Dante Books

There are a handful of traits that make a book a "classic". They can stand the test of time from 10 years to 100 years beyond. Due to their meaningful story lines which everyone can relate to and have the different interpretations of. The Count of Monte Cristo has all these characteristic of a classic story. It is a story of revenge, love, hatred and the second chances in life one may be lucky enough to receive. Even though this story is almost 200 years old it still appeals to people of all ages and walks of life.
Edmond Dantes is wrongly accused and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. After spending 14 years in a horrendous prison he miraculously escapes and uses his new fortune given to him by a prison mate to live out his new life of enormous wealth and his quest for revenge. This seek of revenge captured myself along the ride with Edmond Dates' use of wit and internal hatred towards others to seek revenge on those who destroyed his life. It came to my discovery through Edmond Dantes or Count of Monte Cristo experiences and actions; that people back in 1800's were just as devious, greedy, deceitful, manipulative and vengeful as people can be today in modern times.
Alexandre Dumas builds a captivating and rich plot throughout his story which makes the reader wonder what will happen next and what the consequences may be. The theme of love, hatred, happiness, vengeance and forgiveness is something everyone can relate to in our lives since they are feelings we have all felt. My negative critique for this book is the fact that it was a struggle to keep all the 40+ characters in order. The French names I am not familiar with as an English speaker were confusing at times.
I found this book intriguing because this story portrays the evil nature of the human spirit but at the same time teaches a lesson in the possibility of Karma and how eventually people will end up paying for their wrongdoings. It was at times a struggle to get through but when I did I was glad I did.

Of all the books I've ever read, this is one of my favorite. But all my good memories of it come from the first third of the book. Up until the end of chapter 30 I'd give the book five stars, but after that it's pretty long-winded and drawn out (And that's 87 more chapters!) . Furthermore I didn't even like any of the characters introduced after the first 30 chapters, except two I'll mention below, two of which were very minor characters.

The first thirty chapters deal with Dantes being unjustly imprisoned and spending a miserable 14 years in the Chateau d'If. The story of his imprisonment, escape, and coming to riches and power culminates in his saving his old boss from financial ruin and suicide. It's a fantastic story but after that it's on to a long, drawn out, extremely wordy, and ultimately not-very-satisfying revenge on those who put him in prison. The main characters during these 87 chapters, aside from Dantes, his woman, and the four men who put him in prison are Haydee (the beautiful, but disturbingly reclusive Greek woman), Albert (the hotheaded son of Monte Cristo's old rival Fernand), Madame Danglars (the shrewish wife of Danglars), Héloïse de Villefort (the one-dimensional murderer whose love for her child is her only emotion), Franz d'Epinay, (a nice guy, but forgettable), and a host of other forgettable characters. Finally, there are Valentine de Villefort and Maximilien Morrel: two annoying and sappy lovers who remind me exactly of Cosette and Marius from Les Miserables. If you liked those two you'll love the latter half of the book. I detested them and the latter half of the book gave them an unfortunately large amount of sappy-time.

So that's the principle problem with the last 87 chapters: I don't like any of the characters. I wasn't even all that fond of Dantès during this part. The only characters I even remotely liked were Ali, Monte Cristo's slave, and Noitier de Villefort, who talks by blinking. Everyone else is either annoying or forgettable. This means that the almost the entire last 87 chapters are dedicated to conversations among all these annoying or forgettable people, very little of which was interesting.

Still, my memories are mostly fond. It's only when I put on my critic's hat that I began to realize how bored I was during the last two-thirds of the book. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a good long read. The abridged version would probably be better for the non-OCD type, as it'll cut out a lot of the superfluous stuff.

I picked this up again after 20 years. Utterly fun! Go for the unabridged version!

Hello again, friends,
Having just completed the joy of reading "War & Peace" (translated by R. Pevear and L. Volonkhonsky )and "The Count of Monte Cristo",( The Penguin Classic edition) in less than 2 1/2 months. I have to say that these two novels are the greatest ever written. The 2,400 pages, combined, were read so swiftly,( for me !) I scarcely had time for anything else. I am going to read "The Three Musketeers"( Modern Library), next. I bought this edition before I knew about the recently published, Penguin Classic Deluxe Edition. I dont know, but I think the Modern Library edition is an abridgement. Let me know if I am wrong.
The character Edmond Dantes is one of the greatest ever penned. He rises off the pages and dwells in your mind and you become "one" with him as he leads us on the journey from star-crossed young sailor in love with Mercedes to the fabulously wealthy title character. Most of the people you meet along the way are so well conceived and drawn you"d think you know them. As others have written, I wish this book didn't end. Amazon shows a sequel to this book published in 1849, but it is currently unavailable. Maybe someday it will be re-published.

Robin Buss did an excellant job translating this huge book.

JUst buy it. You will never finish it in the time allotted by a library.
Cest Magnifique!!!

For a generation used to sound bytes and Cliff's Notes, this is an easy book to miss: the title sounds old-fashioned and boring. The setting (Napoleonic France) is an abstraction to most of us today. And at 1000+ pages, this is the antithesis of what the Sesame Street generation is used to.

But pick it up and you soon discover that people back then were just as devious, greedy, deceitful, and vengeful as they are today. In other words, the book is captivating.

This is a fantastic story in both the full and abridged versions. It is a study in what it means to have character: Dumas explores both the corrosive impact of petty and unethical indiscretions, as well as the awesome power born from personal responsibility. He keeps the protagonist human by tempering that power with a insatiable taste for revenge. As a reader, your heart breaks as you stand, helpless, while human weakness--greed, fear--bring ruin on a truly good soul. You find yourself oddly conflicted as that soul survives, strengthens, and flourishes while pursuing the dark goal of revenge... your desire to enjoy the journey is never without a nagging feeling that the evil that was done to the protagonist has left its mark...

I cannot recommend this book highly enough... if I had a sixth star to give one book and one book only, this would be the one.

This book is the perfect gift for any Shakespeare buff. I can't wait for a sequel.

A well-told, fast-paced story rich with historical detail and Shakespearean references. The races and fights were particularly immersive and thrilling. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction and Shakespeare-lovers.

