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34th out of 786 books
—
1,639 voters
The Dante Club
by
Matthew Pearl (Goodreads Author)
A series of grisly murders is rocking the streets of nineteenth-century Boston. But these are no ordinary killings. Each is inspired by the hellish visions of Dante's Inferno. To end the bizarre and bloody spree, no ordinary detective will suffice. Enter the unlikely sleuths of the Dante Club: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and J....more
Paperback, 424 pages
Published
June 27th 2006
by Ballantine Books
(first published 2003)
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This marvelous book is a superlative example of numerous genres: historical fiction and mystery being two examples. While the premise of engaging famous historical figures in a mystery is intriguing, Pearl never allows this element to drive the narrative. His characterizations of Longfellow, Holmes and Lowell are so brilliant, the reader forgets that they are icons of literary history, and views them as intense and vivacious fictional characters.
This is not beach-reading, but instead an intelle...more
This is not beach-reading, but instead an intelle...more
This author sure does name drop: "Dante", "Harvard", etc. Granted, I read this book because of that Dante name drop, even though I don't really like murder mystery type novels. (Consider that my disclaimer.) It's an attempt at an intelligent book that, despite the author's bio, I just don't feel quite accomplishes that. It deals entirely with the Inferno and nothing past that. The time period allowed for horse dysentry to cause a transportation meltdown and little girls to exclaim "oh, poppa!" (...more
May 04, 2010
Miriam
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Dante buffs
Shelves:
mystery
Pearl is a good writer and the theme is engrossing for those familiar with Dante's magnum opus. However, the author's smug tone and obvious conviction of his own brilliance married my enjoyment of what could have been a perfectly acceptable literary mystery. I could also have done without the cheap-horror graphics of victims being eaten by insects etc regarding the various colorful murders, but I suppose Pearl was trying to convey some of the feeling of revulsion invoked by the torments describe...more
13 likes · like · see review
This novel is the reason you should never buy a book just because the cover says it's a New York Times Bestseller. It's a badly-constructed murder mystery set in Boston, in which a group of famous poets bands together to stop a series of murders inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy -- think Da Vinci Code, but with elderly characters who have an overdeveloped sense of self-importance and who aren't even terribly likable. The story also jumps back and forth through time without any warning, making it...more
19 likes · like · see review
The Dante Club is a wonderful debut novel from Matthew Pearl. It is the story of the Fireside Poets - Henry Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and James Russell - who initially form the Dante Club to assist Longfellow in finishing the first American translation of Dante Alighieri's Commedia Divina.
The book starts off with the gruesome murder of Judge Healy, probably the most intense beginning to any book I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The reader finds Healy left out in his own back yard,...more
The book starts off with the gruesome murder of Judge Healy, probably the most intense beginning to any book I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The reader finds Healy left out in his own back yard,...more
7 likes · like · see review
Sep 30, 2007
Febry
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone (except for kids under 15 years old, i think)
The book reached number 1 on Border's, Washington Post, and Boston Globe best seller lists, and also New York Times Best Seller List. The genre is fictional mystery.
This book has a strong relation with Dante's DIVINA COMEDIA (Divine Comedy).
You don't have to read the Divine Comedy first in order to understand this novel. But if you do already read Divine Comedy, it's very good, because you can have deep understanding about what is DANTE all about.
This novel is about a killer that doing his/her (...more
This book has a strong relation with Dante's DIVINA COMEDIA (Divine Comedy).
You don't have to read the Divine Comedy first in order to understand this novel. But if you do already read Divine Comedy, it's very good, because you can have deep understanding about what is DANTE all about.
This novel is about a killer that doing his/her (...more
When my friend was describing the book to me and read one of the quotes about the book on the cover, I asked, "Who gave that review? Dan Brown?" Yup.
It's a lot like the Da Vinci Code. A pretty good crime novel with some interesting historical and literary info tossed in, but overall you can sort of check out when you're reading it. The historical fiction aspect of it is an interesting twist. And the murder descriptions are grisly enough to give the plot some momentum. I wasn't able to predict th...more
It's a lot like the Da Vinci Code. A pretty good crime novel with some interesting historical and literary info tossed in, but overall you can sort of check out when you're reading it. The historical fiction aspect of it is an interesting twist. And the murder descriptions are grisly enough to give the plot some momentum. I wasn't able to predict th...more
This is a murder mystery that takes place in Boston just after the Civil War. The murders revolve around Dante's Inferno, and a group of Dante scholars are the only people who may be able to find the killer. For a while I couldn't figure out why I wasn't really into the novel, and by the end, it finally dawned on me: Pearl doesn't want you to figure out who the killer is until it's time, but in doing so, the mystery loses it's appeal. To me, a good mystery hints at the answer, often times leadin...more
I was at a show (as in indie rock, guitar and drums and beer) in a faraway city [this did not happen in Seattle, although you would expect it to, since this town is so flippin' small], it was past midnight, I think it was the 8th or 9th band we had seen that day, and a person who had joined our group, who I had never met before, was wearing a tee shirt that said "So many books, Not enough time" or something like that, and we were waiting for the band to start so I said, so, what book are your re...more
Well, it took me two tries, but I finally managed to get past the disgusting maggots at the beginning. Note: do not read this book while eating.
