yasmine_martinelli132's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kjellouise's review against another edition
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
1.0
meg_leigh's review against another edition
2.0
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.
pamnc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
bethylew's review against another edition
1.0
Could not get into this book. I gave it about 35 pages and had to give it up. Very disappointing.
asteroidbuckle's review against another edition
4.0
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!
bluenicorn's review against another edition
3.0
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).
rosewelsh's review against another edition
3.0
This book is the definition of a chore. Once I was done with it I was proud I made it through, but man was it hard to pull myself up to actually do the job.
The Dante Club was a legitimate group of poets and intellectuals who gathered together for the purpose of translating the works of Dante into English. The group was comprised of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and JT Fields. As they are busy translating Dante's works and fighting with the heads of Harvard University over whether or not Dante is blasphemous, there is a secret figure in the shadows of Boston committing grotesque murders. After a few murders claim the lives of men they knew personality, the club begins to realize the murderer is basing his murders on the circles of hell in the writings of Dante. It is now up to the club to figure out who is committing these murders while also trying to keep the name of Dante out of the press; otherwise their life's work at translating his writing will never come to fruition.
The first 100 pages of this book are painfully hard to get through. Trying to keep the characters in order and build drama took way too long, and i found myself increasingly frustrated. Of course, as it's written in the time period of 1865, there are some language barriers with the dialog as Pearl uses a lot of phrases I've never heard before. That being said, once the book passes that (roughly) 100 page mark, the plot begins to speed up and the mystery really unfolds. The mystery and murder part of this book is really fun and interesting and it's clear that Pearl is a talented writer with a crazy amount of knowledge regarding Dane's works an the time period. I respected the amount of research that went into the book, but trying to get through those first few chapters was incredibly difficult for me. Honestly if it hadn't been a book club choice, I likely would have DNF'd the book around page 50. I'm glad I finished because the final chapters were quite compelling, but even a vivacious ending can't make up for the slow start in my opinion.
Blog / Twitter
The Dante Club was a legitimate group of poets and intellectuals who gathered together for the purpose of translating the works of Dante into English. The group was comprised of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and JT Fields. As they are busy translating Dante's works and fighting with the heads of Harvard University over whether or not Dante is blasphemous, there is a secret figure in the shadows of Boston committing grotesque murders. After a few murders claim the lives of men they knew personality, the club begins to realize the murderer is basing his murders on the circles of hell in the writings of Dante. It is now up to the club to figure out who is committing these murders while also trying to keep the name of Dante out of the press; otherwise their life's work at translating his writing will never come to fruition.
The first 100 pages of this book are painfully hard to get through. Trying to keep the characters in order and build drama took way too long, and i found myself increasingly frustrated. Of course, as it's written in the time period of 1865, there are some language barriers with the dialog as Pearl uses a lot of phrases I've never heard before. That being said, once the book passes that (roughly) 100 page mark, the plot begins to speed up and the mystery really unfolds. The mystery and murder part of this book is really fun and interesting and it's clear that Pearl is a talented writer with a crazy amount of knowledge regarding Dane's works an the time period. I respected the amount of research that went into the book, but trying to get through those first few chapters was incredibly difficult for me. Honestly if it hadn't been a book club choice, I likely would have DNF'd the book around page 50. I'm glad I finished because the final chapters were quite compelling, but even a vivacious ending can't make up for the slow start in my opinion.
Blog / Twitter
booksbecreads's review against another edition
3.0
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.