I wont reiterate all the fine praise that all the other reviewers have input here, all the reviews state exactly how I feel. I just feel the need to say Bravo Mr. Blixt! This debut IS, a literary masterpiece. Clap clap clap, let's all give a standing ovation. Historial fiction does not get any better than this. The reader is immediately pulled in and the author does not let you go until you close that last page almost 600 pages later. A reader picking up this novel will get everything a novel has to offer. Action, adventure, murder, mystery, romance, family feuds, battles, duels, politics, kidnapping, humor and real people who lived at this time of the 1300s Renaissance Italy. Jammed packed with all you could ask for and I doubt that any reader would be disappointed. Sensational!! I am eagerly awaiting a second book.

Lots of reviews praise David Blixt for his historical accuracy, and they involk the 'Shakespeare buff' label...yeah, yeah, yeah - they are right BUT don't let that scare you - if you are not a 'Shakespeare Buff' or history buff - you will also LOVE this book. Mr. Blixt writes about history, but the way he writes is full of adventure, imagry, and intrigue. He's right up there with Clive Cussler, Dan Brown and Tom Clancy - only its better because you feel SMARTER after you read Master of Verona. I can't wait until Orlando Bloom makes the movie.

This book is a masterpiece. To call it a mere historical novel is like calling the Iliad or the Divine Comedy adventure stories. They're that-- and a great deal more. So is this book. It interweaves historical characters with characters from Shakespeare (some of whom were also real people) and still others from the author's own imagination.

The period detail is superb, the dialogue sparkles; the personalities of the main characters are subtle and complex; the action sequences stunning in their vividness and realism.

Even the minor players are intriguing, and the reader comes to care about their fates as well. I found myself rooting for the bluff and decent Bailardino Nogarola (a historical figure), and feeling a grudging respect for the cynical, hardbitten, but at heart ethical warrior, Asdente, a fictional creation who bears the name of a character from Dante's "Inferno."

Towering over all the other characters, though, is the master of Verona himself: Cangrande della Scala. Blixt's portrait of this larger-than-life historical figure is brilliant and unforgettable. He's the linch-pin of the story-- a medieval Julius Caesar at once utterly charming and totally devious, who embodies a fascinating combination of nobility, ruthlessness and steely authority.

The author also touches on an area ignored by historians: who were the mothers of the numerous out-of-wedlock children fathered by Cangrande? We get a glimpse of the anguish of one such woman-- clearly not a peasant or a prostitute, but a woman of some social standing-- as Cangrande (whose marriage was childless) coldly claims the son he fathered with her and takes the child away to be raised as his heir. The author offers an explanation when he mentions later in the book how certain men eagerly pimped their wives and daughters to Cangrande in exchange for a piece of property or an advantageous business deal. You don't find this kind of insight in the average historical novel.

Another excellent feature of this novel is that the author
clearly defines for us what is fact and what is fiction. His list of characters at the beginning indicates which are historical figures, which are from Shakespeare, and which ones are fictional creations. There's also a useful Afterword where the author cites his sources, separates the factual and fictional aspects of his story, and defends (very successfully, I think) his decision to mix the two in his narrative.

In my review title, I suggest that readers bring at least a little knowledge of Shakespeare's Italian plays to their reading of this book. Oh, you don't HAVE to, but it's fun to spot characters and phrases from those plays scattered throughout the text. Of course there's the obvious Romeo and Juliet "back-story," but there are a lot of other Shakespearean bits. It doesn't hurt to know some Dante, as well, although no knowledge of either poet is required in order to enjoy the book.

More than merely interesting, this work is absolutely mesmerizing, and is an even more amazing achievement when you find out it's the author's first novel. Despite its length I finished it in a couple of days and was sorry when it ended. I'll look forward to the sequel, and hope Blixt won't make the mistake of killing off Cangrande. Without him, the sequel will be as disappointing as the second season of HBO's "Rome" without Julius Caesar.

I just like to say the seller ships right away and item was in good condition

Such talent to be so young. This book is a MUST READ. It takes you to the hood. What I like the most about it is that it takes you to MY hood. It was well written with a few mistakes here and there, but none too, too noticable. I especially liked the way the author has the characters praying to God, which makes the "hood" novel seem so real and touching. Besides the killing, slang talk, and hood life setting, the author shows that God is still amongst us even when we're in dark places. Tech, even though he goes through it, end the end receives his blessings from up above. Job well done, Miss Clarke.

I bought this book at my train station in the Bronx and I was privileged enough to meet the wonderful authors of this novel. I think it's really important that we continue to support our young brothers and sisters who are working together to make good things happen, and these two definitely have my support. the plot from the beginning was well thought out and they didn't try to glamorize the whole idea of the hood. you could see the images that they were trying to convey, and anyone whether you're rich or poor, hood or wherever you from you can understand the struggle. Tech was a well developed character and I'm glad that there will be a sequel to this book. Tech is the symbol of any young man or woman with the odds against them that is trying to come out on top and out of the situations of their past. I enjoyed reading the novel and it is definitely worth a good reading and definitely a great buy! I hope that the authors ebony and dante continue to make moves in this writing game and may all their days be blessed. no one can say that they can't relate to what this story is about, it truly is a hot book. everyone has a tech in their life, everyone definitely got a nicky, there's always a "prince" or a "lite" in everyone's life and the story just flows greatly. Most importantly, they kept the power of prayer within the novel, too often many authors that write about the hood forget to do that. god don't forget the hood. if you're looking for a book that shows the struggle, the betrayal, the revenge and the overcoming of all these issues, this is definitely a hot book. i'm looking forward to reading the next book that comes out soon!! hope you enjoyed the review and keep supporting them, great things are about to happen!!

Well done is all I can say. This author has been selling her books down in brooklyn and at the bus terminal so her book has made it to Albany where a few of my friends were talking about it so I had to see what all the hype was about.
WELL......Tech was the man if you ask me to have gone through so much tragedy and to be in love with a chickenhead that pretended to hold him down when she really wasn't holding him down. Then to get released and to still have beef on the streets. That's enough drama to depress any man but not Tech he still keeps his head up throughout all the strife. This was another well done AA read. I am awaiting THE GAME CHOSE ME..... I'll be the first one at the bookstore to get my copy.

