"Reading Dante is an experience of a lifetime... But, like Dante himself, at large in the frightening wood, you need a companion for the journey, and it is difficult to imagine one more enlightening than Prue Shaw."
The Spectator "Shaw’s sharp, brilliantly engaging book delivers masterfully on its promise to fuel love for the Comedy precisely by dispelling readers’ anxieties, and showing how the great underlying concerns of this work are not only those of every work of art but are the stuff of life itself. Moreover, she keeps us so enthralled with her compelling and fast-paced prose that the only reason one would want to put down this book is to open the one she is talking about."
Book of the Week - Times Higher Education "Writing an introduction[to The Divine Comedy] for the general reader is not an easy task. Prue Shaw has done this in a way that manages to be at the same time scholarly, compelling and original."
The Times Literary Supplement "Reading Dante is undoubtedly one of the best introductions to Dante's Commedia available. It is accurate, informative but never dull or patronising. All the important topics are covered, while steering clear of academic jargon... It is a virtuoso performance."
The Tablet