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stephxsu's review
1.0
INFERNO deals with an overwhelming number of issues in a way that leaves us unsatisfied. In the span of a little over 200 pages, Stevenson tries to deal with rebellion, parental misunderstanding, homosexuality, arson, unhealthy vs. healthy friendships…Whoa! There are probably more that I missed. Just one of these topics is something that deserves a book to itself. Cramming all of these into one book results in me feeling dissatisfied and cheated out of a better, more complete and fulfilling story.
Dante is a mediocre protagonist who makes bad decisions I often can’t relate to; as a result, she hardly garners my respect and empathy. Similarly, Parker, while a compelling IDEA of a character, falls flat in practice. Her personality ranges from enigmatic, strong, and intelligent to scared and indecisive, to flirtatious and manipulative. While it is totally possible that all of these traits exist in one character, in Parker they felt disjointed, as if she were three different characters trying—and failing—to masquerade as one. As a result, I was unable to sympathize with her character, even though I admit that her problems are plenty and definitely deserve attention and maybe even therapy.
Similarly, other supporting characters are either one-dimensional or else so caricature-esque that I couldn’t get into them. Jamie, Parker’s boyfriend, is unrelentingly the angry disenfranchised youth with the unexplained past. Leo, their other friend, has a backstory, but it seems totally separate from the person he is now. Dante’s mother was infuriating, but that was probably for personal reasons. I only wish that Dante’s parents were more complex characters, so I could actually believe their shifts in emotions and the mother-daughter bonding moments. Because right now I don’t believe them.
All hope is NOT lost, however. The plot, while predictable, still managed to capture my attention and keep me reading. This book is really a plot-driven one. INFERNO is a beginners’ introduction to a variety of complex issues that need to be explored at a greater depth. I’m not sure who to recommend this to because there are much better books that discuss these topics out there.
Dante is a mediocre protagonist who makes bad decisions I often can’t relate to; as a result, she hardly garners my respect and empathy. Similarly, Parker, while a compelling IDEA of a character, falls flat in practice. Her personality ranges from enigmatic, strong, and intelligent to scared and indecisive, to flirtatious and manipulative. While it is totally possible that all of these traits exist in one character, in Parker they felt disjointed, as if she were three different characters trying—and failing—to masquerade as one. As a result, I was unable to sympathize with her character, even though I admit that her problems are plenty and definitely deserve attention and maybe even therapy.
Similarly, other supporting characters are either one-dimensional or else so caricature-esque that I couldn’t get into them. Jamie, Parker’s boyfriend, is unrelentingly the angry disenfranchised youth with the unexplained past. Leo, their other friend, has a backstory, but it seems totally separate from the person he is now. Dante’s mother was infuriating, but that was probably for personal reasons. I only wish that Dante’s parents were more complex characters, so I could actually believe their shifts in emotions and the mother-daughter bonding moments. Because right now I don’t believe them.
All hope is NOT lost, however. The plot, while predictable, still managed to capture my attention and keep me reading. This book is really a plot-driven one. INFERNO is a beginners’ introduction to a variety of complex issues that need to be explored at a greater depth. I’m not sure who to recommend this to because there are much better books that discuss these topics out there.
4saradouglas's review
2.0
I couldn't really get into this one, possibly because I couldn't relate to the main character. Dante is very angry about being forced to go to school, is a lesbian, and is quite rebellious at times. I would have never thought or done most of the things she does, so she was hard to relate with and also was quite frustrating to read about. The decision to commit arson came very quickly and then there was no real planning time... they just went out and did it. I found that a bit unrealistic, and also had no idea where Jamie was coming from. They never really explained him as a character like they did the others. This book just didn't do anything for me.
briface's review
3.0
Read for my young adult materials class. Relatively quick engaging read, I appreciated the mild subversiveness. I found the high school drop out group to be not that believable, why are they mainly protesting high school out of all the social issues there are to choose from, wouldn't they move on? But the book tackled a lot of relatable issues for teens and I thought Dante being utterly alone with her heartbreak and break up with her girlfriend and deciding that she wasn't ready to come out to her parents touching.
katedg's review
2.0
I don't even think I finished this book because it made me terribly uncomfortable. The amount of rebellious behavior was very un-relatable for me and it all was without real reason.
monnibo's review
4.0
This is an engaging book about a young girl (formerly named Emily) who is trying to find herself within an oppressive high school and disappointed mother. She has an interesting journey and although the content is a little mature (maybe 12+) the writing is very accessible. The book is written from Dante/Emily's point of view which was bang-on for the voice and age of the character.
Read my full review here: http://www.monniblog.com/2010/02/inferno-by-robin-stevenson/
Read my full review here: http://www.monniblog.com/2010/02/inferno-by-robin-stevenson/
themarina's review
4.0
Really enjoyed by introduction to Robin Stevenson. It's an interesting story which deals with quite a few "teen" issues in a mature, easy to digest way. I particularly liked Dante's struggle with being a good person while also rebelling against institutions while knowing that those institutions are, at the end of the day, going to help her become the person she wants to be.
Ends a little suddenly but overall, an enjoyable read.
Ends a little suddenly but overall, an enjoyable read.
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