This book gets the five star rating with 5 meaning one of the best books I've ever read. Congratulations Ebony, this book had all the action & drama that I love.

Glamour
Coast2Coast Readers Online Book Club

Our venture capital firm was planning to spend $650 on the Pratt Guide to Venture Capital until I ran across this book. The Insiders Guide has in-depth info on every venture firm that I've heard of and is priced low enough to be purchased as a personal reference for anyone.

The how to chapters in this book are very insightful and demonstrate that the variety of authors have clearly sat in venture discussions for funding as well as the daily operations of business. I state this from similiar first hand experiences.
If you are looking for a particular type of funding the indexed text of this book provides a base line level of research that you can use to identify the right funding sources for your offering, plan an approach, possibly an introduction and surely what the right message to deliver in your pitch.

I am the founder of a start-up company in Germany expanding to the U.S. Therefore we are seeking venture capital for setting up our operations in the Silicon Valley area within this year.

After reviewing most of the VC related literature the Insiders Guide was recommended to me. In contrast to other books, the Guide provided us with all the necessary VC contacts for a very affordable price ! The book is up to date and very well structured. The essays provide an interesting insight into the U.S. business habits.

The information from that book were incredibly helpful and accelerate our expansion to the west coast ! Thank you for that book and I am looking forward to the next edition with new VC contacts.

I've helped more than 20 technology companies raise more than $80 million in venture capital. And if you're an entrepreneur seeking institutional capital - you better have this book. You should read every article in the back, BEFORE you start seeking your financing.

This is the book that will put you on the path to developing your strategic plan to raise capital. Don't underestimate the process, or how much competition there is to get a VCs attention, let alone his or her money. Read the articles, develop your plan, then use the book to target venture firms that make sense for your particular business. Once you have that done, you can do your best to figure out a way to get the proper introductions.

This is the book to start you on the right path. If you can't afford to buy this book, don't expect to raise sophisticated capital.

My name is Dante Fichera and I'm the author of this book. I'm not only going to write a review of my book but also write about the history of why I committed four years of my life to this project.

Four years ago while I was working in public accounting as an auditor (mostly auditing VC funds), I frequently met entrepreneurs that did not know how or where to find venture capital. Since I knew who all the VCs in town were, I began compiling their profiles and contact information. I then prepared hundreds of 20-page pamphlets that were stapled together and handed them out at a local networking event in San Diego.

Within an hour all the pamphlets had been snatched up. Months later, I would see entrepreneurs walking around at various networking events with these same pamphlets, clinging on to each falling page.

That is when I set out to compile the most useful resource tool available to entrepreneurs anywhere. I not only compiled over 400 profiles of funds actively seeking investment opportunities, but I also recruited over 20 nationally recognized venture capitalist and business leaders to write essays providing insight for entrepreneurs.

No other book combines the industry knowledge with the most current contact information for prospecting venture capital.

In a career spanning hundreds of movies from "Tolerable David" in 1930 up until literally his death in 1988, John Carradine blessed this world with his many florid theater, film, and television performances. His greatest role(in his opinion) was split between major parts in the classics "Stagecoach" and "The Grapes of Wrath", both directed by John Ford. He loved to work. He loved Shakespeare. He loved women. The book details his three marriages, his drunken parties with John Barrymore, and his jail time for late alimony payments. And here, for horror fans, is a detailed breakdown of every film, from "House of Dracula" to "Satan's Cheerleaders". The large hardcover tome is complete with a myriad of pictures and posters. John Carradine is truly part of American cinema legacy. He died in Milan, Italy, attending a special screening of "Stagecoach".

All the other big names of horror-movie-actors have been covered: Karloff, Lugosi, Chaney, Lee, Cushing, Price ... Here is finaly the first book about John Carradine and all his films (and not only the B-Movie-Horrorfilms !)It was time !

German: Endlich ein Buch über den grossen John Carradine. All seine Horrorfilm-Schauspielkollegen sind ausreichend gewürdigt worden, von Lugosi, Chaney und Karloff über Price, Lee und Cushing. Nun endlich gibt es ein Werk mit vollständiger Filmograhie (und nicht nur die Horror-B-Filme) über diesen Altmeister. Wie alles aus dem McFarland-Verlag teuer aber in jeder Beziehung in Topqualität !

Everyone recognizes his face, but few can name him. John Carradine was a memorable character actor who gave rich performances in big and small budget pictures. Finally, a book has been written about him that not only explores his life via anecdotes and interviews interspersed throughout, but his vein of work that stretched innumerable decades and genres. Author Tom Weaver has crafted a fun and lively chronological read, putting together little-known information and revealing asides to enhance our knowlegde of the work of an aspiring actor. Perhaps now, more people will seriously reappraise Carradine's work and give him the consideration he's due.

He's the actor everyone knew, but few knew anything about. Here - finally - is the definitive look at the horror icon's hundreds of films, and his surprising life, including the strained relationship with his sons. Best of all, it's by two of the brightest lights in the field.

John Carradine's career spanned six decades and films thatranged from acclaimed classics (The Grapes of Wrath) to undisputedstinkers (can anyone say anything positive about Billy The Kid Vs. Dracula?). In John Carradine: The Films, author Tom Weaver deftly documents each and every film of the multi-talented actor. Complete cast and credits listings, synopsis and author commentarty for each film are included, as are remembrances from various co-stars, directors, Carradine's sons and even Carradine himself.

Weaver's commentaries on the films spices up the usual dryness found in many "Films Of" books, due to their rather strict cast/crew/summary formula. An opinionated reviewer/critic, Weaver doesn't pull his punches in offering up his takes on Carradine's films. Whether or not you agree with his views, it's nice to hear definite opinions for a change in a book like this, instead of the oft-times "take-no-controversial-stand" approach which, while certainly objective, doesn't always make for the most fascinating or interesting reading.

And for regular readers of the author, not to fear...the classic puns are here in good abundance, and will not fail to make one groan and shake one's head on occasion.