I found this book to be quite interesting and full of incredibly vivid descriptions that I would have called beautiful if the subject matter had been different. As it was, I found myself dreaming about Civil War amputations the night after I finished the book. And yet, I wasn't particularly moved by the story. It felt like it was attempting to be deep ab...more
I found this book to be quite interesting and full of incredibly vivid descriptions that I would have called beautiful if the subject matter had been different. As it was, I found myself dreaming about Civil War amputations the night after I finished the book. And yet, I wasn't particularly moved by the story. It felt like it was attempting to be deep ab...more
3 likes · like · see review
Save yourself some time and read Dante's "Inferno" instead.
14 likes · like · see review
It is 1865 and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow works on finishing his translation of Dante Alleghieri's Divine Comedy with the help of four of his friends, some of New Endland's brightest literary stars, when Boston becomes the scene of the most gruesome murders they've ever heard of. The police are baffled and only the members of the Dante Club know that the killer has taken a few pages out of the Divine Comedy itself and it is up to them to stop him.
"John Kurtz, the chief of the Boston police, brea...more
"John Kurtz, the chief of the Boston police, brea...more
An interesting literary thriller.
The main characters in this are the great 19th century 'Fireside Poets', namely Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Olver Wendell Holmes, and three other lesser-known men (James Russell Lowe, George Washington Greene, and JT Fields, their publisher). They are preparing to publish the first American edition of Dante's Divine Comedy. This is controversial--almost no one in American is interested in the study of the Italian language, first of all, and also, Dante's work is...more
The main characters in this are the great 19th century 'Fireside Poets', namely Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Olver Wendell Holmes, and three other lesser-known men (James Russell Lowe, George Washington Greene, and JT Fields, their publisher). They are preparing to publish the first American edition of Dante's Divine Comedy. This is controversial--almost no one in American is interested in the study of the Italian language, first of all, and also, Dante's work is...more
A cool premise mired in humdrumery and bludgemongering. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell and their publisher J.T. Fields comprise the Dante Club, a group of Harvard scholars who are attempting to birth the first American translation of Dante's Divine Comedy. As they near completion of their work, a serial killer is on the loose in Boston, copying scenes from the Inferno into grisly murders of some of the city's most notable citizens. The Dante Club, the...more
Possibly 3.5/5
A series of murders takes place in the late 1800s in Boston which are inspired by the book Dante’s inferno. I assume that if you are familiar with Dante’s inferno and enjoy it, you would appreciate this book all the more. I thought it was very well-written and a great murder mystery book. The gruesome nature of the killings is intriguing for some reason when it could very well be disturbing. The characters are interesting and I liked the backdrop of historical Boston post-civil war...more
A series of murders takes place in the late 1800s in Boston which are inspired by the book Dante’s inferno. I assume that if you are familiar with Dante’s inferno and enjoy it, you would appreciate this book all the more. I thought it was very well-written and a great murder mystery book. The gruesome nature of the killings is intriguing for some reason when it could very well be disturbing. The characters are interesting and I liked the backdrop of historical Boston post-civil war...more
This is a serial murder mystery in historical Boston where literary types (a small group of famous American writers and poets) translate and promote the translation of American/English-language editions of Dante's writings while battling the politics of a conservative Harvard review board. It is written by a man who's taught at Harvard, lives in Boston and has worked on the editing of a modern edition of Dante-- so one can expect that the contents of the book can be, quite solid.
The story is wel...more
The story is wel...more
LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I have to be honest, since I teach high school English and cover and teach the classics day in and day out, my at-home reading pursuits are typically of the "get lost in an easy read" variety. I picked this book up at a garage sale for $1.. the best buck I ever spent! The book is definitely a little more "high brow" in the context of the literary scene and some of the language and took me about 60 pages to really get into it, but then I was hooked completely. The mur...more
this is a mystery. good mysteries leave clues that the reader may or may not pick up on. but the clues lead logically to the killer. this is not a good mystery. the investigation takes wild jumps from one clue to the next. and such clues don't narrow down who the likely culprit is. the main characters are historical figures: longfellow, james lowell, oliver wendall holmes sr. they have formed a club to help longfellow translate dante's divine comedy. though some in the city believe his work to b...more
Just finished this book...
It was refreshing. I was reading some very bad books recently,books which make me fall asleep half way. But this was different..
So what is the story?
It is about a club called the Dante Club,which has as members poets and Harvard professors Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell and publisher J. T. Fields.
They are working on America's first translation of The Divine Comedy.
But some people are against this work believing that the forei...more
It was refreshing. I was reading some very bad books recently,books which make me fall asleep half way. But this was different..
So what is the story?
It is about a club called the Dante Club,which has as members poets and Harvard professors Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell and publisher J. T. Fields.
They are working on America's first translation of The Divine Comedy.
