Official Review: purgatorio by bernard kuckuck

[Tanaya]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "purgatorio" by bernard kuckuck.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Purgatorio is a historical novel by Bernard Kuckuck. The story takes places in Florence at the start of the 17th century. When the book begins, Filippo Oraiosieri is a young musician and a student under the master Lorenzo Stamezzo. Filippo hears Lorenzo speaking with other artists about having a letter in his possession that was never sent. It was written to Dante Alighieri by Beatrice Portinari, the love of his life. Lorenzo claims to be in possession of the letter, but he won’t let anybody see it. Filippo becomes filled with the ambition to write a new opera based on the mysterious letter that Lorenzo’s niece, also named Beatrice, attempts to help him find.

The Italian language appears throughout the text: in the dialogue, in quotes at the beginning of chapters, in song lyrics, etc. A lot of the translations are listed in the endnotes of the book. In other cases, the translations are located directly on the same page. It was fun to try to figure out what the Italian words meant without peeking at the end of the book. For the most part, however, the story is conveyed in English. I thought that the inclusion of multiple languages was well handled.

The story is only about 130 pages long. Despite its short length, this is the type of story to read slowly and carefully. It is very informative in nature. At times, it reads more like a history textbook. Lots of historical information is relayed through exposition, both in and outside of the dialogue. I didn’t particularly care for this. I was less engaged during these parts and just wanted to get back to the story being told about Filippo. Readers who are deeply interested in this time period and music genre would be more likely to appreciate this aspect of the book.

There were a few grammatical errors that I happened to notice, like rare instances of the present tense being used even though the story is told in the past tense. Another thing that stood out was referring to one character as “Lorenzo” and at other times “Laurenzo.” I never understood why the spelling of his name kept changing.

One of the best aspects of the book is the ongoing discussion of what it means to be an artist. This is mainly explored through Filippo’s ambitious project. There is a large focus on the notion of finding inspiration in the work of others to make something original. The other great aspect of the book is that it is filled with many beautiful descriptions. Though these could be somewhat wordy at times, I really didn’t mind. The messages that they conveyed just spoke to me. The book, given the subject matter, is very poetic in nature.

Many of the characters are fictional while others were real people. Filippo, a fictional character, is quite intriguing. He doesn’t want to go into his family’s textile business because music is his passion. It sounds familiar on the surface, but his development as the book progresses is very relatable for any creative person. A lot of the beautiful lines that I mentioned before appear because of Filippo’s presence in the story. One such example is: “Dispirited, he opened the window and looked at the azure sky as if to find consolation or maybe guidance from the hidden divinities that his artistic pursuits posited beyond the vault of heaven.” The line could be tightened up a bit, but the ideas behind it, like many lines in the book, are quite stirring. He’s a very meditative creature who often goes for walks around the city to think more clearly and to find inspiration in the world around him.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed being able to relate to Filippo’s character. I also thoroughly enjoyed being inspired by the book’s musings on life and creativity. I would recommend this book to history buffs and fans of Dante Alighieri.

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purgatorio
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[gali]

Nice review! I am glad you enjoyed the book.

[Tanaya]

Thanks

[bookowlie]

Nice, balanced review! I can see how this book would appeal to a very specific type of reader. That name change stuff would annoy me. I noticed something similar in a review book I read several months ago. A ficitional periodical was mentioned various times throughout the book and the author called it by two different names.

[rssllue]

Very nice review! It sounds like an interesting read despite its flaws. Learning some Italian along the way seems like a very cool bonus too! Well done!

[Tanaya]

Ah, that does sound annoying. Consistency is key.

And yeah, it was nice to brush up on my language skills.

Thanks to the both of you!

[rssllue]