The Black Tuilip [UNABRIDGED-MP3 CD]

Rating:
Summary: TRUE STORY
Review: SOME PEOPLE MIGHT FIND THIS BOOK "BLAND" BUT SUCH IS TRUE LIFE! THE PEOPLE WRITTEN ABOUT IN THIS BOOK ARE MY GGG-GRANDPARENTS, THE DE WIT'S. EACH GENERATION PASSED DOWN THIS INFORMATION TO THE NEXT SO AS TO KEEP THE BOOK ALIVE. IT'S AN ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF LIFE IN 17TH CENTURY HOLLAND AND THE DESCRIPTIONS GIVEN ARE SO ACUTELY DESCRIBED YOU CAN IMAGINE LIVING DURING THAT TIME. IT'S FULL OF TURMOIL SORROUNDING THE POLITICAL NATURE OF THE DAY WITH REAL HEROISM. IT'S A GREAT PLEASURE TO SAY I'M A DE WIT DESCENDANT.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Flower power
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A great book, a little bit different from Dumas style
Review: This is a great book. I love Dumas' writting and this is an example of the variety of situations that he can handle in his stories. I read it in spanish (I'm mexican) and i loved the elegance in the style and the customs. Don't you think William of Orange is similar in some way to Cardinal Richelieu from "Three musketeers"?

Rating:
Summary: Adventure, romance, and ..... tulips?
Review: This is a wonderful story about the 'tulipmania' of the 1600's and also a staggering look at the violence and chaos of the time. It's central character is young Doctor Cornelius Van Baerle, who is as happy as can be in his own little world of growing tulips and inventing new colors for the flower. He thinks himself void of all enemies, but of course, we know better. There is then an announcement that says that anyone who invents the Black Tulip first, wins a huge monetary award and the recognition the new flower will bring to the winner. This sends all tulips-fanciers everywhere into frantic competiton to see who can grow the Grand Black Tulip. Then, as Cornelius finally perfects his Black Tulip, he is suddenly arrested and sentenced to be executed as an accomplice to the 'traitors' John and Cornelius De Witte. I thought this story was very exciting and though you might think a story that focuses on a flower is strange, if anything, it adds to the charm. There are very interesing characters who are clever and endearing, and whom you care about. I recommend this book to all Dumas fans, adventure lovers, romanticists, and even florists, if you like

Rating:
Summary: Another great book!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Another great book!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: My thoughts on the book, The Black Tulip.
Review: Yes, William of Orange is very much like the Cardinal in The Three Musketeers. I read a novel on Alexandre Dumas called The King of Paris. This novel claims he was often accused of publishing other people's works. He did this just to get them published under the Dumas name. However, this book called The Black Tulip was written by no one other than Dumas. The Dumas' were decendants of French Huguenots as were the DeWitt(e)s. Many persecuted Calvinist families fled France to the low countries (Holland). Dumas' interest in my ancestry compelled him to write a historical novel using true events. It is said that this was not a case where Catholics persecuted the Protestants, but two Calvinist parties in a conflict. The House of Orange fought to remain under monarchy rule while the DeWitts fought to advocate a free republic. It is also said that the man accused of causing this rioting mob, was later paid a royal pension. We DeWitts dropped the e, it was silent anyways. Our reunions claim a common ancestor named Tjerck C. DeWitt was a first cousin to Johan and Cornelious. Tjerck's father was Nicholas and he had a brother Jacob. Jacob was the father of the two brother DeWitts hacked to pieces in August of 1672. Now, the French Philosopher Voltaire used the two brother DeWitts in his writings. Once in explaining a doctorine of Hell. Perhaps Dumas, the ornry cus, was simply trying to outdo Voltaire. Mr. Dumas was a great philosopher, protestant and man to me.