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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
I had a strange experience with this one. I thought I would enjoy this one, but I didn't.
It was intriguing for a bit of the story, but that was about it. Weird narration right from the start, jumped from first person to third person, which was confusing (perhaps it was meant to be that way? I don't know).
Either way, not much to say here. There are lots of quotes from classics, so if you've read those, it could be interesting to catch those.
The main character Corso wasn't too likable. There are a few attempts to go into his history, but not terribly moving.
There is one character I'm intrigued by that, by the end of the book, still has a shroud of mystery hanging around her. I wish she was fleshed out further, but again, she may have been intentionally characterized as such.
Definitely a mystery with a bit of literature trivia. Not much of a thriller though, which is what I had originally thought it to be. Oh well.
It was intriguing for a bit of the story, but that was about it. Weird narration right from the start, jumped from first person to third person, which was confusing (perhaps it was meant to be that way? I don't know).
Either way, not much to say here. There are lots of quotes from classics, so if you've read those, it could be interesting to catch those.
The main character Corso wasn't too likable. There are a few attempts to go into his history, but not terribly moving.
There is one character I'm intrigued by that, by the end of the book, still has a shroud of mystery hanging around her. I wish she was fleshed out further, but again, she may have been intentionally characterized as such.
Definitely a mystery with a bit of literature trivia. Not much of a thriller though, which is what I had originally thought it to be. Oh well.
Re-read rating: 4 stars.
"However incredulous or doubting you might be, if you want to play, you have no choice but to follow the rules. Only the person who respects the rules, or at least knows and applies them, can win. Reading a book is the same: you have to accept the plot and the characters to enjoy the story.”
Indeed. If there was ever a book about a character caught up in an intricate game with rules beyond their understanding, it’s The Club Dumas. This is my second time reading it (the first time that I’ve read it as a full-blown adult) and I still don’t know if I’ve ever read a book that has such a deep level of intrigue.
Lucas Corso, intelligent and ruthless antique book dealer, is given a copy of a chapter entitled “The Anjou Wine.” It’s believed to be the original manuscript from Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. Corso, despite his solitary, slightly untrustworthy existence, is one of the best in the business, and sets about trying to authenticate it.
At the same time, he’s asked by separate client to investigate a mysterious book: The Nine Doors of the Kingdom of Shadows. Its author was burned at the stake in Venice, along with all copies of the book. Except! Three that remain, scattered around the globe. Only one of the three, Corso is told, is real. The other two are forgeries. And his client is willing to pay anything to make sure he gets the real deal.
Corso’s missions take him to cities in Spain and Paris, and along the way, connections between the books arise that are too coincidental to be ignored, and as the bodies start piling up, Corso realizes he’s not just authenticating rare books, he’s caught up in a real-life murder mystery.
The only help he gets are the clues found in the The Three Musketeers, and an accomplice in the form of a mysterious young student, who styles herself "Irene Adler."
Corso is a great character: a brokenhearted, weary, bitter man, written with a 1940s noir detective in mind. He’s intelligent, and manipulatively charming when he wants to be, but he’s also funny, and a heart DOES beat underneath that hardened exterior, one filled with both curiosity and longing.
The Club Dumas is a bibliophile’s paradise. Part literary mystery, part gothic puzzle, part old-fashioned detective story. Fans of Dumas' The Three Musketeers will have a field day with the weaving in of Dumas history and the Musketeerish connections. There are hundreds of callouts and quotes from other classics as well, but none of it seems excessive. There is a chapter on bookbinding that goes into quite a bit of detail (too much, for me) but that’s really the only time things slow down.
Perez-Reverte keeps the tension humming and the atmosphere thick: as we venture along this journey with Corso, it’s all leather bindings and shadowy bookshelves, all secret pages and deciphering of literary quotes. It’s the dark underbelly of the competitive and niche world of book collecting; people who take that world so seriously that they’re willing to die for it.
The Club Dumas’ genius is also its downfall: the game that Corso is caught up in is so intriguing that when we finally get to the ending, expecting a dazzling conclusion, it can’t be anything but a letdown. We’re offered both a very reasonable, slightly boring explanation, and also a frustratingly vague one.
It feels like a bit of a cheat, but the journey to get there feels so intriguing and atmospheric and surprising that it’s worth it. It’s a fun ride, and the perfect mystery/adventure for bookish people.
Note: you’ll get a lot more out of this if you love The Three Musketeers. It’s not necessary to have read it, but if you’re a fan, it will raise the book to another level.
Note 2: Speaking of The Three Musketeers, many plot points (and main characters’ fates!) are revealed in The Club Dumas, if you care about spoilers for classic books!
"However incredulous or doubting you might be, if you want to play, you have no choice but to follow the rules. Only the person who respects the rules, or at least knows and applies them, can win. Reading a book is the same: you have to accept the plot and the characters to enjoy the story.”
Indeed. If there was ever a book about a character caught up in an intricate game with rules beyond their understanding, it’s The Club Dumas. This is my second time reading it (the first time that I’ve read it as a full-blown adult) and I still don’t know if I’ve ever read a book that has such a deep level of intrigue.
Lucas Corso, intelligent and ruthless antique book dealer, is given a copy of a chapter entitled “The Anjou Wine.” It’s believed to be the original manuscript from Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. Corso, despite his solitary, slightly untrustworthy existence, is one of the best in the business, and sets about trying to authenticate it.
