The Dante Club

by Matthew Pearl

Wow. Really, that sums up this novel in one word. Wow. What a fantastic tale of intrigue and mystery and literature.

This story is set in 1865 in the grand city of Boston. We meat a group of men who are attempting to translate Dante's The Divine Comedy into English from it's native Italian for the first time. The men who are working on this translation are none other than famous literary geniuses of old. We have Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, and famous publisher J.T. Fields, who rounds out the foursome. While they are working diligently on their translation, the powers that be are set against the translation and subsequent publication. They feel the young American soil, recently ravaged by war, isn't ready for such a gruesome tale.

While working on their translation through "The Dante Club" ,which meets once a week, some gruesome murders occur in their community of education, and these four men stumble upon the reality that someone is committing murder right out of Dante's hellish travels. This books is full of actual historical references, and people of note come into the equation from time to time. This was such a tumultuous time in history, the civil was is still fresh in everyones minds, and the police officer assigned to the Dante murders is the first police officer of color- he isn't even permitted to carry a weapon. With references to actual events in history, this book is a page turner.

I can't tell you how often, while reading this book, I felt myself in Longfellow's study, surrounded by cigar smoke and poets pondering Dante's writings. I wanted them to finish their writings so badly, just as I wanted Lucifer to be caught. After a while, I got a little nervous upon meeting a new character, hoping that they weren't about to become the next victim. I could see these four educated men snooping in their own poetic manner- I could just go on. This novel was a wonder to read. I confess, it took a little while to get into it. The first chapter was overwhelming, and for the faint of heart, this book is not for you. The murders are gruesome, and portrayed very accurately- right out of one of the Cantos of The Divine Comedy.

This novel ranks right up there with the best I've ever read. It was a true page turner- gripping in the sense that I felt caught up in it. It was so well written...Matthew Pearl is clearly a genius, given his pedigree, but his gift for words is mesmerizing. This is the first I have read by him, and I will eagerly seek out The Poe Shadow upon my next trip to the library. I also now have an interest in the works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I can only hope that my small town library can satisfy my curiosity.