Rounding out this tribute to the "thin" Dracula are recollections of Carradine from directors Joe Dante and Fred Olen Ray, and a mini-biography by Gregory Mank. Carradine's flamboyance, lust for life, and love of Shakespeare, as well as his regrets and resignation to the many poor roles he either chose or was forced to accept in order to "feed the family" are just a few of the many sides to the actor that are captured by Mank.

In all, Tom Weaver has assembled an extraordinarily fine and fitting tribute to a too-long overlooked personage of classic horror history. Par for the course for the author, John Carradine: The Films is thoroughly researched, hugely informative, frequently amusing, and most importantly: simply a must-have book.

I've read this book through and the poetry was perfectly crafted. Dante gives us numerous details of his own imaginative encounter led by Virgil, into the afterlife of man. But I hate where Virgil says "I'll quarrel with you" Virgil!! You don't make threats like that, you miserable wretch!! *Hits Virgil on the face* You ever say that to him again, I'll quarrel with you!!! *Virgil looks with an apology*

I have been put off reading The Divine Comedy for a long while before I finally picked it up off my shelf. I wish that I did not wait so long to take up this work.

The true beauty of the Inferno is the fact that it is both entertaining and intellectually fulfilling. The text has a history of mythology, history, and theology behind it that gives it such depth that the mind is entranced by the thought provoked by its words. Even though such weighty material lies behind Dante's work, it is also very much so entertaining, as it is ultimately an epic which tells a great tale. Because of both of these, the reader is engrossed in a tale which is truly edifying. It is difficult to put the work down because it is such a grand epic, and yet it is also very difficult to read it with out reflecting upon the nature of man.

For those who like me aren't as well versed in history and mythology as a translator like Mandelbaum, the endnotes are especially helpful. Armed with these, the reader is able to embark on a trip which is most fulfilling. I suggest this text to all.

Dante's Inferno is a truly magnificent piece of art that is deserving of an equally magnificent translation. For those of us who are unable to translate on our own, Allen Mandelbaum does a superb job of it on his own. Having both languages set side by side gives the reader a unique perspective and allows the reader to get a better feel for the flow of the poem.

The notes and asides that are provided are helpful but the essays at the end of each chapter leave something to be desired. If you are simply reading The Inferno for the pleasure of it then this is the version to get. If you are a scholar who is attempting to get a better understanding of Dante and his works than you may be better off finding a different version.

I've read a couple of editions of Dante's "The Divine Comedy," but as far as the "Inferno/Hell" part of the trilogy is concerned, this is the only one I've read for the last half decade.

Alex Mandelbaum, then of the City University of New York, has given us a translation in English that is modern, yet retains the structure that lends the regal, somewhat alien feel of Alighieri's poetry. He sets the stage nicely in his introduction in which he reviews the person of Dante Alighieri and the work about to be presented. Next, Mandelbaum provides us the Cantos from "Inferno" with Alighieri's Italian on the left and his translation on the right. The text is annotated with references to endnotes for those interested. The haunting artwork of Barry Moser accompanies us, along with Dante and Virgil, on our trip through the rings of hell.

At the end of the translation are two articles, "Dante in His Age," a sort of contextual biography, and a critical article entitled "Dante as Ancient and Modern." Finally, there is the endnote material with useful expository information for those inclined to understand Dante's "Inferno" better.

Let's get to the meat of this book, first: Dante's epic tale of a man's journey through the levels of hell. Mandelbaum's translation is brisk and entertaining--he keeps the translation simple, making this book perfect for students and teachers alike. The great translation helps keep readers in suspense and enthralled.

I was a bit disappointed by the essays, though. I am not an academic--if you are, then good for you. I'm sure you'll make more sense out of Mandelbaum's writing than I did. Me, I'm a student, and I'm looking at this through a student's perspective. The essays were unreadable. Putting it in layman's terms would've been made this book a great asset to have--not only would we have the translated tale, but we'd also have some information on Dante himself, and a couple dissections of his work. Instead, we have the translation, and three other pieces of writing that we can't decipher.

That makes this edition of Dante's "Inferno" a hit-and-miss. If you're in it for the entertainment factor, or want to do your own analysis of his work, then this is for you. If you want to read what Mandelbaum thought about it...then, unless you have the patience and vocabulary of a Foreign Literature professor, you're out of luck.

I really liked this book. It's story grabs you right away and despite the laundry list of some 7 or 8 regular characters, they are not hard to discern or keep track off. Much of the story revolves around time spent on a trail crew, so anyone who is a big hiker or outdoors-type will appreciate hearing about how trailas are constructed. The trail crew - a tight-knit crew of 12 or so - provides a great petry dish for growing friendships, rivalries, race tensions, competition, and love. It's fun and interesting and at times deep. You can tell that the story comes from direct experiences of the author - as many of the stories offer details of amazing detail yet simplicity. My only complaint is that the story could be a bit longer and a bit more time spent on the love story. Still, highly recommended.

Dante Paradiso's The Pure Life is fresh! alive! beautiful!

Dante Paradiso's The Pure Life is fresh! alive! beautiful!

So closely interwoven are living and writing in this remarkable first novel that the narrator often barely distinguishes between them: "So I had opened myself up to the wild rush of life, reality without punctuation...."

"The Pure Life" is an intelligent, lyrical narrative in which the imagery, lush, prolific, organic and energetic blots out conventional wisdom, with good effect. The author's drive to be "open to all the possible trails that could lead me somewhere through this life" provokes radical means of expression that displace many dominant received ideas about modern fiction. Perhaps the most daring is the novelist's unrelenting affirmation of life and love.

The story is well-crafted: The narrator's thoughts harmonize so seamlessly with objective reality that one has the constant impression of light filtering through a thicket of trees. (If there were a book that could be judged by its cover, this would be it: The author's own photograph of light pouring into a clearing in the woods suggests not only a story in itself but also serves as a vivid prelude to what the reader will find inside.) "The Pure Life" contains descriptions of light so palpable that one is well prepared for the force of the narrator's epiphany when he loses his way in the woods: "Then I became aware of the land. I realized I'd never been able to conceive of wilderness before, of land so immense."

The narrative is paced very quickly. At first, the sheer rush of perceptions might cause the reader to believe that events unfold hastily, but after a while one becomes aware of a solid foundation: The premise that everyday living, filled as it is with our inadvertent and deliberate actions, has consequence.

