Well because I'm a book worm of sorts I decided to write reviews on books that I've already read so, here goes.
Divine Comedy by Dante Aligheiri
Most Christians like the Divine Comedy because the basic undertone of the book is that no matter what you do; if you aren't Christian you go to hell. But that is not the reason why I think it is a great book; DC (Divine Comedy) has everything; humor, tradgedy,philosophical every day problems, humanity, reverance to the unknown wraths and piety.
I think the Comedy is best read as an allegory--on the literal level it describes hell, purgatory, and heaven, but on the symbolic level it is about a journey inside oneself. Dante begins in the wood of error, lost in his own sinfulness and confusion. But God's grace (mediated by the dead woman Beatrice, whom he had loved from afar) reaches him in the somewhat attenuated form of the ancient poet Virgil, who represents everything that's good and noble in "natural," pagan humanity. Under Virgil's guidance, Dante has to undergo a horrific journey, plumbing the depths of his own capacity for evil, until, in the icy depths of hell, he discovers Lucifer--the ultimate rejection of grace--burrowed through the earth (and through Dante's soul) like a worm at an apple's core. But the Inferno is not the end, though many people stop there (both in reading Dante and in their own lives). Next Dante, still guided by Virgil, has to climb the mountain of Purgatory, stripping away by prayer and self-examination the evil that he has discovered in himself. Only there is he ready to meet Beatrice and fly up with her (in the most ambitious attempt to describe ultimate happiness ever made) to Paradise and the ultimate encounter with God. Ciardi's translation perhaps errs on the side of being too crude and colloquial, but this makes it accessible for modern readers. I also highly recommend Dorothy Sayers's translation, and her essays about Dante.
My rating;
Great book.
Parts of the Review paraphrased from Amazon.com's review pages.