annarella's review against another edition
4.0
A great story, really entertaining and well written. It starts very slow, describing the characters in detail, but after the first part it's fast paced and fascinating.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Penguin Press and Edelweiss for this ARC.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Penguin Press and Edelweiss for this ARC.
chewdigestbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, Matthew Pearl, Dante Alighieri, Oliver Wendell Holmes et. all, how I love thee.
Allow me to count the Levels.
One, Ante-Purgatory or Stubbornness, where you wash me upon the shore in uncertain anticipation as to what journey you will enforce upon me and if I will be able to get anything done until I finish each and every page. I feel no guilt for those the people and tasks that I will ignore as I devour your words and characters. In short, I feel no need for repentance, just leave me and my book be. It is where the invisible “P” for Pearl is written on my forehead, much like the “P” for Purgatory on Dante during his journey.
I quickly become entranced by your characters that will not back down from the good fight, no matter the cost. So entranced that I forget to warn everyone that I've gotten my hands on a new Matthew Pearl book and totally fall into the idea of tuning everyone out now and asking for forgiveness now. I forget to repent before diving in.
Two, Pride, is the point that I squeal with glee and rub it into everyone's faces that I have the book already and they don't. Social Media, face to face, total strangers are all made aware of my accomplishment that they didn't manage. While continuing to do this, I slowly fall into the framework of his book, get to know the related characters, download their relevant works if they are based on real-life people, which they usually are and oh, the googling that happens at those moments that I am able to rip my attention away for a moment.
Three, Envy, is where I mutter a curse that Pearl has much better grasp of his characters real life characters, Robert Browning, Christina Rossetti, Gabriel Dante Rossetti, Dante Alighieri, Oliver Wendell Holmes (again), England’s Poet Laureate Lord Tennyson, etc. I nearly pull my hair out when I realize that he also is intimately familiar with the dead wives of both Browning and Rossetti, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Elizabeth Siddal. Does this man’s knowledge ever stop, two continents, multiple poets and authors? Argh!
Four, Wrath, is the point where I’m trying to catch up by reading the great works of those mentioned above while still reading Matthew Pearl’s book and failing miserably. Blast that magician of a writer! How will I ever fully understand all of his work without understanding the works of the people that he knows so well.
Fifth, Sloth, that point where I give up on my extraneous reading and let Pearl’s work just wash over me without effort, page after page, unable to stop, unable to bath, unable to bother with anything or anyone else.
Sixth, Avarice, I am punished for my ambition to be as great and well researched a writer as Matthew Pearl by bluish bags under my eyes, my brain on fire, and pain from the tenseness of my muscles as I have read. I’m left laid out in med, popping Aleve like Tic-Tacs as I continue to turn pages. I am bound to the book and the book is bound to me. We cannot be parted and I must suffer my punishment until the very end.
Seventh, Gluttony, in which I have finished the book and remember that I haven’t eaten since I turned the first page. I lie there, too entranced by the story to move yet imagining the feast I will prepare once I am over the afterglow of The Dante Chamber’s awesomeness. Perhaps because I’m in mourning for being done with the latest work of Matthew Pearl, the magical invisible “P” is removed from my forehead.
Eighth, we have Lust, where I am made walk through hot coals in trying to figure out how to review a book that meant so much. I think of the great professional critics and know that I will never match up just like my review will never encompass all of the entrancement that Matthew Pearl’s latest work. Like Dante, I know that I must pass through this gauntlet of fire, yet I know that while I might be able, it will be a poor poor excuse for a review. That is...unless...I become inspired as Dante and Pearl did and create something unique along with Dante/Pearl-esque in the process.
At the summit of this mountain and like Dante, after all of my trials, I am left in Paradiso. What adventures await me here? Dante spelled it out yet will Pearl continue the tale or will Paradise be too much for even such a talented writer and Dante scholar as he to continue? One can only wish that Dante’s Beatrice, the mystery of her and her final message to him will be too much for Pearl to resist. I live in hope at the gates of Paradise.
