Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"...the truth about this man's death..", June 17, 2006
It is difficult to be overly critical of "The Poe Shadow", as Matthew Pearl's illumination of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life makes for a fascinating tale. The extent and detail of Pearl's research is evident - this is clearly a labor of love - and the author deserves full credit for his diligence and for his efforts in updating the historical record. The problem is an uneven pace that, while riveting in parts becomes tedious in others and, despite being a unique and often gripping window into the life of an American genius, tends to drag beyond its initial appeal. "Shadow" tackles Poe's mysterious death in Baltimore in 1849 at the young age of 40. While fiction, the author goes to great lengths to remain true to the historical record, while uncovering and disclosing new facts to bolster his own theory surrounding Poe's ill-fated plans to travel from Richmond to New York in his final days. Told through the journals of the fictional Quinton Clark, a young and well-to-do attorney, the narrative is written in the vernacular of the period - a style that takes some getting used to and definitely requires more attention from the reader than the typical pop thriller. The story opens with Clark's chance observation of a burial, notable in its scant attendance and absence a grave marker. The burial, of course, was Poe's, but the contemporary press was kind to neither the author's work nor the circumstances surrounding his death. Clark, a fan of Poe's works and sometimes correspondent, vows to find the real life inspiration for Poe's C. Auguste Dupin, detective extraordinaire and hero of a number of Poe tales, including "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". By finding the real Dupin and enlisting his help, Clark figures the truth behind the author's demise will be uncovered. This leads to a convoluted tale of deceit and deception from Baltimore to Paris, set in rich historical detail and an authoritative cultural backdrop. Like "The Dante Club" before it, this is an ambitious and refreshingly unique novel, a welcome change from the typical thriller/mystery fare. It would have benefited from some additional editing, tightening the plot and streamlining a bit of the minutia. "The Poe Shadow" may not be for everyone, but it is nonetheless another notable effort by the extremely talented Matthew Pearl, and reason enough to look forward to his next novel.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars For Theory; subtract 2 for execution, November 15, 2006
I recently read and loved Matthew Pearl's THE DANTE CLUB, so I grabbed THE POE SHADOW as soon as I saw it. The new book is to be admired for the artistic risks taken by the author in an era when few artistic risks are taken, but, alas, it just isn't the achievement that his previous literary historical fiction is. In this outing, Pearl has taken up the very real confusing and thus mysterious circumstances of the early death of Edgar Allan Poe at age 40. Pearl has given Poe an obsessive fan, a young, affluent Baltimore lawyer, Quentin Clark, engaged to the perfect socialite, who is abhorred by the error-ridden, sensational accounts of his hero's unexpected death in the local media of 1849. Clark decides to investigate. Realizing that he is no Dupin, Poe's famous detective character, Clark goes to France to find Poe's real life model. Instead, he unwittingly opens a Pandora's box of French intrigue that returns to America with him, including the person he is sure is Dupin's model as well as a con-man impersonator. There ensues, as Clark risks losing everything, by turns the fiancé, the job his inheritance and his life, a competition to reveal the truth behind Poe's death. For those still in the thrall of THE DANTE CLUB, THE POE SHADOW presents a problem because it is entirely told through Clark's unrelenting first person narrative. We are stuck with his voice, his myopic grasp of things and his naiveté. You want to kick him in the pants sometimes. Then there is the problem of Baltimore: the setting never becomes a character or imbues character as Boston does in the first book. It's just so much pavement under the action. The red herrings are bloated beyond relief, making what can be deduced as the truth as light as a feather. The last problem is, you really need a recent reading of Poe's stories, and perhaps of his presence in American literature to appreciate the plot engine of this book. Pearl's central inspiration is great. It just got lost in the details.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A mere "Shadow" of "The Dante Club"?, August 1, 2006
I enjoyed THE DANTE CLUB so much that halfway through it, I decided to buy Matthew Pearl's next novel, sight unseen and reviews unread. In retrospect, this may have been a bit hasty on my part. In THE POE SHADOW, Pearl's choice to revisit the genre of historical literary mystery seems a bit forced. But before going any further, let me hasten to add that THE POE SHADOW contains many rewards. It gives a gritty and realistic description of the Baltimore of Poe's time, there are many amusing episodes, and the writing and mood are often beautifully wrought. The bugaboo lies with the characters and plot. Our protagonist and narrator, Quentin Clark, is motivated by an obsession to clear the name of Edgar Allan Poe after the writer's death. This obsession is NEVER BELIEVABLE. It isn't logical, nor is it compellingly drawn. Now add in the fact that Quentin is also a gullible ninny who is prone to fainting spells. Mix in a creaking plot that takes a while to get moving down the tracks, and you have a tale suffering from bloat; it would, however, have made for a fine short story or novella. Because of Pearl's prodigious skills at depiction and his obvious research, I'm rating THE POE SHADOW a bit more favorably than perhaps I should. Nonetheless, I suspect that I will still read Matthew Pearl's next work... AFTER taking a spin through its reviews.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