The "pure" life, it turns out, is nothing less than a life fully lived and written so intensely that even the novel's thinly-veiled autobiographical moments seem to register a higher truth, a truth more powerful than individual experience, for such a truth only can emerge from the skillful blending of perception and the underlying emotions that are necessary to bring reality into focus. T.S. Eliot famously said, "We had the experience but missed the meaning," but Dante Paradiso had the experience and got the meaning. This reader is grateful that he wrote it all down.

Facing the next steps after the crescendo of his last days of college and graduation, a vague feeling of being dumped when no longer paying tuition, and a certain Romantic nostalgia for the fast-receding past, native New Yorker Jack Paradise heads for the Pacific Northwest to do trail work in the redwood forests with the California Conservation Corps (CCC). In Jack's story of The Pure Life, Dante Paradiso makes a strong case for building all our trails well.

Jack, the narrator, finds himself on a crew of young people from diverse backgrounds--inner city war zones, affluent suburbs, Vietnam--operating out of an old Air Force base on bluffs overlooking the Pacific, building trails "sienna tinged, and soft to tread on." They have come to the forests each searching for something different and not easily definable. The work is labor intensive, the outward journey, inward. Crew members bond; conflicts erupt, and Jack tumbles into love with Anna, a beautiful artist who, when she isn't painting, "feels as if she is holding her breath." "I liked her immediately," he writes.

Jack travels two roads at once--manual labor and writing, his eyes "opening to the forests" as "the wind chased him up the trail with a flurry of floating ashes and pungent odor of burning pines." He is a Renaissance man in jeans and muddy boots, attuned to the "hush-rush wind," capable of wonder, with charm and insight, who observes "you can't make a cynical joke out of everything." He has an artist's eye, and his narrative takes the free-flowing form of experience. Like a portfolio of quick sketches, snapshots, painterly landscapes, delicate nature drawings, and deft and searching portraits come to life, bound together by consciousness and shared experience--it's loose and precise at the same time and rings true.

The portraits mix American individualism with community; there are "no throwaway people" in The Pure Life. For Jack, "the measure of our humanity is our ability to understand one another." Along with Jack and Anna are fourteen other Corps members, among them, Bane, "the instigator," who "liked to stare at people to make them feel uncomfortable, challenging people with his inscrutable expressions;" Honus, "the willing follower;" Hawk, who "liked to keep his distance," "sitting yoga style on a rock in a shaft of warm light, with the water, rapid and cool, swirling around him;" Tsau, born in Vietnam, orphaned during the fall of Saigon, "who just figured out what needed to be done and did it," "but you never really knew what he was thinking;" Mei-li, "always giggling, but you wondered if she was really happy;" Marcus, who "wanted to make this the best year of his life;" and Paul, the crew leader, "his rich laughter peeling through the camp out into the fieldss and finally into the woods where the bears could hear it."

The crew's mission is to make the beauty of the forests accessible without harming the ecosystem, or cutting any roots wider than a wrist. (This is why the CCC builds and maintains trails--so people will be able to see the forests and, seeing, want to preserve them.) While the crew leaders are professional foresters, the Corps members have varying degrees of commitment. Some just needed a job, others are running away from something, or toward something, or just in-between. They bring their inner demons and their dreams with them. Some get kicked out. The rest learn to work together, to depend on one another, and to get the job done, whether building bridges or planting baby ferns on muddy slopes to prevent erosion. They are there for one another when they get lost and found. Some get smashed on weekends but the beauty of the forests is inescapable. It gets to them, and works like an antidote.

The landscapes--in the words of an old artist Jack and Anna meet at a street fair--"contribute to the beauty." Dante Paradiso works with a full palette, whether describing "blue tents along the meadow's edge, a yellow fly over the stoves," or "one of those immense walls of fog" that "rose above us offshore, shifting and drifting and obscuring the ocean...The sun was hovering just above the fog and then dipped swiftly behind it; the mists turned regal purple, and through them the sun burned fiercely--a perfect scarlet circle." The redwood forest, sun-splashed and resinous, is one of the main characters in the novel, the beauty so abundant it's impossible to give an idea of it from a few quotes.

These portraits and landscapes, with linked stories rich in nuance and life could not have been written if the U.S. had been at war. Even without a draft, most of the characters--adrift before continuing school or starting a career, would have landed in the Armed Forces instead of the CCC. Tsau, gazing into the fire pit, is a reminder of the exploding jungles of Nam, the hell of war. But no one in this relative peacetime novel is hit by machine gun fire or ripped with scrapnel. In contrast to Tsau's reveries, The Pure Life shows peacetime projects and what young people can accomplish when not being killed. It is about more than conservation work; it is about building bridges of understanding, trails through the labyrinths of hate toward a future that is green and flowing as the land was, and still is in some places. It is about a vision of warmth and light embodied in the symbol of the campfire, embracing those gathered round and keeping the shadows at bay. Dante Paradiso invites the reader to draw closer to the fire, to share "a deep sense of the connectedness of all experience...to past and present, because in the end all campfires are one."

I truly enjoy reading the classics. However some classics must be translated. Some translations loose meaning since you can not translate word for word. Only the meanings can be translated and with the evolving English language sometimes words can have skewed definitions. John Ciardi is the best Dante translator I have read. Signet has done a good job at this price point. The Devine comedy is a book set that will expand your understanding on many uncannonized ideas. The Inferno (Signet Classics)The Paradiso (Signet Classics)The Purgatorio (Signet Classics)

Dante travels through the heavens growing ever closer to the source of all things, God. He learns a host of things from the spirits there who want to give nothing but love to Dante, to God, and to adore God. It is their pleasure to help Dante. For example, towards the end of the poem he learns about Adam and how long he abided in the Garden (the one from the end of Purgatorio and from which they begin their last journey in the Paradiso).

In order to experience some of the things in the heavens Dante needs to go way beyond normal human perception. The experience of heaven is so great that apparently all that he relates to us about it is but a shadow of how he saw it. It's experience is stamped forever on his heart, but Dante says its detail dissipates. I think of it like when you have a dream that you remember always, but the details do not necessarily stick in your mind though it is imprinted there nevertheless.