In all honesty, I have never regretted reading any of Pearl’s work and they always leave me in awe of his research and therefore ability to grasp real life people in a way that makes one feel as if they almost know them. What I also appreciate is that he doesn’t play fast and loose with the facts and timelines, sure there are tweaks here and there, yet much less than most other historical fiction authors. I grab his new work like one would grab a life raft on a sinking boat, nothing else matters except for his latest work and I must finish it before doing anything else. It’s almost an addiction and I am nowhere near ready for a 12 step group for help thank you very much. They always introduce me deeply to works of his characters with a drive that I wouldn’t have if I was just picking them up at random. His work gives me the desire to really grasp the work of people like Holmes, Longfellow, Christina Rossetti, Robert Browning and more, even though I tend to scoff at poetry.
For example, last night I read Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market and at first, saw a weird fairy tale. I continued to ruminate on it and found much more symbolism as the clock ticked by and my insomnia kicked into overdrive. Perhaps, only perhaps, Pearl’s work may finally get to move beyond the grasp of poetry that I left behind in high school and go forward. No promises. As my daddy used to say sarcastically, “It’s something to shoot for.” For that and the hours of pleasure Pearl’s work has given me, I thank him.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin Press for the early review copy.
Allow me to count the Levels.
One, Ante-Purgatory or Stubbornness, where you wash me upon the shore in uncertain anticipation as to what journey you will enforce upon me and if I will be able to get anything done until I finish each and every page. I feel no guilt for those the people and tasks that I will ignore as I devour your words and characters. In short, I feel no need for repentance, just leave me and my book be. It is where the invisible “P” for Pearl is written on my forehead, much like the “P” for Purgatory on Dante during his journey.
I quickly become entranced by your characters that will not back down from the good fight, no matter the cost. So entranced that I forget to warn everyone that I've gotten my hands on a new Matthew Pearl book and totally fall into the idea of tuning everyone out now and asking for forgiveness now. I forget to repent before diving in.
Two, Pride, is the point that I squeal with glee and rub it into everyone's faces that I have the book already and they don't. Social Media, face to face, total strangers are all made aware of my accomplishment that they didn't manage. While continuing to do this, I slowly fall into the framework of his book, get to know the related characters, download their relevant works if they are based on real-life people, which they usually are and oh, the googling that happens at those moments that I am able to rip my attention away for a moment.
Three, Envy, is where I mutter a curse that Pearl has much better grasp of his characters real life characters, Robert Browning, Christina Rossetti, Gabriel Dante Rossetti, Dante Alighieri, Oliver Wendell Holmes (again), England’s Poet Laureate Lord Tennyson, etc. I nearly pull my hair out when I realize that he also is intimately familiar with the dead wives of both Browning and Rossetti, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Elizabeth Siddal. Does this man’s knowledge ever stop, two continents, multiple poets and authors? Argh!
Four, Wrath, is the point where I’m trying to catch up by reading the great works of those mentioned above while still reading Matthew Pearl’s book and failing miserably. Blast that magician of a writer! How will I ever fully understand all of his work without understanding the works of the people that he knows so well.
Fifth, Sloth, that point where I give up on my extraneous reading and let Pearl’s work just wash over me without effort, page after page, unable to stop, unable to bath, unable to bother with anything or anyone else.
Sixth, Avarice, I am punished for my ambition to be as great and well researched a writer as Matthew Pearl by bluish bags under my eyes, my brain on fire, and pain from the tenseness of my muscles as I have read. I’m left laid out in med, popping Aleve like Tic-Tacs as I continue to turn pages. I am bound to the book and the book is bound to me. We cannot be parted and I must suffer my punishment until the very end.
Seventh, Gluttony, in which I have finished the book and remember that I haven’t eaten since I turned the first page. I lie there, too entranced by the story to move yet imagining the feast I will prepare once I am over the afterglow of The Dante Chamber’s awesomeness. Perhaps because I’m in mourning for being done with the latest work of Matthew Pearl, the magical invisible “P” is removed from my forehead.
