I wish I had spent my time reading Dante's "Inferno" rather than wasting my precious hours on "The Dante Club." I usually give a book 50 pages and if it doesn't grab me by then, I stop reading it. In spite of the fact that this one failed my 50 page test miserably, I was determined to finish it because it was a book club pick, so I forced myself to read one chapter every day--a grueling chore from beginning to end. Matthew Pearl writes what is part murder mystery and part historical fiction about a series of murders taking place in the 19th century Boston of Lowell, Longfellow, and Holmes--major characters here--who are in the process of translating Dante's "Inferno" when the murders take place. What a great premise for a book, right? That's what I thought when I started reading "The Dante Club," but Matthew Pearl failed in his execution. For one, he failed to breathe life into these historical figures as characters. A telltale sign was that my mind wandered whenever I started reading, and the characters kept merging in my mind because they were not well drawn or defined. So while it failed for me in this regard as historical fiction, it also failed as a murder mystery. While I am not a fan of murder mysteries in general, I have read enough of them to know that clues should be given along the way that invite readers to play along and try to solve the puzzle (as is done well in Orhan Pamuk's "My Name is Red," for example). No such clues were given here. The best parts of this book were the literary minutiae about the attitudes Lowell and Longfellow had about Emerson, Poe, and Whitman (whom they disparage on more than one occasion), which made me laugh a little in recognition. It turns out the joke was on Lowell, Longfellow, and Holmes, since people today actually still read and study Poe, Whitman, and Emerson. Was Pearl trying to be humorous there? It wasn't clear (since the book seems to take itself so seriously), and that was another weakness of the book for me. Moreover, none of the minutiae Pearl provided was new to me since my area of specialization in graduate school was 19th and 20th century American literature, which makes it even more puzzling just what audience Pearl is writing to if even I could barely get through "The Dante Club." When Pearl finally does start to delve into the psychology of the killer (which was intriguing), it was too little, too late.Besides these failures, Pearl's writing was clumsy and uneven. He needs to use pronouns once in a while to avoid repetition of the characters' names, but then again, maybe if he had done that, it would have emphasized the poor character development even more. "The Dante Club" was not my kind of book, and I wouldn't recommend it, but at least it made me want to revisit Dante's "Inferno," so I guess it wasn't a complete waste of time.
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, naked, his clothes folded neatly and left to the side, his head nearly eaten out by maggots... it is a scene to behold.And one that seems oddly familiar to the Dante Club. Was it not Dante himself who saw the Opportunists in the Inferno with a white flag next to them and maggots and wasps constantly picking at their flesh? With more people in high places dying, the Dante Club notices the pattern and begins an investigation to find their "Lucifer."In conjunction to their hunt for "Lucifer," the Dante Club faces the dastardly Harvard School who is hell-bent on making sure that the Dante Club's dream of publishing the translated poem never becomes realized.Pearl creates a well-researched book with rich historical details that perfectly capture post Civil War America. Having read the above description, you can tell that the book is extremely graphic, so it is not recommended for the light of heart. And as far as mysteries go, this one will keep you on your toes up until the very end.(Overall, I give it a 9 out of 10 and only because once we did find out who Lucifer was there was an entire chapter of expository writing explaining why this was so and how this person got so screwed up - I kind of wanted that left to the imagination).
What do You think about The Dante Club (2006)?
I don't know why I've read this book. What I expected ?Well,let's count : Dante , it's obvious.And great american poets solving mystery crimes in Boston .Oh,and 19th-century Boston itself.Sounds good ,isn't it ?Such a good topic and what ? Nothing.Boredom , overwhelming boredom and some disgust.Nothing more.Agreed,only Boston emerged unscathed from it.I'd better re-read Divine Comedy instead of this rubbish . I read somewhere about similarity to Eco's The name of the rose. Kidding !I'm afraid to think what Mr Pearl could do with Poe and good old Dickens.Those two stars are for an idea .I appreciate author's effort but the final effect was unsatisfying .
—Agnieszka
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 detailed death scenes definitely not for the squeamish and it has changed my outlook on maggots and flies forever..I recommend this book only for those interested in the way something is said versus what is said and for those that enjoy an intelligent author with a great plot and dont mind the wordiness..
—Monique
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 only read some of the dialogue and skim through the rest, but I couldn't even do that. I ended up giving the book back half read, not really caring that I hadn't finished.
—Joanna