To me Dante seems to have guided his audience on a mystic journey. Whether he was a mystic or not I'm not clear on, but like other poets he reveals to us the truth of things.

Travel to the most light-forbidden spot on Earth.

Wait for night to fall. . .

Look up at the sky. . .

and count the stars.

That's how many stars I'd give John Ciardi's wonderful translation of Dante's Paradiso (indeed, the whole trilogy, but especially this)!

When reading this book it's almost impossible I'd say to not feel the same sense of awe as Dante does as he beholds the splendors of Heaven. This book makes you feel uplifted, upbeat, almost as if you're being catapulted through the Heavens right alongside Dante himself.

Of course, to get the full effect from reading this book you have to understand most of what goes on. And that is where the John Ciardi translation really shines. Just as Beatrice is Dante's guide, so is John Ciardi your guide through Heaven.

The Divine Comedy was written in the 1300's and how many people can honestly say that they understand Italian politics and history from that time period? Maybe Umberto Eco does (of "The Name of the Rose" fame), but that's a huge minority. But fear not, for every Canto opens with a short summary of what is about to be revealed next to Dante. One need not worry about this summary spoiling the story, either, as there really are no plot twists in The Paradiso. Although I have to admit that the last scene involving Dante and Beatrice was a bit shocking (to Dante, too) and even managed to form a few tears in my eyes.

After the summary there is the Canto itself and what I like most about this is how everything rhymes (ABA ABA, etc.) and still is rather easy to read. This text is uninterrupted, which is great if you happen to be an advanced reader of Dante and don't want to stumble into little numbers next to words referring you to footnotes all the time.

Again though, not many of us can say we're "Advanced readers of Dante", so for those of us in that crowd each Canto is finished with a healthy amount of footnotes that do an excellent job of explaining the politics and history in simple terms. You very well might still finish the Canto not understanding everything 100%, but you'll be much better off than if you tried to understand everything on your own. Think of it as Cliff's Notes already built into the book itself. Wonderful idea!

If you're still wondering if you should read this book, don't.

Trust me.

Everything is better in Paradise.

Translators, according to the Italian proverb are traitors.
There is no way around it, something is always lost in the
leap from one language to another. You can consult a modern
'adaptation' of Shakespeare to get the feel of what has to
be surrendered.

John Ciardi decided to keep the original rhyme scheme: 'aba'
in which the poem is divided into groups of three lines of
which the first and third rhyme. In Italian, this is fairly
easy, in English a great deal more difficult.
So in order to keep the feel of the tercets (as they're called)
Ciardi sometimes had to stray a bit from the literal
meaning. Nothing vital is lost, but the specialist will
surely find some points to dispute.
For the rest of us, this is a first-rate view into a world
we can barely otherwise imagine. Ciardi's notes and glosses
on the cantos are breezy, illuminating and approachable.

There are other, more correct translations- Mandelbaum's
is first among them -that might be better for the specialist
or the student of the Italian Language. I notice, however,
that when I want to spend a pleasant few moments in the
Poet's company that this is the translation I usually reach
for.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of New Short Course in Wine,The and
bang BANG: A Novel ISBN 9781601640005

+++++

(Note: this review is for the book "The Paradiso" translated by John Ciardi and published by Signet Classics in 2001.)

In book one containing part one (or "canticle" one) of Dante Alighieri's (1265 to 1321) three part "The Divine Comedy" entitled "The Inferno," a journey of spiritual enlightenment is begun by Dante by descending into Hell and discovering the reasons for eternal suffering of souls. In book two containing part two entitled "The Purgatorio," Dante ascends the mountain of Purgatory where there is purification of sin. In this book (book three), Dante ascends to Heaven to experience "the Love that moves the Sun and the other stars."

Dante begins this part of his journey by stating the following:

"Whatever portion time
still leaves me of the treasure of that kingdom
shall now become the subject of my rhyme."

Dante is saying that in the time left to him, the subject of this part of his "rhyme" or poem will be "that kingdom" of heavenly Paradise.

There is an introduction by Professor John Freccero. (We are not told what university he's associated with.) He does a good job of highlighting key aspects of this poem.

The late John Ciardi, former poet and professor at Rutgers and Harvard universities, translated this poem from its original 1300's Italian into English. He states that he has translated this poem for one major reason: for "the pleasure of a beginning student reading in translation." The poem's translation, he admits, is not over-scholarly. Scholars and purists may thus not appreciate Ciardi's translation. I, however, enjoyed his rhyming translation.

Dante's heavenly Paradise is based on an Earth-centered model of nine spheres (individually called "heavens"). Going outward from the Earth, they are as follows:

(1) the Moon
(2) Mercury
(3) Venus
(4) the Sun
(5) Mars
(6) Jupiter
(7) Saturn
(8) the Fixed Stars
(9) Primum Mobile (Prime Mover)

The Prime Mover is the sphere that contains the divine power to move these heavenly bodies. Beyond the Prime Mover is the Empyrean (pronounced "Em-pi-reen"). The Empyrean is God's realm of pure light and is Dante's final destination.

Thus, this heavenly paradise that Dante travels through consists of ten parts that comprise thirty-three episodes (or "cantos").

Unlike parts one and two, Dante takes the majority of this final journey with his guide and former love Beatrice. Along the way, the travelers and the reader encounter such things as biblical figures and references, philosophers, people of Dante's time, legends, saints, and angels.

As with parts one and two, this part is a narrative poem whose greatest strength lies in the fact it does not so much narrate as dramatize its episodes. It is a visual work that sparks your imagination.

Ciardi's mini-summary in italics before each episode gives the reader a glimpse of what to expect in a particular episode. His (foot)notes at the end of each episode highlight our understanding of key passages within each. For me, Ciardi's mini-summaries and notes that accompany each episode are the cornerstone to understanding what Dante was attempting to convey. As well, Dante can be challenging and tedious to read at times. These mini-summaries and notes help the reader meet the challenge and overcome the tedium.

There are three illustrations in this book. They increase the understanding of and add another visual dimension to the poem.