Eighth, we have Lust, where I am made walk through hot coals in trying to figure out how to review a book that meant so much. I think of the great professional critics and know that I will never match up just like my review will never encompass all of the entrancement that Matthew Pearl’s latest work. Like Dante, I know that I must pass through this gauntlet of fire, yet I know that while I might be able, it will be a poor poor excuse for a review. That is...unless...I become inspired as Dante and Pearl did and create something unique along with Dante/Pearl-esque in the process.
At the summit of this mountain and like Dante, after all of my trials, I am left in Paradiso. What adventures await me here? Dante spelled it out yet will Pearl continue the tale or will Paradise be too much for even such a talented writer and Dante scholar as he to continue? One can only wish that Dante’s Beatrice, the mystery of her and her final message to him will be too much for Pearl to resist. I live in hope at the gates of Paradise.
In all honesty, I have never regretted reading any of Pearl’s work and they always leave me in awe of his research and therefore ability to grasp real life people in a way that makes one feel as if they almost know them. What I also appreciate is that he doesn’t play fast and loose with the facts and timelines, sure there are tweaks here and there, yet much less than most other historical fiction authors. I grab his new work like one would grab a life raft on a sinking boat, nothing else matters except for his latest work and I must finish it before doing anything else. It’s almost an addiction and I am nowhere near ready for a 12 step group for help thank you very much. They always introduce me deeply to works of his characters with a drive that I wouldn’t have if I was just picking them up at random. His work gives me the desire to really grasp the work of people like Holmes, Longfellow, Christina Rossetti, Robert Browning and more, even though I tend to scoff at poetry.
For example, last night I read Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market and at first, saw a weird fairy tale. I continued to ruminate on it and found much more symbolism as the clock ticked by and my insomnia kicked into overdrive. Perhaps, only perhaps, Pearl’s work may finally get to move beyond the grasp of poetry that I left behind in high school and go forward. No promises. As my daddy used to say sarcastically, “It’s something to shoot for.” For that and the hours of pleasure Pearl’s work has given me, I thank him.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin Press for the early review copy.
viktoriya's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: got ARC from the publisher (through Goodreads giveway)
To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with this book. It felt way too close in storyline to the Dante Club, just different setting. There were a lot of things that didn't make sense or didn't really connect. I felt like I was just supposed to accept those things as they were written and not question who knew what and when or who met who and why.
To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with this book. It felt way too close in storyline to the Dante Club, just different setting. There were a lot of things that didn't make sense or didn't really connect. I felt like I was just supposed to accept those things as they were written and not question who knew what and when or who met who and why.
antonk4's review
2.0
After reading the Dante Club and really enjoying the ride, I had high hopes for The Dante Chamber. Like many of the reviewers, I found this book to be very slow so didn’t hold my interest to the end. I rarely read half a book and then abandoned it, but did so here. I jumped to the last chapter to tie up any loose ends and say goodby to Matthew Pearl.
bjerz's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Unless you like Dante immensely, I would not read this book.
piercedkl's review against another edition
5.0
While perhaps not as intense as The Dante Club (dealing with purgatory instead of hell after all), it was still a very good read. If you like his writing, and his subjects - you will enjoy this as well.
4gdad's review against another edition
3.0
One of my favorite books is the Dante Club. After reading the Dante Club I became somewhat obsessed with owning a copy of Longfellows translation of the Divine Comedy. I scoured eBay until I found an 1891 edition. I always hoped that there would be a sequel and was so excited when I learned about The Dante Chamber. I wanted to recapture the same feelings I enjoyed reading the first novel. Unfortunately, this did not happen for me, I really struggled getting through this novel. I just could not relate to the characters like I did in the Dante Club novel. The book had too much backstory I found uninteresting and I found the story just moved along really slow. Finally, I am still confused with the very end of the novel and not sure I understood what exactly happened. It was not a bad book by no means, but just did not live up to the expectations I had based on my love of the first book. This being said, I would love to see more books written in this series if it can be done and I will probably still give the Dante Chamber a second try by listening instead of reading the novel this time.
ariotofsunlightreads's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5