Words Can Bleed.
In 1865 Boston, the members of the Dante Club -- poets and Harvard professors Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, and James Russell Lowell, along with publisher J.T. Fields -- are finishing America's first translation of The Divine Comedy and preparing to unveil Dante's remarkable visions to the New World. The powerful Boston Brahmins at Harvard are fighting to keep Dante in obscurity, believing that the infiltration of foreign superstitions onto Amer... (show more)
Words Can Bleed.
In 1865 Boston, the members of the Dante Club -- poets and Harvard professors Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, and James Russell Lowell, along with publisher J.T. Fields -- are finishing America's first translation of The Divine Comedy and preparing to unveil Dante's remarkable visions to the New World. The powerful Boston Brahmins at Harvard are fighting to keep Dante in obscurity, believing that the infiltration of foreign superstitions onto American bookshelves will prove as corrupting as the immigrants living in Boston Harbor.
As they struggle to keep their sacred literary cause alive, the plans of the Dante Club are put in further jeopardy when a serial killer unleashes his terror on the city. Only the scholars realize that the gruesome murders are modeled on the descriptions from Dante's Inferno and its account of Hell's torturous punishments. With the lives of the Boston elite and Dante's literary future in America at stake, the Dante Club must find the killer before the authorities discover their secret.
Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes and outcast police officer Nicolas Rey, the first black member of the Boston police department, place their careers on the line in their efforts to end the killing spree. Together, they discover that the source of the murders lies closer than they ever could have imagined.
The Dante Club is a magnificent blend of fact and fiction, a brilliantly realized paean to Dante, his mythic genius, and his continued grip on the imagination. (show less)
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This was a really good read, if nowhere near as literary as it thinks it is. Imagine a sort of cross between a Dickens novel and a Thomas Harris on... (show more)
This was a really good read, if nowhere near as literary as it thinks it is. Imagine a sort of cross between a Dickens novel and a Thomas Harris one and you'll be in the right area. In fact, my only wish is that the books pulpier elements had been intensified and worn more proudly on its sleeve.
That said, I managed to learn a fair bit about Dante (almost considered picking up a copy of Inferno) and the properness of the characters contrasted nicely with the suitably gory murders.
The plot works well too, I was kept guessing about the murderer's identity right up til the end and when the big reveal came I was surprised and satisfied. The closing chapters were exciting and fast paced and I did feel a little sorry to say goodbye to the stuffy but strangely loveable selection of (based on real life) characters. (show less)
You know the old saying, never judge a book by its cover? We should ALL LISTEN TO THAT. Urgh. Bought this based on the cover and because I can't re... (show more)
You know the old saying, never judge a book by its cover? We should ALL LISTEN TO THAT. Urgh. Bought this based on the cover and because I can't resist anything that plays with Dante's inferno, but it took me at least three goes to actually get past the first couple of chapters, and when I eventually did it was so not worth the effort. (show less)
Whilst it's Sunday tea-time romp pacing may not be to everyone's tastes, and the twists and turns may prove to be exhaustive towards the novel's end, "The Dante Club" succeeds in its mission to bring a little fun and a lot of mystery to literary fiction, and manages to be an immensely enjoyable read, a beautifully written potboiler, a slow-burning crime procedural and (whisper it) a fairly educational and entirely accessible introduction to the works of Dante Alighieri as well. Thin... (show more)
Whilst it's Sunday tea-time romp pacing may not be to everyone's tastes, and the twists and turns may prove to be exhaustive towards the novel's end, "The Dante Club" succeeds in its mission to bring a little fun and a lot of mystery to literary fiction, and manages to be an immensely enjoyable read, a beautifully written potboiler, a slow-burning crime procedural and (whisper it) a fairly educational and entirely accessible introduction to the works of Dante Alighieri as well. Think Se7en removed from it's modern context and placed within the mid 1800's, with slightly more cuddly characters. (show less)
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Very difficult to read to start off with but improves about a quarter way thru if you can make it! Quite interesting if you like Dante's stuff although a bit hard to get to grips with, not a bad storyline in the end worth a read if nothing else takes your fancy.
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