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bookishevy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
So basically Dante is wandering and gets lost in the woods and meets Virgil, who tells him his deceased lover Beatrice, who is spending her eternity in paradise, sent him to guide Dante through the nine circles of hell. She felt that Dante was being wicked - he was previous exiled from Florence for corruption - and a tour of hell would set him straight.
What stood out to me is how much the judgments fit the sins. For instance, in the second circle lustful souls are being tossed around by winds with no control over their bodies because they had no control over their desires. Talk about poetic justice. The further they travel the more miserable the souls are. There's crying and weeping and an overall atmosphere of torment, which is the point.
I know this isn't meant to be funny, but Dante seeing historical and mythological figures in hell tickled me. I couldn't help but think of who in modern history he would condemn to the nine circles.
Inferno is the first part of Dante's three-part Divine Comedy and not only serves as an allegory - the nine circles represent the temptation we must overcome if we want eternal paradise - but also helped Dante process his feelings on his expulsion from his home.
George Guidall narrates this audiobook. He was good except I wish he changed up his voice a bit more while portraying different characters. The Robert Pinsky translation is good. It doesn't feel like it was written in the 14th century, but If I had to listen to it again I would choose one with a full cast.
Moderate: Violence
gardengrove420's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Incest, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Grief
notdylan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture and Violence
lizetteratura's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism
bookishlysophie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore and Excrement
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Suicide and War
theohume's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
megb64's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Islamophobia
raru's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Gore, Torture, and Violence
issyd23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Also the translator Mark Musa did a great job keeping the tone and plot in this version 5⭐️ for the translator!
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
counciloffrogs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
However, I do find it incredibly interesting the unique approach of analyzing real people in the context of their damnment to explain possible machinations of Hell. I enjoyed Inferno, even as a practicing pagan, which isn’t something I expected to be able to say about this book.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Incest, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Murder