came before it, the guy has a ball inventing the strange and inventive imagery that houses these books. I did find Purgatory less interesting than the Inferno, but I guess that's bound to happen when one of these place is intended for the most cruel and opposite punishments against sins and then the other one is "they must HAPPILY repent their sins before they get to go to paradise." like ok, they can't exactly get turned into lizards anymore. (but tbh the lizards were cooler.)
I did think certain parts of Purgatory were very interesting, though not always nearly as compelling. I like that the Pride sinners have to carry giant boulders around, that's funny. Envy sinners with their eyes sewn shut, good stuff.
I love how the Sloth sinners have to run eternally around and around like hyperactive dogs until their heart is ready to repent. That greed hill where they have no choice but to lay on the dirt?!
The lust sinners hanging out in a giant fire, lol. now that's steamy.
I really appreciate Dante's concept of Purgatory, and how it's changed Christian doctrine as a whole. I think he has a really good point here, that it would be kind of messed up to send people straight to Heaven, especially those who may have accepted Divine Love in their heart but who have done horrible, horrible things in their lives. I think repentance is key and so is enforcing that shades can only move on when their hearts have truly rolled over from it. I love that. I wish we talked about that a little more, but I think it's great. Also wish we saw a little more out of his Greek influences, which I feel like we lost a bit of post-Inferno.
I do also feel like some of Dante's creative fire is dampened in his attempts to really hone in on RIGHTEOUSNESS and such, which is a shame. We do start to get some bite with Beatrice at the end there. Freaking -- her description is phenomenal. She's gorgeous. I do believe that that's Divine Love. No idea what version this is but I am enamored with it:
"Exactly so, within a cloud of flowers
that rose like fountains from the angels' hands
and fell about the chariot in showers
a lady came in view: an olive crown
wreathed her immaculate veil, her cloak was green,
the colors of live flame played on her gown."
I genuinely thought that Beatrice was Dante's ten-years-dead wife or something, but no, I just looked it up, apparently they only ever met twice. I have no idea how Dante decided to make her Divine Love but that kind of just makes it even funnier. WHAT A GUY.
I like that she's mean, though. I think Dante deserves it. Knock him down a few hundred pegs. I hate how he writes himself like a 1,000 year old mary sue. he really is though... ugh, Beatrice GET him. do it for me please!
Freaking Dante. He started referring to Virgil as his dad and I am sorry but I could not keep a straight face, THIS GUY. And the way he keeps forgetting to give Cassius things to do. He's just kind of hanging out here. Now that's character.
The narrative definitely felt more cohesive in the first book. This one did have some bombastic and lovely prose, but not quite at the heights of the Inferno. It was interesting enough, but I definitely felt it lagging by the end there and I just couldn't bring myself to care about Paradise. It sounded really frothy and not super compelling. I've got a week left on my library book though so let's see if I can finish the trilogy before the end of finals!!
Anyways I'm sure I'll be crouched outside the gates to Purgatory for 30 x my life for this one, so I guess I'll see y'all there, assuming I'm not in Hell for being gay (God loves gay people right. I think so <3)
siria's review against another edition
2.0
A translation just as readable as Musa's previous translation of the first canticle of the Divine Comedy, although one which also falls pray at times to similar errors of historical facts in the notes.
I like this canticle a lot less than I do Inferno. The higher Dante and Virgil climb, the more overwhelming the theological aspects of the work become, the more dogmatic it becomes, and the less awe-inspiring the set-pieces become. Perhaps this is just because I am approaching it from the viewpoint of an Atheist Who Still Has Lashings Of Catholic Guilt, but it makes it much less engaging for me.
Though I suppose that begs the uncomfortable question of why I would find the section devoted to the eternal punishments of Hell more engaging than the promise of eternal salvation. Still with the Catholic guilt thing, I guess.
I like this canticle a lot less than I do Inferno. The higher Dante and Virgil climb, the more overwhelming the theological aspects of the work become, the more dogmatic it becomes, and the less awe-inspiring the set-pieces become. Perhaps this is just because I am approaching it from the viewpoint of an Atheist Who Still Has Lashings Of Catholic Guilt, but it makes it much less engaging for me.
Though I suppose that begs the uncomfortable question of why I would find the section devoted to the eternal punishments of Hell more engaging than the promise of eternal salvation. Still with the Catholic guilt thing, I guess.