I should mention the impressive art on the cover of this book. It has a reproduction of the 1825 painting by William Blake showing Dante in the Empyrean. It has a river called the River of Light. Dante is shown drinking from this river.

It is possible to read this part without reading the first two parts. However, to experience the full impact of this part, I would recommend reading the first two parts first before reading this part.

The only noticeable problem I had with this book is that it did not have a diagram of the heavenly Paradise to help the reader know beforehand where this journey was going. The first two parts have these helpful diagrams.

Finally, as I mentioned, this is a very imaginative poem. Thus, I recommend "The Dore Illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy" (1976) by Gustave Dore. This book will add another vivid visual dimension to the poem.

In conclusion, don't miss this final phase of Dante's amazing journey. This brilliant translation allows the reader to experience what Dante was attempting to convey when he wrote this poem almost seven centuries ago!!

(published 2001; acknowledgements of translator; introduction; 33 cantos; poem, canto mini-summaries, and canto (foot)notes comprise 345 pages; 3 illustrations)

+++++

This is an outstanding translation. It is faithful to the text but expressed in easily digestible English. Our undergraduates will finally be treated to Dante in palatable form.

An excellent translation for college students. Clear, concise and informative introductions and annotations for each canto. I had great success with the text in my classes.

Employing an easy to read parlance replete with witty annotations and insight into the medieval and modern Italian man, Mr. Salvidio proffers an entertaining yet erudite rendition of this classic. Moreover, it is direct and clear.

I do regret not having this fresh voice when Dante was required reading for it flows flawlessly. This translation should be any Classics professor's first choice for his students.

Arguably the best translation since those completed in 1968 and 1972 by Charles Singleton. What makes this work so remarkable is that it speaks not only to an academic audience but also to the "general reader." Would that this work had been available in my college years. Regardless, my interest in Dante has been revived by Frank Salvidio's accomplishment.

FINALLY! A translation of The Inferno that I not only understand, but REALLY like. It's evident that one of Salvidio's goals was to make Dante's classic work accessible to today's reader. I would also add that the way he did the footnotes is really helpful -- further eveidence that he has a genuine interest in the reader's enjoyment of something he feels passionate about. I plan on reading Salvidio's other translations as well. I'm happy to say that the "classics" are no longer foreign to me, thanks to Frank Salvidio.

Dante's PURGATORY often fails to receive the appreciation accorded INFERNO or even PARADISE. The reasons are easy to see. Unlike the fascinating tour of hell, the denizens of Mount Purgatory lack the tragic dimensions of those found in the nether regions. Yes, they are suffering, but overall their situation is one for them to be happy about, since they clearly are marked for eventually reaching paradise. Their scenario contains infinitely more good news than bad news. Also, there are few passages in this work that can compare with such highpoints in INFERNO as the tales of Francesca or Ulysses.

Nonetheless, this is probably the most original of the three parts of Dante's COMEDY, and the one that has exerted the most actual theological influence. For that reason alone is essential reading. Nor is the work without considerable literary merit. The fact is that it is only dull in comparison with the extraordinary masterpiece that preceded it. Though sedate compared to its predecessor, the book contains a host of fascinating and brilliant details.

The historical importance of this work can scarcely be overestimated. Ideas about purgatory had been developing slowly over the millennium preceding the 12th century, and when Dante was writing PURGATORY in the early 14th century, there was surprisingly little consensus about the nature of purgatory. After Dante, however, there would be a widespread consensus on the details concerning purgatory. In this way, Dante exerted as much influence on the conception of purgatory as any of the theologians. Surely this is one of the few instances in church history where a creative artist bears the primary credit for theological dogma (I should add Catholic dogma, since protestants have never believed in the existence of purgatory). For instance, before Dante there was debate about where purgatory was located. In this world? In a section of hell? As an antechamber of paradise? Dante states that it is a place on earth, in the southern hemisphere, at the precise opposite of Jerusalem. What was the physical constitution of purgatory? Dante depicts it as an extraordinarily high peak (in fact, the highest mountain on earth) on an island, consisting of an ante-purgatory at the base, seven levels or terraces (hence the title of Thomas Merton's remarkable autobiography, THE SEVEN STORY MOUNTAIN), with an earthly paradise at the summit. Theologians had debated how long souls would reside in purgatory, many holding that they would remain until the final judgment. Dante depicts a process of limited duration, possibly extending to the final judgment, but far more likely ending before then. Before Dante, most conceived purgation taking place by fire, but Dante describes a variety of punishments depending on the type of sin, with fire reserved exclusively for the sin of lust. Many had debated whether purgation would take place with the assistance of demons or angels, but Dante clearly depicts benevolent angels aiding souls in their purification. Similarly, many wondered if purgatory could be better conceived as more closely akin to hell or paradise, but Dante unquestionably links it more closely with the latter, in that once one is in purgatory, one is on the path to paradise. Most importantly, prior theologians had conceived purgatory as a place where minor, unimportant sins were purged, and definitely not the major sins. But Dante conceives of purgatory as a place where only the mortal sins are purged, the seven levels dealing with pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust in succession. Minor sins don't even show up on his moral radar. Before Dante, purgatory is a vaguely conceived place, but after this work it is vividly imagined.

As in his translation of INFERNO, Mandelbaum provides a beautiful and highly readable translation of Dante. We are lucky to have many superb translations of Dante in English, but this is clearly among the very best, and in fact might be for many readers the translation of choice. Certainly it has few if any rivals for both accuracy and beauty. One can obtain it either in this trade paperback edition or in a beautiful one-volume edition published by Everyman, containing all three parts of the COMEDY, though without the Italian text.

This was required reading for a graduate course in medieval history.
"The Divine Comedy" describes Dante's journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Paradise (Paradiso), guided first by the Roman epic poet Virgil and then by Beatrice, the subject of his love and another of his works, "La Vita Nuova." While the vision of Hell, the Inferno, is vivid for modern readers, the theological niceties presented in the other books require a certain amount of patience and scholarship to understand. Purgatorio, the most lyrical and human of the three, also has the most poets in it; Paradiso, the most heavily theological, has the most beautiful and ecstatic mystic passages in which Dante tries to describe what he confesses he is unable to convey (e.g., when Dante looks into the face of God: "all'alta fantasia qui mancò possa" - "at this high moment, ability failed my capacity to describe," Paradiso, XXXIII, 142).

