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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Boxtel would be perfect for an HOA board.
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
It took a while to get my bearings as we shift from grisly political murder to insta-love and flowers, but once I made that adjustment it was a fun, fairly lighthearted read. You just have to accept that Cornelius and Rosa can fall in love so fast, and that a man really can love tulips that much.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Light and fluid
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I hoped for a glimpse into Dumas’ body of work within a reasonable page count (246 pages) and I would say that I got a good one.
This story, published in 1850, is set in 1672, The Hague, Netherlands. Dumas wasn’t too concerned with his accuracy regarding historical facts, but that didn’t bother me. He used a real setting to add his own story: In the midst/aftermath of the tulipmania. A period in time, where a tulip bulb of rarity was traded for prizes that could afford a townhouse in Amsterdam.
There is Cornelius, a well situated man, disenchanted with war, who decided to start in the art cultivating rare tulips. At one point, there is a prize announced to the person capable of growing a black, spotless tulip. He gets to work and it looks promising, but alas, he didn’t regard his jealous neighbour.
This neighbour has a lot of mischief up his sleeve which almost gets Cornleius executed. But the story continues, turns into a love story with the Frisian woman Rosa and a plan to realize the Black Tulip.
Overall, this story was a bit predictable to me. I liked the narration style, Dumas addresses the reader here and there, following the neighbour, following Cornelius and Rosa as he moves the plot along.
This story, published in 1850, is set in 1672, The Hague, Netherlands. Dumas wasn’t too concerned with his accuracy regarding historical facts, but that didn’t bother me. He used a real setting to add his own story: In the midst/aftermath of the tulipmania. A period in time, where a tulip bulb of rarity was traded for prizes that could afford a townhouse in Amsterdam.
There is Cornelius, a well situated man, disenchanted with war, who decided to start in the art cultivating rare tulips. At one point, there is a prize announced to the person capable of growing a black, spotless tulip. He gets to work and it looks promising, but alas, he didn’t regard his jealous neighbour.
This neighbour has a lot of mischief up his sleeve which almost gets Cornleius executed. But the story continues, turns into a love story with the Frisian woman Rosa and a plan to realize the Black Tulip.
Overall, this story was a bit predictable to me. I liked the narration style, Dumas addresses the reader here and there, following the neighbour, following Cornelius and Rosa as he moves the plot along.
4 stars. Audiobook.
What a wonderfully twisty story. I adored the omnipresent narrative voice employed as Dumas plays with what we should or shouldn't know at any given time in a masterful way that leaves us guessing. I was left wondering until the last what the final outcome would be. It was even more delightful that may small decisions came together to converge in the end and create the final solution.
How can something as simple and inane as a tulip create ripples throughout society in which lives hang in the balance? Quite easily, it appears, as the importance of this flower is pressed upon the reader in a very believable way. So much so that you find yourself caring for its well being along with the characters in the story. It also offers a very vivid picture of the time in which these events took place, which I found fascinating.
I also felt that there was a subtle edge of humor to Dumas' writing more often than not, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It certainly didn't hurt that the audiobook narrator I listened to was quite talented in portraying the mood of the story.
This is definitely a classic I would read again, and I plan to add it to my collection!
What a wonderfully twisty story. I adored the omnipresent narrative voice employed as Dumas plays with what we should or shouldn't know at any given time in a masterful way that leaves us guessing. I was left wondering until the last what the final outcome would be. It was even more delightful that may small decisions came together to converge in the end and create the final solution.
How can something as simple and inane as a tulip create ripples throughout society in which lives hang in the balance? Quite easily, it appears, as the importance of this flower is pressed upon the reader in a very believable way. So much so that you find yourself caring for its well being along with the characters in the story. It also offers a very vivid picture of the time in which these events took place, which I found fascinating.
I also felt that there was a subtle edge of humor to Dumas' writing more often than not, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It certainly didn't hurt that the audiobook narrator I listened to was quite talented in portraying the mood of the story.
This is definitely a classic I would read again, and I plan to add it to my collection!
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced