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showell's review against another edition
4.0
I think Pearl is learning to strike the balance between sharing cool literary knowledge and telling a good story. His interesting Poe tidbits were less intrusive in this story.
soniapage's review against another edition
2.0
I hadn't realized there were so many theories as to the causes of Poe's death until I picked up this audio book at the library and did some research on the internet. The main character in this book fanatically attempts to find out the exact circumstances that led up to the poet's death. Unfortunately, he is very ineffective at everything he does and is unrealistically obsessed with his task. Maybe it was just the audio book narrator's performance, but Quinton is an annoying whiner. It also seems improbable that such an undertaking would become so perilous.
Narrated by Eric Singer.
Narrated by Eric Singer.
rebcamuse's review against another edition
3.0
Pearl's [b:The Dante Club|18402|The Dante Club (The Dante Club, #1)|Matthew Pearl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397659377l/18402._SY75_.jpg|2164481] is a favorite, so I had looked forward to reading this. I found the historical note at the end to be the most interesting part of the book. The narrative is uneven--it floats in and out of a nineteenth-century literary style, and I found both the narrator and Duponte to be tiresome and self-involved characters. "Bonjour" is definitely the best female character, but she fizzles out by the end. Perhaps there are too many "unknowns" in the actual historical accounts of Poe's death to make the book convincing. I felt that Pearl was trying not to take the same sorts of liberties he did in The Dante Club--fair enough. The entire book read like a struggle, however, between character development and interpolation of history. The plot twists seem to come out of nowhere (which, while that can be a boon, gets tiresome when it happens consistently) and characters are introduced but hardly developed so that one has a hard time keeping track of who has done what. Still, the book reflects a lot of Pearl's gifts as a writer--he does manage to combine wit with drama in a way few modern authors can. Having had such vastly different reactions to The Dante Club and The Poe Shadow, I am now eager to read [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], because I do enjoy Pearl's writing on the whole. While the book was not a favorite, I'm glad I read it.
ccoelophysis's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read. Really gets you thinking about what actually happened to all those famous authors and artists who died tragic or mysterious deaths. We know plenty about the things they left behind but what were their lives like? This book causes you to question what is historical and what is pure fiction and that is all part of the fun.
kenziebev's review against another edition
1.0
I have tried to read this book numerous times and I can’t get myself to finish. I WANT to like it, and the idea is there, but the writing style is not.
melohpa's review against another edition
2.0
See my review at https://topplingbookpile.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-poe-shadow-by-matthew-pearl-p.html
sandrinepal's review against another edition
1.0
Ultimately, I did not enjoy [b:The Poe Shadow|9533|The Poe Shadow|Matthew Pearl|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432249982s/9533.jpg|1437022]. I read [a:Matthew Pearl|6247|Matthew Pearl|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219817456p2/6247.jpg]'s [b:The Dante Club|18402|The Dante Club|Matthew Pearl|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397659377s/18402.jpg|2164481] over ten years ago, around the same time as I read [a:Donna Tartt|8719|Donna Tartt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1409871301p2/8719.jpg]'s [b:The Secret History|29044|The Secret History|Donna Tartt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327733397s/29044.jpg|221359] and in my recollection, the two were comparable. Not so with this later endeavor from [a:Matthew Pearl|6247|Matthew Pearl|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219817456p2/6247.jpg]. The writing felt convoluted more than era-appropriate and the plot of the entire book is 360 pages' worth of circling the drain. I kept waiting for something significant to happen and shed new light on the entire story, but it never did happen. It is apparent from this book that Pearl has a great scholarly interest in the topic of Poe's last days and death, but it would have been better if he had couched his findings in a non-fiction book, rather than surrounding it with all this hodge-podge of political intrigue and B-movie-worthy, Victorian-grade violence.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
a well-researched account of poe's death. the story is told from quentin clark's perspective - a lawyer in baltimore. he is enthralled with poe's writing and is appalled at the lack of respect and coverage when he dies. this is an interesting story that really sheds new light on the death of poe - which is shrouded in mystery. if you are familiar with poe's work this is much more interesting.
joelkarpowitz's review against another edition
2.0
If I hadn't abandoned the last book I had on here (Houdini biography, you haunt me still!) I probably wouldn't have bothered with this one. Pearl's protagonist is annoying, illogical, and dull. The story drags at every turn, and the conclusion is just not satisfying. Pearl researched Poe's death extensively, and those elements remain intriguing, but ultimately the solution he presents has as many holes as any other theory regarding Poe's final days. After the fun of The Dante Club, this second Pearl book was disappointing.
carlylottsofbookz's review against another edition
2.0
For a book that I would have thought I would have LOVED...I was sure disappointed. This book was about Quetin Clark, a man who was obsessed Poe.
Basically, he spends all of his life and time and money trying to uncover the truth about Poe's death (because he will not accept that Poe really drank himself to death. He alienates his friends, his fiance breaks it off and becomes enaged to his bff. He even gets arrested, and drugged.
Don't worry, in the end, he gets back with his fiance, doesn't go to jail, and is able to find another explanation for Poe's death.
Bleh.
Basically, he spends all of his life and time and money trying to uncover the truth about Poe's death (because he will not accept that Poe really drank himself to death. He alienates his friends, his fiance breaks it off and becomes enaged to his bff. He even gets arrested, and drugged.
Don't worry, in the end, he gets back with his fiance, doesn't go to jail, and is able to find another explanation for Poe's death.
Bleh.