Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
"The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Crisco," by Tom Reiss, is a wonderful historical lesson. I love reading history but admit many interesting topics become dull reads. Not so with this book. Reiss keeps the story going and makes this a very readable biography of General Alexandre Dumas.
Dumas was the father of the novelist Alexandre Dumas, who wrote “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “The Three Musketeers.” In fact, many of the Count’s adventures and predicaments in “The Count of Monte Cristo” were developed from the real count’s life.
This book begins in France and then travels to Saint Domingue where the future General is a slave. It shows how he is brought back to France by his father and is “freed” once he sets foot on French soil. It continues through his schooling and his military career. This is nothing short of splendid story telling of a true story. General Dumas overcomes obstacles yet is also given some interesting advantages due to his mixed blood. But life isn’t always rosy and he spends some tough years imprisoned before again returning to his home and family in France.
This well-researched history lesson is absolutely fascinating. If you like history, this is a must read. If you’re not so sure, give it a try anyway. You’ll find it surprisingly easy to read.
Dumas was the father of the novelist Alexandre Dumas, who wrote “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “The Three Musketeers.” In fact, many of the Count’s adventures and predicaments in “The Count of Monte Cristo” were developed from the real count’s life.
This book begins in France and then travels to Saint Domingue where the future General is a slave. It shows how he is brought back to France by his father and is “freed” once he sets foot on French soil. It continues through his schooling and his military career. This is nothing short of splendid story telling of a true story. General Dumas overcomes obstacles yet is also given some interesting advantages due to his mixed blood. But life isn’t always rosy and he spends some tough years imprisoned before again returning to his home and family in France.
This well-researched history lesson is absolutely fascinating. If you like history, this is a must read. If you’re not so sure, give it a try anyway. You’ll find it surprisingly easy to read.
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
I never thought a history book (audio and print) could be so enthralling. Who knew? Very well done and informative.
While it had some of the leaps and assumptions that historical books made palatable to non-historians have (describing, for example, how Alex Dumas must have felt during his youth), I thought it was a compelling and sometimes heartbreaking read about a too-forgotten force from history, Alex Dumas. Some of the credit, however, goes to Alexandre Dumas the author, who I consider to be a breathtakingly evocative writer, which came through in well-chosen excerpts. Tom Reiss not only did a wonderful job with his research and painted a beautiful picture, but was bravely content to include lines from Alex Dumas's son's memoirs that blow all of us out of the water.
Fantastic account of the historical documents that deal with Alexandre Dumas' father. I learned so much about slavery in the Caribbean and French revolutionary reactions to racial segregation during the 1800s that I'd never heard before. What an amazing man whose luck, prowess, and grit gave him the life experiences of a true heroic legend. Fun and educational and powerful. If you loved Dumas' novel, this is such a cool companions volume.
Definitely an interesting read that I enjoyed very much. There was a lot of information in here about the French Revolution which I enjoyed reading about from a different perspective.
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
I inadvertently selected this edition instead of the recorded edition
Perhaps his more die-hard fans would already know this, but casual readers of the novels [b:The Three Musketeers|7190|The Three Musketeers|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320436982s/7190.jpg|1263212] and [b:The Count of Monte Cristo|7126|The Count of Monte Cristo|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309203605s/7126.jpg|391568], such as myself, might be surprised to find that [a:Alexandre Dumas|4785|Alexandre Dumas|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1279049943p2/4785.jpg]’s most timeless heroes D’Artagnon and Edmond Dantès were not wholly fictional—in fact, much of their adventures were based on the exploits of the novelist’s father, General Alex Dumas.
Born in what is present-day Haiti to an exiled French aristocrat father and a black slave mother, Alex Dumas certainly never seemed destined for greatness. On his father’s whim, young Alex was taken to France (his three siblings and mother were sold off), whereupon arrival he was considered a slave no more. In a time when it was criminal to teach a black person to read in the English-speaking world, Alex Dumas was the acknowledged black son of a marquis—therefore a count in his own right—and was able to live a privileged life of leisure. Dumas joined the military as a lowly foot soldier, but innate talent allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks, eventually peaking as a general. The regime for which he fought, the first French Republic, ensured Dumas’s forward strides by guaranteeing his equal rights as a Citizen. But Dumas was able to fall just as drastically as he could rise, and betrayal from his former comrades made his descent permanent.
The Black Count is an incredible tale, written with satisfactory, swashbuckling prose worthy of the subject’s son. The only thing I found disappointing about this book was the lack of pictures—one of my favorite aspects of biographies is the slew of pictures that are normally found altogether in the center of the book, of which this book had none. Aside from that minor detail, I would recommend The Black Count to anyone interested in military history, black history, the French Revolution, and, of course, to any fans of Alexandre Dumas.
Born in what is present-day Haiti to an exiled French aristocrat father and a black slave mother, Alex Dumas certainly never seemed destined for greatness. On his father’s whim, young Alex was taken to France (his three siblings and mother were sold off), whereupon arrival he was considered a slave no more. In a time when it was criminal to teach a black person to read in the English-speaking world, Alex Dumas was the acknowledged black son of a marquis—therefore a count in his own right—and was able to live a privileged life of leisure. Dumas joined the military as a lowly foot soldier, but innate talent allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks, eventually peaking as a general. The regime for which he fought, the first French Republic, ensured Dumas’s forward strides by guaranteeing his equal rights as a Citizen. But Dumas was able to fall just as drastically as he could rise, and betrayal from his former comrades made his descent permanent.
The Black Count is an incredible tale, written with satisfactory, swashbuckling prose worthy of the subject’s son. The only thing I found disappointing about this book was the lack of pictures—one of my favorite aspects of biographies is the slew of pictures that are normally found altogether in the center of the book, of which this book had none. Aside from that minor detail, I would recommend The Black Count to anyone interested in military history, black history, the French Revolution, and, of course, to any fans of Alexandre Dumas.