At the same time, he’s asked by separate client to investigate a mysterious book: The Nine Doors of the Kingdom of Shadows. Its author was burned at the stake in Venice, along with all copies of the book. Except! Three that remain, scattered around the globe. Only one of the three, Corso is told, is real. The other two are forgeries. And his client is willing to pay anything to make sure he gets the real deal.
Corso’s missions take him to cities in Spain and Paris, and along the way, connections between the books arise that are too coincidental to be ignored, and as the bodies start piling up, Corso realizes he’s not just authenticating rare books, he’s caught up in a real-life murder mystery.
The only help he gets are the clues found in the The Three Musketeers, and an accomplice in the form of a mysterious young student, who styles herself "Irene Adler."
Corso is a great character: a brokenhearted, weary, bitter man, written with a 1940s noir detective in mind. He’s intelligent, and manipulatively charming when he wants to be, but he’s also funny, and a heart DOES beat underneath that hardened exterior, one filled with both curiosity and longing.
The Club Dumas is a bibliophile’s paradise. Part literary mystery, part gothic puzzle, part old-fashioned detective story. Fans of Dumas' The Three Musketeers will have a field day with the weaving in of Dumas history and the Musketeerish connections. There are hundreds of callouts and quotes from other classics as well, but none of it seems excessive. There is a chapter on bookbinding that goes into quite a bit of detail (too much, for me) but that’s really the only time things slow down.
Perez-Reverte keeps the tension humming and the atmosphere thick: as we venture along this journey with Corso, it’s all leather bindings and shadowy bookshelves, all secret pages and deciphering of literary quotes. It’s the dark underbelly of the competitive and niche world of book collecting; people who take that world so seriously that they’re willing to die for it.
The Club Dumas’ genius is also its downfall: the game that Corso is caught up in is so intriguing that when we finally get to the ending, expecting a dazzling conclusion, it can’t be anything but a letdown. We’re offered both a very reasonable, slightly boring explanation, and also a frustratingly vague one.
It feels like a bit of a cheat, but the journey to get there feels so intriguing and atmospheric and surprising that it’s worth it. It’s a fun ride, and the perfect mystery/adventure for bookish people.
Note: you’ll get a lot more out of this if you love The Three Musketeers. It’s not necessary to have read it, but if you’re a fan, it will raise the book to another level.
Note 2: Speaking of The Three Musketeers, many plot points (and main characters’ fates!) are revealed in The Club Dumas, if you care about spoilers for classic books!
What I liked about this book was the way it was written and the insight it offered into Alexandre Dumas, rare book collecting, forgeries and stolen books. But overall it was a disappointing read. I found the last two chapters to be a let down after all the build up throughout the whole book. The resolution to the mystery surrounding the Anjou Wine manuscript was out there and a bit nonsensical to me. The resolution to the rest of the story was rather flat and unfulfilling in my opinion.
A fascinating, intellectual, literary thriller that kept me turning the pages, and wanting to seek out more English translations of Perez-Reverte's work. The film adaptation entitled "The Ninth Gate," with Johnny Depp is hauntingly captivating, but gives only a taste of what the source novel has in store. An entire second plotline, as twisted and engrossing as the first, lies within The Club Dumas. A must read for anyone who loves this writing style and genre.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Good writing/translation but this loses big points for being pretty sexist.
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is about a book detective who is tasked to figure out if a copy of a book is real or not. As his investigation continues, his life is in danger, a possible encounter with the Devil seems imminent, and his sanity is tested. I was definitely intrigued but would have benefited from a much faster pacing. I felt like every time that the pace was starting to pick up we'd stop, once again, to learn more and more about Dumas or one of his many books. That, or we'd have an unnecessarily long description about someone's body (especially women's bodies). Like, yes, I get that they are either super attractive or really not attractive at all but ummm isn't there a mystery to solve here?
All that said, the way that Perez-Reverte constructed the story was definitely clever and I did enjoy trying to figure things out myself (with my limited Dumas knowledge ha!). Overall, if you are super into Dumas or older classic literature then you'll likely get more out of this one. (Also if you like puzzles).
All that said, the way that Perez-Reverte constructed the story was definitely clever and I did enjoy trying to figure things out myself (with my limited Dumas knowledge ha!). Overall, if you are super into Dumas or older classic literature then you'll likely get more out of this one. (Also if you like puzzles).
Excellent witty book-detective character and story full of mystery and a little of mysticism. It had me at book and Dumas.
We get to travel with the character to find out if the three copies of the Nine Doors are forgeries or not. At the same time the characters and incidents are compared to the Three Musketeers, for some of them act like the fictional characters. I loved the detailed information on books and the characters's love for these unique treasures. My favorite part was the visit to Portugal, Sintra.
We get to travel with the character to find out if the three copies of the Nine Doors are forgeries or not. At the same time the characters and incidents are compared to the Three Musketeers, for some of them act like the fictional characters. I loved the detailed information on books and the characters's love for these unique treasures. My favorite part was the visit to Portugal, Sintra.
It really is amazing. For me, it doesn't get 5 stars because the ending is a total mind f*cking moment, and because some questions are not answered.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes