bookwormsarah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
jorelys's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
obscurityshero's review against another edition
4.0
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Gallic Books.
I know I'm not the first (and I'm sure to not be the last) person to pick this one up expecting a horror novel. However, don't let the genre deter you from giving this a read. I was pleasantly surprised to find this was not just another author's take on the horrors of hell. Instead, Hell's Gate focuses more on the grief and psychological effects parents go through when losing a child. There's not much to the characters in this novel, though. Each one, to include the main characters, father Matteo and mother Giuliana, were incredibly two-dimensional. I was not in any way attached to them and wasn't necessarily effected by their inevitable fates. If it wasn't for the fact that I myself have children, I don't think I would understand the motivations of the either of them.
That's not to say this made for a bad read. To me, the characters were the only issue, but not anything that ruins the book. The story kicks off on a high note and maintains a high level of excitement throughout. You're made aware (kind of) from the start about what's going, with the details unfolding as you continue the journey. Even with the sequence in hell being a fairly short stint, there is no shortage of action. Gaudé was somehow able to take the aforementioned two-dimensional characters and place them in a unique situation, which made for a truly page-turning story.
Overall, I give this one a solid four stars. I am able to forgive the issue with the characters since this a truly original story told from a unique perspective. I recommend Hell's Gate to anyone that's a fan of a non-horror story tackling the ideas of if life, death, and the after-life.
I know I'm not the first (and I'm sure to not be the last) person to pick this one up expecting a horror novel. However, don't let the genre deter you from giving this a read. I was pleasantly surprised to find this was not just another author's take on the horrors of hell. Instead, Hell's Gate focuses more on the grief and psychological effects parents go through when losing a child. There's not much to the characters in this novel, though. Each one, to include the main characters, father Matteo and mother Giuliana, were incredibly two-dimensional. I was not in any way attached to them and wasn't necessarily effected by their inevitable fates. If it wasn't for the fact that I myself have children, I don't think I would understand the motivations of the either of them.
That's not to say this made for a bad read. To me, the characters were the only issue, but not anything that ruins the book. The story kicks off on a high note and maintains a high level of excitement throughout. You're made aware (kind of) from the start about what's going, with the details unfolding as you continue the journey. Even with the sequence in hell being a fairly short stint, there is no shortage of action. Gaudé was somehow able to take the aforementioned two-dimensional characters and place them in a unique situation, which made for a truly page-turning story.
Overall, I give this one a solid four stars. I am able to forgive the issue with the characters since this a truly original story told from a unique perspective. I recommend Hell's Gate to anyone that's a fan of a non-horror story tackling the ideas of if life, death, and the after-life.
chez_popi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
akibsi's review against another edition
5.0
Laurent Gaudé sculpte son texte comme un sculpteur travaille le marbre. Ce livre réunit la magie d'une intrigue fascinante et un style d'écriture qui décrit de telle manière que l'on peut voir, sentir et toucher les personnages et se trouver dans la scène décrite.
Le thème est l'amour d'un père pour son fils et celui d'une mère qui recourt à la folie pour échapper à la douleur.
homerus's review
5.0
J'ai offert ce livre pour la fête des mères (oui, j'ai des idées qui laissent parfois à désirer). Mais j'avais bien l'intention de voler le cadeau, une fois l'été arrivé. Ce qui fut chose faite. Dans ce livre, Laurent Gaudé raconte la descente en enfer d'un couple, Matteo et Giuliana, qui viennent de perdre leur enfant, victime d'une fusillade entre deux gangs rivaux. L'auteur parvient une nouvelle fois à nous entraîner dans un univers qui, par certaines ambiances, peut rappeler La Mort du Roi Tsongor en faisant fondre les barrières entre réel et irréel. Les descriptions, l'autre point fort de ce roman, nous entraîne dans une ville de Naples solitaire, à la limite de l'abandon. Elles sont également fortes quand l'auteur nous entraîne dans les tréfonds de la Terre dans un enfer dantesque qui apparait avec une réalité géographique impressionnante tout en gardant un aspect mystique certain. Les personnages sont teintés du même mélange de mysticisme et de réalité crue. On se perd dans le monde antique mais à la fois moderne que crée l'auteur. Le traitement de la route, du voyage est très intéressante dans son rapport avec les personnages (nous avons le père qui est coincé dans la même ville, sur les mêmes routes tandis que la mère avance, laisse tout derrière elle et fuit, laissant ses souvenirs sur la route.)
La porte des Enfers, c'est l'histoire d'un père qui survit dans une ville où il n'a plus aucune attache, si ce n'est celle au monde des morts.
La porte des Enfers, c'est l'histoire d'un père qui survit dans une ville où il n'a plus aucune attache, si ce n'est celle au monde des morts.
loram's review against another edition
3.0
This story is translated from French and set in Naples, which could be an interesting combination, only the translation seems a little dry. Part of this is because some chapters are written in present tense, which I assume is true to the original. It might work better in French, but I had a very hard time getting into the plot.
Sometimes it would start to get interesting, then I would lose track of what was supposed to be happening. Eventually it became clear that a child had been killed and his mother wanted the father to track down the killer and murder him in revenge, but killing a man in cold blood is not as easy as it sounds.
In the process of trying to satisfy his wife's need for revenge, Matteo, the father, meets some interesting characters and finds himself examining some of life's deeper questions. An invitation from an unusual priest to visit the underworld leads Matteo on an adventure he didn't bargain for.
Although it took a while to get into this story, it certainly had some interesting aspects. Depictions of the underworld are always of interest and the characters were a strong point. The ending comes full circle and everything fits into place eventually, but it's the sort of story you would have to read twice to get the full benefit of what's going on.
Sometimes it would start to get interesting, then I would lose track of what was supposed to be happening. Eventually it became clear that a child had been killed and his mother wanted the father to track down the killer and murder him in revenge, but killing a man in cold blood is not as easy as it sounds.
In the process of trying to satisfy his wife's need for revenge, Matteo, the father, meets some interesting characters and finds himself examining some of life's deeper questions. An invitation from an unusual priest to visit the underworld leads Matteo on an adventure he didn't bargain for.
Although it took a while to get into this story, it certainly had some interesting aspects. Depictions of the underworld are always of interest and the characters were a strong point. The ending comes full circle and everything fits into place eventually, but it's the sort of story you would have to read twice to get the full benefit of what's going on.
veereading's review against another edition
4.0
I read the translated version of this novel.
This was an intriguing concept of vengeance, death, and grief. The author did such an amazing job portraying the complexity of grief and death, so much so that you can feel and understand the pain and suffering felt by Matteo and Guiliana. You can understand the decisions they make, the various stages of grief that they go through, and the ways in which they struggle to hold onto their lives even as life loses all meaning for them. It was powerful in that way, even though the reader never feels a true connection to any character. I would be hard-pressed to believe that any reader would be able to form a strong bond with the characters in this book, especially based on the storytelling style employed here. Usually, I consider this a negative, but in the case of this novel, it worked. It made the descent into the Underworld the focal point, and added a level of intrigue that may not have been possible if the reader was more focused on the character than the plot. This novel is guaranteed to take you on a unique journey that is thought-provoking and will stay with you long after you finish reading.
I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was an intriguing concept of vengeance, death, and grief. The author did such an amazing job portraying the complexity of grief and death, so much so that you can feel and understand the pain and suffering felt by Matteo and Guiliana. You can understand the decisions they make, the various stages of grief that they go through, and the ways in which they struggle to hold onto their lives even as life loses all meaning for them. It was powerful in that way, even though the reader never feels a true connection to any character. I would be hard-pressed to believe that any reader would be able to form a strong bond with the characters in this book, especially based on the storytelling style employed here. Usually, I consider this a negative, but in the case of this novel, it worked. It made the descent into the Underworld the focal point, and added a level of intrigue that may not have been possible if the reader was more focused on the character than the plot. This novel is guaranteed to take you on a unique journey that is thought-provoking and will stay with you long after you finish reading.
I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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