Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have never been more agitated by a book in my life. I picked it up and tried to read it 3 different time and just found myself reading the same pages over and over again and still finding myself lost. Maybe i have one that is badly translated... because this is not the Dumas i have read before. This book lacks the passion of his other work....where you immediately fall in love with the characters. Maybe one day i'll try it again.
A very good book that encompasses the insanity of tulipmania and how it engulfed people's minds, senses, and life. Dumas is an incredible story teller. I could not put the book down especially as the plot built. As a lover of tulips and floral designer, this book was more than I hoped for.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Did Not Finish.
There's nothing actually wrong with this but it's pretty predictable and it telegraphs most of its plot points (or it's at least pretty obvious what's going to happen) before they actually occur. I got 100 pages from the end and just got tired of it.
There's nothing actually wrong with this but it's pretty predictable and it telegraphs most of its plot points (or it's at least pretty obvious what's going to happen) before they actually occur. I got 100 pages from the end and just got tired of it.
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Audio Book - really enjoyed the story. Nice mix of character and plot.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Innocent tulip fancier Cornelius van Baerle becomes unwittingly embroiled in a political plot and sentenced to life in prison for a crime he did not commit. While locked away, he falls in love with the jailer’s daughter, Rosa, and the two embark on a quest to cultivate the elusive black tulip.
Dumas is one of my favorite novelists, and a novel about tulips and political conspiracy sounded right up my alley, so I was extremely excited to read this one. Overall, it wasn’t my favorite Dumas, but it was a lot of fun, and surprisingly lighthearted for a novel that literally opens with a brutal dismemberment.
I will say that the plot definitely dragged in the middle, when we’re *almost* literally watching grass grow as we wait for the elusive tulip to flower, but the ending amped up the pace quite a bit and I enjoyed watching the concluding drama play out. If you like fun, fast, quirky classics that are a little bit lesser known, this is definitely the book for you.
Recommended if you like: less popular classics; Dumas novels; tulips and/or Dutch political drama.
CW: Blood/violence/gore; confinement/imprisonment.
Innocent tulip fancier Cornelius van Baerle becomes unwittingly embroiled in a political plot and sentenced to life in prison for a crime he did not commit. While locked away, he falls in love with the jailer’s daughter, Rosa, and the two embark on a quest to cultivate the elusive black tulip.
Dumas is one of my favorite novelists, and a novel about tulips and political conspiracy sounded right up my alley, so I was extremely excited to read this one. Overall, it wasn’t my favorite Dumas, but it was a lot of fun, and surprisingly lighthearted for a novel that literally opens with a brutal dismemberment.
I will say that the plot definitely dragged in the middle, when we’re *almost* literally watching grass grow as we wait for the elusive tulip to flower, but the ending amped up the pace quite a bit and I enjoyed watching the concluding drama play out. If you like fun, fast, quirky classics that are a little bit lesser known, this is definitely the book for you.
Recommended if you like: less popular classics; Dumas novels; tulips and/or Dutch political drama.
CW: Blood/violence/gore; confinement/imprisonment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Torture
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It has been a long while since I've read from Alexandre Dumas and I'm long overdue a reread of The Count of Monte Cristo.
This book had a strong religious vein to it that I didn't really care for, it unfortunately, affected my enjoyment of the story. Aside from that it was an interesting story with violence, injustice, theft, a very quick romance and some good fortune (or the workings of God).
This book had a strong religious vein to it that I didn't really care for, it unfortunately, affected my enjoyment of the story. Aside from that it was an interesting story with violence, injustice, theft, a very quick romance and some good fortune (or the workings of God).
I enjoyed the preface, but the book lags. I wish the translator had stuck with the spirit of the text rather than a strict translation.