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Rating: 
Summary: Ah , these jewels , bright I wear!
Review: Captain Haddock invites a group of Gypsies living on nearby rubbish dump to come and stay on a meadow by the stream on his estate. Meanwhile the Captain's nemesis, the Florentine opera star, Bianca Castafiore
invites herself to say at his residences of Marlinspike.
Castafiore and her entourage cause the Captain no end of irritation , but the real adventure comes when her prize jewelry goes missing and it is up to Tintin to unravel the mystery.
With the interplay of the Captain and people like Castafiore , the pet parrot , troublemaking journalists, and the insurance broker , Jolyon Wagg , this Tintin album is hilarious from beginning to finish.
Rating: 
Summary: My Favourite Tintin Adventure (or non-adventure)!
Review: I enjoy all of Herge's Tintin stories, for the excellent artwork, good research and brisk story-lines, but the Catafiore Emerald stands out from the other Tintins in that it is not situated in foreign lands but at Marlinspike Hall, the home-estate where Tintin and Captain Haddock live. I think it is a mark of a story teller at the peak of his story telling abilities when he can tell a story so amusingly and entertainingly without even leaving the back-yard, so to speak. While it is not necessary to have read all the other Tintin adventures to appreciate this, I think knowing the characters fairly well (and their idiocyncrasies) makes the sometimes subtle pokes and jokes sparkle.
Rating:
Summary: Ahh, my Beauty!
Review: I have to admit that after going to the Moon and rescuing his friend Chang in Tibet, the stay at home Tintin adventure "The Castafiore Emerald" is relatively tame. It begins with Tintin and Captain Haddock out for a walk and discovering a band of gypsies camped near the rubbish dump. This offends the good captain, who offers the gypsies the use of a large meadow near his hall. However, no good deed goes unpunished and he receives a telegram announcing the imminent arrival of Biana Castafiore, the Milanese Nightingale. Meanwhile, the broken step on the front staircase earns Haddock a badly sprained ankle and the opportunity to roll around the adventure in a wheelchair. The diva and her entourage then descend upon the hall, literally adding insult to injury by giving the captain the gift of a parrot. As Castafiore repeatedly points out, she has brought along her jewels, including an emerald given the signora by the Maharajah of Gopal. The gypsy fortuneteller had already predicted the theft of the jewels and we expect her prophecy to come true, even though Castafiore is constantly yelling about her jewels missing. But you know that sooner or later this is going to come to pass and then it will be up to our intrepid reporter to solve the case and save the day. Meanwhile, Captain Haddock's life continues to be a string of minor misfortunes and misunderstands thanks to Castafiore, Professor Calculus, the parrot, Thompson and Thomson, and the unwillingness of the local repairman to come out and fix that step. "The Castafiore Emerald" derives its comedy from the clash of characters with Tintin staying out of the way for the most part. Of course, by this time in the series Hergé is completely comfortable with his cast of characters, which shows in the interplay, although I admit the diva is not my cup of tea. I just happen to really like the way Hergé represents other lands, so having him stay around the captain's house just seems to me to be an interlude from the main adventures. Still, "The Castafiore Emerald" is well worth the read Hergé does a delightful take on that new fangled invention, the television. Final Note: I like Hergé's quaint cover, with Castafiore singing for the cameras while a smiling Tintin reminds us to be quiet during the performance.
Rating:
Summary: Ahh, my Beauty!
Review: I loved this book. It was a true beauty. A gem, an emerald even. Though it is one of the more tame Herge books, Tintin and the Captain never leave Marlinspike, it is one of the best. It is Hilarious. I would definetly reccomend this book!!!!
Rating:
Summary: "They say I'm divine..."
Review: Later in his career Hergé set himself of writing what amounts to a kind of anti-Tintin adventure, where nothing really happens to his cast of characters (there are no opium smuggling rings to smash nor any political coups to thwart), and yet everything happens all the same. THE CASTAFIORE EMERALD may in many ways be Hergé's masterpiece, and it is unquestionably the funniest of all his tales, revolving as it does on the theme of miscommunication ("No, this is not Cutts the btucher!"). Naturally at the very heart of it is the Milanese Nightingale herself, Bianca Castafiore, the world's greatest opera star, who deigns to descend upon the only two people in the world who cannot bear to hear her sing, Tintin and Captain Hamhock (er, Haddock). In addition to La Castafiore comes her entourage (her accompaniest Wagner and her maid Irma), a gaggle of photographers, a suspicious band of gypsies, a television crew, and even a local brass band. Before the tale is done Dr. Calculus will experiment with roses and color television, Tintin will have a mystery or two to unravel, Captain Fatstock (er, Haddock) will explode with fury an untold number of times, and the divine Castafiore will be asked (as always) to sing, to Tintin and Captain Haddock's horror, her signature aria from "Faust." "Yes, it was the 'Jewel Song' from 'Faust' that swept me to the pinnacle of fame," the opera star modestly informs her television interviewer, "They same I'm divine..." And she is.
Rating:
Summary: "They say I'm divine..."
Review: Later in his career Hergé set himself of writing what amounts to a kind of anti-Tintin adventure, where nothing really happens to his cast of characters (there are no opium smuggling rings to smash nor any political coups to thwart), and yet everything happens all the same. THE CASTAFIORE EMERALD may in many ways be Hergé's masterpiece, and it is unquestionably the funniest of all his tales, revolving as it does on the theme of miscommunication ("No, this is not Cutts the btucher!"). Naturally at the very heart of it is the Milanese Nightingale herself, Bianca Castafiore, the world's greatest opera star, who deigns to descend upon the only two people in the world who cannot bear to hear her sing, Tintin and Captain Hamhock (er, Haddock). In addition to La Castafiore comes her entourage (her accompaniest Wagner and her maid Irma), a gaggle of photographers, a suspicious band of gypsies, a television crew, and even a local brass band. Before the tale is done Dr. Calculus will experiment with roses and color television, Tintin will have a mystery or two to unravel, Captain Fatstock (er, Haddock) will explode with fury an untold number of times, and the divine Castafiore will be asked (as always) to sing, to Tintin and Captain Haddock's horror, her signature aria from "Faust." "Yes, it was the 'Jewel Song' from 'Faust' that swept me to the pinnacle of fame," the opera star modestly informs her television interviewer, "They same I'm divine..." And she is.
Rating:
Summary: Left me giggling, as usual....
Review: Once again, Herge had me giggling. Captain Haddock and Tintin have to suffer through Bianca Castafiore's visit to Marlinspike. Endless scales, a stolen diamond, and gypsies complicate everything. But the best thing of all is, it's actually plausible. I'm crazy about Tintin, all Tintin, and this book is the funniest.
Rating:
Summary: Funniest but not the best
Review: The Castafiore Emerald is without a doubt the funniest Tintin. But it's not the best. The reason is, it is solely confined to Marlinspike and Castafiore is truly irritating. However, it does give Captain Haddock full license to swear like the old sea dog he is. The ending is not climatic but you see why Herge had to write it. Castafiore has been around for a long time (since King Ottokar's Sceptre) and not to write a book that centered on her would have meant many fan's letters asking for such. A gem.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars minimum
Review: There are some people who regard comic-strip books as childish. This is one that refutes such a notion. I would say that, without doubt, this book is not only the finest example of Herge's art but the finest comic-strip book EVER written/drawn. In many ways it reminds me of some of Hitchcock's films, namely 'Rope' and 'Lifeboat' in which Hitchcock purposefully set himself the challenge of creating drama within a limited space i.e. a single apartment and a lifeboat. Herge clearly set himself the same task as a way to test the boundaries of his skill, and he succeeded stupendously. All the action takes place at Marlinspike, but Herge fills the narrative with some of his greatest creations: 'Calculas, the Thompsons, Bianca Catasfiore, the hideous Wagg and many more. But moreover, the book has a wonderful sense of place and humanity about it. Tintin's midnight stroll through the woods and his surveillance of the gypsies is a superb moment. NOTHING really happens in this book. It is full of red herrings, dead ends and events and characters that are seemingly important but which are, finally, of no consequence at all: the mysterious loiterers are just reporters out for a scoop, the 'ghost' in the attic is only an owl etc.. Hitchcock called these devices 'MacGuffin's' and this book is full of them. It's a stunning masterpiece, both visually and dramatically, and of misdirection and sleight of hand. But certainly not one for kids. It's a book to be savoured and enjoyed. But, like all masterpieces, it is finally inexplicable and must be left to stand for itself. The only Tintin book that comes close to it is 'Flight 714', and that only for the supremacy of the artwork. This IS the ultimate Tintin book.
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