[.ca] The Black Tulip (ISBN 1400100089)

Flower power:
This book is not to be recomended by those who want an exciting swashbuckling tale on a par with Dumas' incomparable musketeer stories. It is to this end that many reviewers and readers of this book leave with an unfriendly opinion of this book. Although it is Dumas' last book, it is in my opinion one of his best. It tells the heartwarming tale of Cornelius van Baerle who lives purely to try and cultivate the rare and wonderous black tulip. However when Cornelius' godfather is asassinated he, without knowing it, enters a dangerous game of cat and mouse with his jealous neighbour (and tulip fancier) Issac Boxtel who has seen Cornelius being given a letter by his godfather. To this end Cornelius is jailed whereupon he falls in love with Rosa, the beautiful daughter of his jailer. Rosa aids Cornelius to cultivate his tulip inside the jail and they eventually succeed only to have it cruely stolen by Boxtel. I wont ruin the ending by telling you what happens, suffice to say I feel that for the first time in his writing career Dumas wrote a "Happy ever after" ending which irritated me to some extent. I do love this book and it earns its place alongside Dumas' great novels, my main reason for loving it so much is its final lines, it is one of the greatest pieces of philosophy I have ever heard, but it is important to read the book to fully understand its meaning, I know it so well that I can reel it off the top of my head thus, " ... he wrote above his door these lines that Grotius had carved on the wall of his prison on the day of his escape: "Sometimes one has suffered enough to have the right never to say: I am too happy" To me these words have a beautiful resonance that is not only lovely to think of but accurate as well, I feel that anyone who reads this book and fails to be moved, if by nothing else by the bathos of the denoument, then they have ultimately failed to appreciate the true beauty and skill of one of the finest novelists to ever pick up a writing implement. This book is a thing of beauty, perhaps the tulip itself is a simple microcosm of the book, to start off it appears to be nothing special, but in the hands of someone who is aware of its true worth it is as priceless as the world itself.

Dumas is indeed the master story teller!:
Who would have thought that a book, with a simple plot about two rivals trying racing to be the first to grow a black tulip, could be so unputdownable? There are no lords and ladies, no swashbuckling heros, no evil cardinals or Miladys -- nothing but a darn good yarn, and a very sweet love story. Dumas is just brilliant (as always) and his dialogue (as always) is among the finest I've ever come across. A very quick, albeit enjoyable, read. Highly recommended.

Pretty Good:
The sentences in the beginning of the book are very long. So long that you might lose track of what it is that you're reading ;). However, if you look past that and keep reading I'm sure that you'll find that it really does get better. The only bone I have to pick is with the love interest Rosa. She is a rather weak female character if you ask me. She's got the whole swooning thing going on, and while I realize that this book was written a century before a Women's Rights Movement, I'm still annoyed that women's characters were either conniving and murderous or swoony and stupid. Otherwise the story is quite good; you're totally rooting for Cornelius and his black tulip!

Black Tulip grows on you:
Having read two of Dumas' longer novels, I was anxious to read one of his shorter ones. To keep it shorter, there are fewer characters, and therefore the interaction between them is more frequent and intense. The Black Tulip is also a great glimpse into the world of flowers in Holland. Many have heard of the tulip frenzy. This book gives a glimpse of it and what it drove men to do. Also, there is the forbidden romance between two that should really have no contact at all between themselves. Dumas weaves their tale, and their emotional stress in a very believable manner. This is Dumas' most famous novel, and one of his shortest. At 200 or so pages it is a fast read full of intrigue and twists. If you like drama with historical footnotes interwoven, then you will enjoy this book. EJ

Another great book!:
This is my second Dumas novel, the first being "The Count of Monte Cristo". This is another excellent tale. Dumas weaves countless details into his plot. One wonders what significance they have at the time. Near the end of the book, you muse aloud to yourself, "Ah! That's why"! Spellbinding, another must read!