bluenicorn's review
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
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.
genizah's review against another edition
2.0
Enjoyed the Fireside Poets, but at the end of the day one bizarrely over the top serial killer is very like another.
downthebookjar's review
https://adventuresinnonsense.com/book-reviews/review-dante-club/
thisdiva99's review
3.0
This took me a few attempts to get through, but eventually I did, and enjoyed the historical aspect, though I don't typically go for mystery/suspense.
kristenwellborn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
cheryl6of8's review
4.0
A very intense mystery with some rather gruesome crimes and a surprising turn or two along the way. I read Dante's Inferno immediately after taking the Bar Exam (which many people said was insane) but only after reading this did I realize how little of it I had absorbed (hey, my brain was pretty fried!). The debate as to the exact meaning of specific passages was quite illuminating for me. I came to love very much the main characters of this book -- Lowell, Holmes, Fields, Greene, Longfellow, and especially the fictional Nicholas Rey. I will have more appreciation for them and their work in the future, I think. Mr. Rey's character especially appeals because you can feel his isolation and loneliness and determination to do his duty in a way that I still cannot feel Dante's, despite the great literary minds in this book that tried to convince me otherwise. And I found the character of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., later Justice Holmes, somewhat redeemed by this glimpse into his early life, though not enough to forgive him his bigotry in Buck v. Bell.
One of the questions for discussion at the end of the book is "did you figure out whodunit?" followed by another question, "really?" I think this is justified. Once it begins to be explained, it all makes sense, but until then the reader, like the great literary minds, is deceived. Any other comments would spoil the revelation, so I must leave it at that.
One of the questions for discussion at the end of the book is "did you figure out whodunit?" followed by another question, "really?" I think this is justified. Once it begins to be explained, it all makes sense, but until then the reader, like the great literary minds, is deceived. Any other comments would spoil the revelation, so I must leave it at that.
giulss__'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0