But some people are against this work believing that the forei...more
Mar 13, 2007
Christiana Moffa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mystery lovers
A series of brutal murders is taking place in post-Civil War Boston, leaving victims brutally in respective scenes from Dante's Inferno (The Divine Comedy). Not yet released in English, the only way anyone could know about the specifics of the murders is if they know Italian, are educated, OR have stolen copies of the forthcoming translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Joined by famed poet colleagues Oliver Wendell Holmes, George Washington Greene, and James Russell Lowell; and by renowned pu...more
So a major fan of literature, murder and mystery should love this book right? Well thats what I thought too but I struggled with this one and couldnt wait to finish it..Its not that the book isnt great or doesnt have potential it is just too verbose and tedious..The book has alot of words and descriptive passages and flashbacks that take away from the fast paced murder mystery aspect and it makes the book drag. On a happier note or perhaps a more morbid one there are some gruesome and well detai...more
I was suspicious of this book at first-- there's a lot I love about Dante, as well as the auspicious American poets who are the main characters in this book. How could a work of fiction do justice to them?
Well, if anything, the book seems to know that it cannot quite do justice to its subject, and that's a credit to it. But it comes as close as it can while remaining an engaging murder mystery. Both the historical figures and the character of late 19th century Boston were researched meticulously...more
Well, if anything, the book seems to know that it cannot quite do justice to its subject, and that's a credit to it. But it comes as close as it can while remaining an engaging murder mystery. Both the historical figures and the character of late 19th century Boston were researched meticulously...more
I really liked this book . . . up until the closing chapters. I've read some other reviews on here, and, unlike most, I had no trouble getting through the first third of the book. I thought Pearl set up a great mystery . . . but when it came time to solve it, it seemed like he was in a hurry, and things got wrapped up rather neatly in a fashion that did not seem congruent with the rest of the book. That said, I certainly liked the premise, style of writing, and historical and literary subtleties...more
My first real trip into the world of crime literature, the Dante Club is about a number of classic, real life American authors, in their goal to translate Dantes Inferno to english. But when someone starts brutally killing off people in their hometown of Boston, and in a way that seems curiously like the book they are translating, they have to do what they can to stop the murderer, least he give the book a bad name! Even worse, who could know about, or read Dantes Inferno given that it's written...more
Jordan, you should read this book. I think you would really enjoy it. It is a book for littérateurs about littérateurs. It is well researched, clever. It was fascinating to become acquainted with the literary figures in the book and the world that they lived in. There was a time in American history when the literary elite were the elite. I marvel at how much I cared about these men by the end, particularly Longfellow. This book started out kinda slow and I almost stopped reading it altogether. H...more
Oh boy, what to say about this book. I was looking on Amazon.com and it came up in my 'recommended for you' section. I clicked on it and found the summary to be interesting as well as the comments of those who already read the book. I borrowed it from a friend and absolutely could not get into it. Some parts were ok, but they were overwhelmed by parts that were not. I struggled through the first half of the book and found the plot to be moving slower than molasses. At that point I decided to onl...more
A competent, semi-slow paced thriller set in postbellum Boston. The author earns full marks for bringing Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes to life (particularly the latter), and geek props for using "Divina Commedia" to inspire his murderous villain.
The novel takes a while to get started, an while the conclusion is satisfying, there's really not enough clues for the reader to piece it together himself. Some of the descriptive phrasing is also jarring and self-indulgent. Otherwise, a strong ef...more
The novel takes a while to get started, an while the conclusion is satisfying, there's really not enough clues for the reader to piece it together himself. Some of the descriptive phrasing is also jarring and self-indulgent. Otherwise, a strong ef...more
This is an American lit. lover's dream and it's even better for fans of Dante and his harrowing imaginings of hell, purgatory, etc. I am enjoying reading about the history of Harvard and its printing press during the 1860s. Oliver Wendell Holmes and his son make an appearance as well as other literary stars like Longfellow. This book is immensely enjoyable so far, and the characters feel real as does the story.
Okay, I don't know what happened, but I am no longer "feeling" this book. I am going t...more
Okay, I don't know what happened, but I am no longer "feeling" this book. I am going t...more
2 likes · like · see review
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I finally finished this book. I wish I could describe it as a page-turner. I wish it involved me more in the world of 1800s Boston. I really wanted to like it; but again, high expectations come plummeting down. For, a month after reading it, what sticks with me is...the gore. The image of a man, not yet dead, slumped by the Charles, with gaping wounds and insects in those wounds eating him alive. A man buried alive in a church crypt, his feet set on fire. Another hanging on a hook, sliced in two...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IR | 2 | 31 | 04. Dezember, 16:35 Uhr | |
| Into the Inferno | 6 | 50 | 28. September, 01:44 Uhr |
Matthew Pearl is the author of the novels The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow and his newest work, The Last Dickens. His books have been New York Times bestsellers and international bestsellers translated into more than 30 languages. His nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and Slate.com. He has been heard on shows including NPR's "All Things...more
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“Shakespeare brings us to know ourselves. Dante, with his dissection of all others, bids us to know one another.”
—
11 people liked it
“Though a woman tempted man to eat, my dear Longfellow," said Holmes, "you never hear of Eve having to do with his drinking, for he took to that of his own notion.”
—
7 people liked it
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14. März, 10:13 Uhr