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Title: The Black Tulip (Penguin Classics) by Alexandre Dumas, Robin Buss ISBN: 0-14-044892-6 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 26 August, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.45 (11 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: An Exciting and Romantic Tale
Comment: In "The Black Tulip", Alexandre Dumas proves again his ability to mix adventure and romance to create an exciting and romantic tale. Although Dumas may have distorted history significantly in this story, the image of late 17th century Holland which he presents is accurate and vivid enough to give the reader a lasting impression of society and culture in this period.
The execution of Jann and Cornelius De Witte and the romance between Van Baerle and Rosa are portrayed with such detail that readers are not likely to forget this book. I strongly recommend this tale to any who love adventure, history and romance.
Rating: 5
Summary: Adventure, romance, and ..... tulips?
Comment: This is a wonderful story about the 'tulipmania' of the 1600's and also a staggering look at the violence and chaos of the time. It's central character is young Doctor Cornelius Van Baerle, who is as happy as can be in his own little world of growing tulips and inventing new colors for the flower. He thinks himself void of all enemies, but of course, we know better. There is then an announcement that says that anyone who invents the Black Tulip first, wins a huge monetary award and the recognition the new flower will bring to the winner. This sends all tulips-fanciers everywhere into frantic competiton to see who can grow the Grand Black Tulip. Then, as Cornelius finally perfects his Black Tulip, he is suddenly arrested and sentenced to be executed as an accomplice to the 'traitors' John and Cornelius De Witte. I thought this story was very exciting and though you might think a story that focuses on a flower is strange, if anything, it adds to the charm. There are very interesing characters who are clever and endearing, and whom you care about. I recommend this book to all Dumas fans, adventure lovers, romanticists, and even florists, if you like
Rating: 5
Summary: Flower power
Comment: This book is not to be recomended by those who want an exciting swashbuckling tale on a par with Dumas' incomparable musketeer stories. It is to this end that many reviewers and readers of this book leave with an unfriendly opinion of this book. Although it is Dumas' last book, it is in my opinion one of his best. It tells the heartwarming tale of Cornelius van Baerle who lives purely to try and cultivate the rare and wonderous black tulip. However when Cornelius' godfather is asassinated he, without knowing it, enters a dangerous game of cat and mouse with his jealous neighbour (and tulip fancier) Issac Boxtel who has seen Cornelius being given a letter by his godfather. To this end Cornelius is jailed whereupon he falls in love with Rosa, the beautiful daughter of his jailer. Rosa aids Cornelius to cultivate his tulip inside the jail and they eventually succeed only to have it cruely stolen by Boxtel. I wont ruin the ending by telling you what happens, suffice to say I feel that for the first time in his writing career Dumas wrote a "Happy ever after" ending which irritated me to some extent. I do love this book and it earns its place alongside Dumas' great novels, my main reason for loving it so much is its final lines, it is one of the greatest pieces of philosophy I have ever heard, but it is important to read the book to fully understand its meaning, I know it so well that I can reel it off the top of my head thus, " ... he wrote above his door these lines that Grotius had carved on the wall of his prison on the day of his escape: "Sometimes one has suffered enough to have the right never to say: I am too happy"
To me these words have a beautiful resonance that is not only lovely to think of but accurate as well, I feel that anyone who reads this book and fails to be moved, if by nothing else by the bathos of the denoument, then they have ultimately failed to appreciate the true beauty and skill of one of the finest novelists to ever pick up a writing implement. This book is a thing of beauty, perhaps the tulip itself is a simple microcosm of the book, to start off it appears to be nothing special, but in the hands of someone who is aware of its true worth it is as priceless as the world itself.
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Title: The Vicomte De Bragelonne (Oxford World's Classics) by Alexandre Dumas, David Coward ISBN: 0192834630 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: July, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Louise de la Valliere by Alexandre Dumas, David Coward ISBN: 0192834657 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Twenty Years After (Oxford World's Classics) by Alexandre Dumas, David Coward ISBN: 0192838431 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Man in the Iron Mask (Oxford World's Classics) by Alexandre Dumas ISBN: 0192838423 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1998 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Three Musketeers (Puffin Classics) by Alexandre Dumas ISBN: 0140367470 Publisher: Puffin Books Pub. Date: 01 November, 1995 List Price(USD): $4.99 |
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