6/9/2023 0 Comments The black tulip dumas![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Overall, this is a fun tale, full of action, suspense, and enough interesting historical details to keep at bay the gremlins of self-reproach for time wasted through frivolous reading. I suppose this is, to some extent, a byproduct of writing of the topic of sexual attraction during the early 19th century. My only real complaint is the overblown romance scenes with the constrained desires, pent up yearning, and prudery of Walt Disney's Cinderella. While this novel does not provide great philosophic depth, that would be equivalent to criticizing shrimp for not tasting like steak. His asides to his "gentle readers" lend personal warmth, amusement, and intimacy to his tale. On the other hand, his appreciation for human motivations and personlities is superb, his sense of pacing in building suspense keeps the pages turning, and his third person narration style is highly entertaining. It is, however, unlikely to be reflective of the reality of speech of the uneducated peasant characters. I find that his dialogue is elevated, yet still usually a pleasure to read. Other reviewers have praised Dumas' gift for dialogue. Alexandre Dumas is on a par with Walter Scott for creating novels filled with intrigue, mystery, action and passion. The Black Tulip is an engaging romp through Holland in 1673 when religious differences cost people their lives in brutal fashion and tulip bulbs were so highly valued as to provide fodder for a tale of spying, mystery and imprisonment. ![]()
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