Dante wrote the Comedy in his regional dialect. By creating a poem of epic structure and philosophic purpose, he established that the Italian language was suitable for the highest sort of expression, and simultaneously established the Tuscan dialect as the standard for Italian. In French, Italian is nicknamed la langue de Dante. Publishing in the vernacular language marked Dante as one of the first (among others such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio) to break from standards of publishing in only Latin or Greek (the languages of Church and antiquity). This break allowed more literature to be published for a wider audience - setting the stage for greater levels of literacy in the future.

Readers often cannot understand how such a serious work may be called a "comedy". In Dante's time, all serious scholarly works were written in Latin (a tradition that would persist for several hundred years more, until the waning years of the Enlightenment) and works written in any other language were assumed to be comedic in nature. Furthermore, the word "comedy," in the classical sense, refers to works which reflect belief in an ordered universe, in which events not only tended towards a happy or "amusing" ending, but an ending influenced by a Providential will that orders all things to an ultimate good. By this meaning of the word, the progression of Dante's pilgrim from Hell to Paradise is the paradigmatic expression of comedy, since the work begins with the pilgrim's moral confusion and ends with the vision of God.

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings. Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Can Grande della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical). The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines. The poem is often lauded for its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination. Dante's use of real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno", allows Dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety."

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 16th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters. Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic.

Purgatorio
Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil ascend out of the undergloom, to the Mountain of Purgatory on the far side of the world (in Dante's time, it was believed that Hell existed underneath Jerusalem). The Mountain is on an island, the only land in the Southern Hemisphere. At the shores of Purgatory, Dante and Virgil are attracted by a musical performance by Casella, but are reprimanded by Cato, a pagan who has been placed by God as the general guardian of the approach to the mountain. The text gives no indication whether or not Cato's soul is destined for heaven: his symbolic significance has been much debated. (Cantos I and II).

Dante starts the ascent on Mount Purgatory. On the lower slopes (designated as "ante-Purgatory" by commentators) Dante meets first a group of excommunicates, detained for a period thirty times as long as their period of contumacy. Ascending higher, he encounters those too lazy to repent until shortly before death, and those who suffered violent deaths (often due to leading extremely sinful lives). These souls will be admitted to Purgatory thanks to their genuine repentance, but must wait outside for an amount of time equal to their lives on earth (Cantos III through VI). Finally, Dante is shown a beautiful valley where he sees the lately-deceased monarchs of the great nations of Europe, and a number of other persons whose devotion to public and private duties hampered their faith (Cantos VII and VIII). From this valley Dante is carried (while asleep) up to the gates of Purgatory proper (Canto IX).

The gate of Purgatory is guarded by an angel who uses the point of his sword to draw the letter "P" (signifying peccatum, sin) seven times on Dante's forehead, abjuring him to "wash you those wounds within". The angel uses two keys, gold and silver, to open the gate and warns Dante not to look back, lest he should find himself outside the gate again, symbolizing Dante having to overcome and rise above the hell that he has just left and thusly leaving his sinning ways behind him. From there, Virgil guides the pilgrim Dante through the seven terraces of Purgatory. These correspond to the seven deadly sins, each terrace purging a particular sin in an appropriate manner. Those in purgatory can leave their circle whenever they like, but essentially there is an honors system where no one leaves until they have corrected the nature within themselves that caused them to commit that sin. Souls can only move upwards and never backwards, since the intent of Purgatory is for souls to ascend towards God in Heaven, and can ascend only during daylight hours, since the light of God is the only true guidance.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in literature and medieval history.

For those who are unaware, Purgatorio is the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy. After reading the Inferno, this book continues Dante's journey. Similar to the Inferno, Dante is accompanied by his guide, the great poet, Virgil. Also similar to the inferno, the two have to travel through different levels of this part of the afterlife and once again encounter the ironic tourtures faces by sinners. This book also comes with a map which can help a reader follow the path folled by the two men. Very helpful. It would be a good idea to first read The Inferno, in order to fully understand what is happening. Overall, the book is very deep, but fortunately this version comes with a terrific collection of notes which can be used to better understand the passages written in foriegn languages, and also helps us to understand the many characters discovered in this journey. A must for almost any reader. I hope this was helpful, but if it wasn't, I appologize for the time you wasted reading it. Purgatorio won't be such a waste. Enjoy.

The second of three books that compose the Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri's "Purgatorio" is a continuation of his epic Cantos. Having seen Satan with their own eyes, Dante and Virgil once again breathe fresh air as they surface through an opening in a cliff. Their adventure then carries them to the mountain island of Purgatory where Dante hears tales of woe and sees some familiar faces, all the while drawing nearer to his beloved Beatrice.

Often overlooked as the middle story, Purgatorio is, in its own rights, a classic. It would be my recommendation, however, to read it in order so as not to confuse yourself and to miss out on any of the important events that occur.

What makes this edition so special is the wonderful translation done by Allen Mandelbaum. The notes that are provided make understanding not only the language but the plot and its nuances much easier and consequently much more enjoyable. This is easily the best version on the market today for the casual reader.

There are two things that set this edition of Dante's
Purgatorio apart. The first is the evocative 1982 translation
by Allen Mandelbaum. The Italian government itself has
showered prizes on Mandelbaum and indeed, from an Italian
perspective this is also the best translation available. It
has a fidelity to the Italian that is all the more jealously
guarded because, for modern Italian speakers, Dante's
14th contury language is not so remote.

The second is that the original Italian text is supplied
side by side with the translation. For the student of Italian
or any non-native speaker, this is an arrangement that
facilitates the appreciation of the lyricism of the original
because you are not distracted by the only slightly archaic
language.

Mandelbaum's notes are illuminating and the illustrations by
Barry Moser are inventive and evocative masterpieces.

When the Italian comedian Robert Benigni visited the U.S.
to accept his Oscars for La Vita e Bella, the story was that
the only person he wanted to meet was the famed Dantista,
Allen Mandelbaum.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005