Alexandre Dumas Books

The story itself by Dumas is passionate and inspiring.
the best book I''ve ever read, has been Montecristo. you feel like you are Edmond himself.......by how this tale takes you to surrender your good soul into what I call the great vengeance.

at the end you can judge what god has to say as a lesson of our own lives.

King of Paris a Novel tells the life story of Alexandre Dumas. (In real life Dumas wrote The Three Musketeers and many many others.) We meet Dumas in childhood declaring a duel with God one stormy night in the highest room in the house. The young Dumas comes to Paris and on the theory that if one writes a page a day then in a year one will have a novel and if one writes six pages a day then in a year one will have six novels, Dumas becomes literary history.

Guy Endore's story is written like fiction and reads fast and well. I don't know how much of it is history and how much is put in to add color. There is a lot of historical detail (not boring trust me). Probably Guy Endore just picked a colorful character to write about and went from there. This book was very entertaining and written with much humor and color.

This is the second of the three novels in the series beginnning with LA REINE MARGOT, usually translated into English under the title CHICOT THE JESTER. It is the best of the three novels; the third is LES QUARANTE-CINQ, THE FORTY-FIVE. All three novels are good, and the trilogy as a whole is one of Dumas's four best, the others being THE COUNT OF MONTE-CRISTO, a stand-alone; THE THREE MUSKETEEERS series; and THE MEMOIRS OF A PHYSICIAN series.

In some ways this is my favorite Dumas and thus I think that it ranks with the Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers. The action takes place during Henry III's reign and follows two intertwined plot lines: 1)the adventures of Chicot, the king's "jester," and 2) the love intriques of Bussy d'Amboise and the tragic Dame de Monsoreau. The political rivalries of the various aristocratic court factions is entertaining and interesting and, it is my impression, fairly accurate history. Though Chicot is an invention and the historical Bussy (a footnote character of the period) highly highly romanticised. Who cares if a small liberty or two are taken? Chicot is marvelously drawn, a wonderful character who both loves and despises his weak and highly flawed benefactor, Henry III. Chicot is clever, cunning, brave and morally decent but interested too in his own interests. He is also a proud but poor Gascon gentleman. He manipulates the king for his own amusment but also for good purpose. Were the book only about him it would be a great read. But even better, Dumas gives us Bussy d'Amboise, Louis de Clermont, Comte de Bussy, the brave, proud, handsome, man of honor who personafies the French aristrocratic (especially the post-Revolution, 19th Cent. Romantic notion of,) ethos. The romance between Bussy and La Dame (Diana) is romantic indeed: he is injured in a cowardly ambush (in which he defends himself magnificantly, of course) Diana nurses him but secretly and her identity remains a mystery for sometime. Poor Diana has a tragic situation and eventually, Bussy manages to find her etc... The ending is absolutely unforegettable and provides the basis for the sequal: The Forty-Five Guardsmen: an uneven story with some good moments, but sadly, inferior to this. Note: "La Dame" is the sequal to Marguerite de Valois (see film: La Reign Margot aka Queen Margot) I first read this when I was about 19 and it is still great, great fun 21 years later. If you like any Dumas, you'll like this alot.

Oh wow, what a great end to an incredible ride, the story of the Musketeers. I haven't been so engrossed in a series of books since I picked up Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. Athos, Raoul, Porthos, Aramis and of course D'Artagnan are going to be in my thoughts and dreams for some time, I hate to let them go.

If you are expecting the story as told by Hollywood, forget it. While I haven't seen the latest version with Leonardo DiCaprio (forgive me if I spell it wrong), I looked at the reader reviews and was quite surprised at how different the book is from Hollywood's version. I also recall a movie done in the late 70's/80's that is nothing like the book as well. I would pick it apart point by point, but that would include spoilers. The Man in the Iron Mask is actually the last third of a huge novel by Dumas originally titled The Vicomte de Bragelonne. Because of the size of the book, English publishers have divided into three books, The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask.

Suffice it to say that TMITIM is the final chapter of our heroic Musketeers, as well as Raoul, the son of Athos. While we all know the story of Louis XIV's twin and the plot to substitute him, that is a minor part of the whole story, as the action then becomes centered on the aftermath of that plot and Louis' revenge. It has been a grand, glorious ride reading this series, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Valliere and The Man In the Iron Mask. And do have your box of tissue handy for the last 20-30 pages. You'll need it. Five stars.

I wanted the FULL story, not the ballet, of the Nutcracker. This one not only has it, but an alternate version as a bonus.

The reviewer from Highland, Indiana has given us a list of books which I am afraid is not entirely accurate. I am currently reading Le Vicomte De Bragelonne in the original French, a book which has three installments. I also have a copy of Louise de la Valliere. The first installment of Le Vicomte De Bragelonne appears from the description to be the same as Ten Years Later. But at the end of the day you can never read too much Dumas!

What can I say? My first connection with anything to do with Dumas, D' Artagnan, or the Musketeers came from this "abridged" audio book. Michael York is a very compelling narrator, so much so that I read The Three Musketeers for the first time immediately after finishing this audio book. Though I wish he had narrated an "unabridged" version I could not neglect to praise this work. The Three Musketeers is my favorite novel, having read it for the first time nearly a decade ago. This book still captivates my soul. And contrary to common Hollywood interpretation, the story is neither about Casanovas or sword-fighting. All of these features are here, but the entire collection of the D' Artagnan Romances is the chronicle of the ever-enduring friendship of four men. I strongly suggest you read all five (yes, five) of the D' Artagnan Romances. It will teach you more about the sacrifices that true friends will make than any other work of fiction I am familiar with. And this audio book is a great place to start.

I loved Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, so I was pretty sure I would like The Three Musketeers. I was right. Dumas is a brilliant writer and seems to excel at every aspect of writing--characterization, plot, descriptions (which I normally can't stand), everything. The book is full of action and humor and I definitely enjoyed it.
Simon Vance does a wonderful job narrating it, giving each character the perfect voice. I'll be on the look out for more of his narrations, as well as Dumas' writing.

(Haven't yet read this book yet) I am very pleased with the quality of the Reader's Digest World's Best Reading series. All the books are very nicely printed and bound and I plan to purchase many more of the series.