Comments | bookfails: The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl

mongoose_bite in bookfails

The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl

Jan 08, 2011 17:51

So, an ardent fan of Edgar Allen Poe sets out to solve the mystery of his final days soon after his death. He recruits two men both said to be the inspiration for Poe's fictional detective, Dupin, and they compete to solve the mystery. Sounds awesome, sign me up!

( And send me to sleep. )

i couldn't even finish this awful book, good plot gone wrong, like watching paint dry, author last names m-s

Comments 9

muse_books January 8 2011, 10:01:08 UTC

I actually really enjoyed this book though I did recognise that its pace and lack of action might not be to everyone's taste.

As I said in my own 2009 review:

"The book does have a 19th century air about it in terms of pacing, which may prove too slow for some readers."

For me what stood out was the strong sense of the historical setting and the amount of original research that Pearl had undertaken for this book which had also resulted in a 2-part article in the Edgar Allan Poe Review.

In case you are interested in the research aspect - here is the link:

http://www.matthewpearl.com/poe/deathdossier.html

mongoose_bite January 8 2011, 10:49:19 UTC

The language that genuine 19th century writers used was much richer, he just missed the flavour of it in my opinion. He didn't convince me; I didn't think for a second I was reading the real thing.

I don't object to slow pacing if the prose is good.

muse_books January 8 2011, 11:00:51 UTC

Well the one thing we've seen over and over again in this community is that a fail for one reader remains a win for another.

I had a different experience to you.

grey853 January 8 2011, 14:37:21 UTC

You lasted longer than I did. I picked it up at the library and only got about 30 pages in and realized it wasn't a book I could finish. Like you, I thought the premise a good one, but the execution very poor.

nyxalinth January 8 2011, 16:50:54 UTC

You might enjoy Harold shcechter's Poe novels, which feature him as a main character. they got me reading EAP again back in 2003/2004.

nyxalinth January 8 2011, 16:51:14 UTC

Oops, Schecter. Spelling fail.

mongoose_bite January 9 2011, 01:24:16 UTC

Name's not familiar. I'll have a look around, thanks :) I have a battered copy of the complete Poe that I really should read sometime. I've only read his most famous works, and that was quite a few years ago.

tonstant_weader January 8 2011, 18:26:42 UTC

I had high hopes for this not based on Poe (who I do love) but based on the Dante Club which I did quite enjoy.

Actually had you made it further, the book picks up for a bit and then falls into a deathly low plot pacing trough once again. Understanding that library research is less than interesting to watch I wish any action had been paced out between the mystery elements. I agree though, definitely, with what others said - good premise, disappointing execution.

mongoose_bite January 9 2011, 01:28:38 UTC

Yeah, if the main character had been more engaging, I would have cut it a bit more slack, but the combination of slow pacing and unexciting characterisation killed it.