Booth Tarkington Books

"Monsieur Beaucaire" is Booth Tarkington's second novel which was originally published in 1900. It is would probably be considered a novelette today due to its short length. The story is that of Monsieur Victor Beaucaire, the barber of the French Ambassador, the Marquis de Mirepoix, who uses the English Duke of Winterset's cheating against him to force the Duke to introduce him to Bath's society, and in particular Lady Mary Carlisle, as Le Duc de Chateaurien.

Monsieur Beaucaire initially gains the notice of Lady Mary Carlisle, but this gets the attention of other potential suitors, and Monsieur Beaucaire has to defend the honor of his queen, and his "friend", the Duke of Winterset. Monsieur Beaucaire is successful in these initial attempts to defend his honor, but at the same time the reader learns that there is probably more to his story than they have initially been told. At the same time, the Duke has not forgotten the embarrassment of being caught cheating at cards, and the way he was used to get him to introduce a commoner into society. still holds a grudge. Winterset's plot to expose Beaucaire works as he expects, but once again the reader is sure that there is something to Beaucaire's story which is not being told. All is revealed in the end, when Beaucaire faces his doubters in front of the Lady Carlisle.

This is a very short piece, which can easily be read in one or two sittings, and it is a fun read. It is lighter in tone than Tarkington's first effort, "The Gentleman from Indiana", which is not surprising given the much shorter length. There is no character development to speak of, and unlike the first novel this is not one from which Tarkington is writing from his own personal experience, nor is it a story from the heartland of America which was his more usual setting. Yet, despite the light and almost superficial story telling, this book has been the basis for two movies. The first starred Rudolph Valentino and is a silent movie from 1924. The second is a Bob Hope movie from 1946. It also served as the basis for an operetta.