Butterfly Club

Author: Pearl
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This is the debut novel of Matthew Pearl, an American author. The main characters of the novel are the renowned " Fireside Poets" of 19th-century America—Longfellow, Lowell, and Holmes—members of the "Dante Club." The plot revolves around a series of murders encountered by these poets during their translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy. The story takes place in Boston in 1865. The three celebrated "Fireside Poets" of American literary history—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, and Oliver Wendell Holmes—formed the "Dante Club" to pursue a sacred literary ideal: to publish Dante's extraordinary work, The Divine Comedy, in America. However, the poets' translation plan was forced to halt due to a series of murders in Boston and Cambridge: a judge was alive and devouring by maggots; a parish priest was buried upside down, with flames burning his soles; and a billionaire was dismembered in an abandoned castle. Only the members of the Dante Club knew that the style and form of the murders directly stemmed from the "Inferno" of The Divine Comedy. Faced with the threat to their lives and the impotence of the police, the poets abandoned their books and took upon themselves the burden of stopping the killers from continuing their reign of terror. The author's writing is delicate, skillfully advancing the subtle yet fearful psychology of death and evil, perfectly synchronized with the reasoning of the Dante Club. At the same time, the fictional, bizarre plot is richly embedded with historical details and cultural depth, catering to the readers' interests. A "sacred suspense," a heart-stirring, blood-soaked work that cleverly combines the strange crime scenes with literary analysis, and in the process, endows historical figures with vivid and full lives. The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown enthusiastically recommends it. Matthew Pearl is a dedicated and highly talented literary newcomer. In his hands, the enigmatic plot, classic historical scenes, and vivid character personalities leap off the page, captivating readers effortlessly. —Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code This grand-scale suspense novel is filled with Matthew Pearl's erudition and wisdom. —The New York Times The demon of an era, a precise replication of the "retribution system" of The Divine Comedy, and a vivid map of New England literary history—making this historical suspense novel unique. Savor the thrill of reading as you track the suspected culprit. This is the debut novel of Matthew Pearl, an American author. The main characters of the novel are the renowned "Fireside Poets" of 19th-century America—Longfellow, Lowell, and Holmes—members of the "Dante Club." The plot revolves around a series of murders encountered by these poets during their translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy. The story takes place in Boston in 1865. The three celebrated "Fireside Poets" of American literary history—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, and Oliver Wendell Holmes—formed the "Dante Club" to pursue a sacred literary ideal: to publish Dante's extraordinary work, The Divine Comedy, in America. However, the poets' translation plan was forced to halt due to a series of murders in Boston and Cambridge: a judge was alive and devouring by maggots; a parish priest was buried upside down, with flames burning his soles; and a billionaire was dismembered in an abandoned castle. Only the members of the Dante Club knew that the style and form of the murders directly stemmed from the "Inferno" of The Divine Comedy. Faced with the threat to their lives and the impotence of the police, the poets abandoned their books and took upon themselves the burden of stopping the killers from continuing their reign of terror. The author's writing is delicate, skillfully advancing the subtle yet fearful psychology of death and evil, perfectly synchronized with the reasoning of the Dante Club. At the same time, the fictional, bizarre plot is richly embedded with historical details and cultural depth, catering to the readers' interests.