Book Review – Inferno by Dan Brown
On a recent trip to Italy I brought a hefty hardcover copy of the new book Inferno by Dan Brown.
The plot moves from Tuscany…
The first half is entertaining, engaging, and filled with promise. Brown also educates us about historical happenings in a way that is seamlessly entertaining. Then, in trying to manufacture surprise, the plot tries to back out of its entire premise. This doesn’t work. Readers want plots to move forward, not to circle around like a dog chasing its tail. The plot plummets as credibility disappears, consistency vanishes, and Brown offers us a personal, editorial polemic as an ending. Readers want entertainment. For morals or for preaching we can read Aesop’s Fables or editorials from a newspaper.
…to Turkey
It’s also disquieting that the publisher of a guaranteed best-seller refused to shell out enough money to hire an editor who knows the difference between the words ‘enormous’ and ‘enormity.’ Not once, but twice. Coming from a supposedly ‘reputable’ New York publishing house, this insult to the English language is egregious. The inside of a cathedral may be enormous, while a cruel punishment would constitute an enormity. Enormous refers to size. Enormity refers to something morally wrong.
The word ‘deplane’ is also used twice. It’s not a word. A noun is not a verb. It’s an airline company’s display that they are linguistically incompetent. Would we ‘decar’ after driving, or ‘desleep’ in the morning or ‘deoffice’ after work? Mmmm…it may be time to ‘deread’ Dan Brown’s books.
Perhaps the movie will be better. It would be difficult not to be.
Click here to read about my own book titled River of Tuscany.
Love this! I always feel the same way when I hear words that are simply used incorrectly.
Momentarily – instead of “in a moment” (since momentarily really means FOR a moment, not in a moment-) But I’m getting used to it. Also de-plane, which is painful.
I wouldn’t expect too much from Dan Brown’s books. Mild entertainment. Nada más.