Alexandre Dumas Books

I am a high school student and I am currently working on a research paper on Alexandre Dumas for Honors English II. This book contains some pertinent facts and information on Dumas, his works, and the era of Romaniticism.

This doesn't reacch the level of Dumas greatness to the extent that the Count of Monte Cristo and the Musketeers series does. But then again, it doesn't try to. This novel is a more humble, low-key (if such a thing can be said of Dumas!) piece. It's based in part on the life of the historical figure Benvenuto Cellini. Cellini was a goldsmith, sculptor and man-on-intrigue. The book is centered around several years where he lived in France and worked on commisions for the King.

The story is made by the intrigues between Cellini, Ascanio (his protege), the King and the ruthless Mademoiselle d'Etampes. As always with Dumas you get action, romance and history. A great read.

A very interesting comparitive study is to read this along with Cellini's autobiography, which is available widely and is the most famous Rennaisance autobiography - to see the more historic Cellini at work and to get an insight into how Dumas used history to create his works.

This is one of the lesser known of Dumas' works, and it is actually the first part of his Celebrated Crimes series.

Most of Dumas' writtings are characterized by historically accurate plots together with deep, maybe a bit stereotypical characters. This book is quite different. The characters lay lifeless in the background of the historical document. It is well written and very entertaining but definitely different from his other very well known novels, such as the Musketeer series, Montecristo, the Black Tulip, and so on.

Quite honestly, in my opinion, his novels are much better than his non-fiction works such as this one.

Regarding form, I was overwhelmed by how careless the editors of this edition are. Theres quite a few typos PER PAGE! Once you're able to overlook this detail, this is a fine read.

This book is amazing, and would rank among the top three Dumas books for me, if only it wasn't the conclusion of a series. The story is compelling with well developed characters, intricate plot twists, and historical content. The only thing that kept this from being a perfect ending to the Marie Antoinette romances is the startling lack of resolution of the lives of the main characters in the previous books. Other books in the series: Joseph Balsamo, Memoirs of a Physician, The Queens Necklace, Taking of the Bastille, and The Countess de Charny.

The tale of Roland de Montrevel and his family is intertwined wonderfully with the rise of Napolean and the internal strife of France immediately after the Terror. Dumas has woven a nice web of deceit, love, and honor amidst the bygone era of gentlemen. By focusing on the first rumblings of Napoleanic rule, we get a strong taste of the leftover pain of a murdered monarchy, an anarchic period of divided loyalties and a national desire for stability. Dumas writes his narrative well, the multiple plots parallel nicely and there are great moments of excitement. If you like historical fiction set in this time and place, this is a good read.

This is the only Unabridged edition of The Count of Monte Cristo I have been able to find for Kindle. It looks like a public domain copy that has been adapted, but it is formatted well. It doesn't say who the translator is. It has the whole 117 chapters. It is worth the 99 cents, if you want the unabridged version. I think if you read the abridged you are missing out on some great parts of a great story. I gave this 4 stars because it looks like the public domain and has no extas that a lot of the big publishers have, but still, a great buy and a great version.

the countes of monte cristo is a suburb read for any alexander dumas fan. although not as good as its counterpart The count of monte cristo it has its moments. another great read is Edmond Dantes.

JACQUOT SANS OREILLES was written in 1860 by Dumas, right after a trip he made to Russia. It is a horror novella, set in mid 18th century Russia. At this time, the nobility practically owned the country, and they represented all economic and political power. Throughout the book, the reader is exposed to russian culture, customs, and their very particular way of life.

As in most of what Dumas has written, the narration is absolutely beautiful, and the story simply flows and captures the reader.

The story starts with Dumas paying a visit to a town by the name of Makarief, where he is interested in visiting the Grubensky castle. Once there, he finds a portrait of a young lady, who's face has been covered with black paint. He decides to investigate and soon enough lays his hands of a manuscript written by Ivan Andreovitch, a peasant who worked for the Grubensky family.

Andreovitch narrates the series of incidents which lead to the curious painting, and crop-eared Jacquot is the main character, first hand witness to all that happened.

Even though this is a pretty short story by Dumas' standards, the reader gets a very clear picture of what life was like in 18th century Russia.

The plot is very well laid out and developed, and will keep the reader's full attention throughout the whole book.

There is not much character development, but then again, the book is less than 200 pages long.

Overall, JACQUOT SANS OREILLES is a magnificent piece of gothic literature

If you have been mesmerised by Dumas' other work of fiction such as the Count of Monte Cristo you will not be disappointed with this extraordinary piece of story telling. Focussing on the historical events of the marriage of Margaret de Valois to the Protestant King of Navarre, Dumas brings to life the extraordinary events which saw the bloody massacre of the Hugenots and the treacherous murder and betrayal which ran through the veins of evil Catherine de Medici, mother of Margaret and enemy to the hapless King of Navarre. Beautiful plot, outstanding characters - the master story teller weaves his magic again. Highly recommended for those who love intrigue, historical novels and a book you wont be able to put down.

"Less History, More Story" is the tone of this work by Alexandre Dumas. This story pursues the lives of the young Roger Tancrede and his beloved Cnostance through the intrigues of meddling family, the gut-wrenching choices of necessity, and the discovery of the difference between true love and its many counterfeits. Dumas seemed to be sharpening his pencil for "The Count of Monte Cristo" as he penned Sylvandire, as the Dumas fan will spot many story-elements that this Romance shares in common with the well-known "...Monte-Cristo".