The Queen’s Necklace ~ Alexandre Dumas

Tags

alexandre dumas, france, french revolution, historical fiction

A mediocre translation or was Dumas having a bad-book day? *Review for Wildside Press Edition*

Inquiring minds want to know, although I’m going to lean towards the former. The Queen’s Necklace begins ten years after the close of Memoirs of a Physician, as France recovers from the grips of a deadly winter and Marie Antoinette takes pity on Jeanne de Valois who claims to be descended from the Valois side of the monarchy, albeit from the wrong side of the blanket. Jeanne soon takes up with Cardinal de Rohan who in an effort to ingratiate himself at court offers the stunning necklace originally intended as a gift for the infamous Madame du Barry to the Queen. Thus begins Dumas’ take on the well known “Affair of the Diamond Necklace” which scandalized France and further degraded public opinion of the monarchy.

Dumas brings characters from the first two books into this story, as the mysterious Balsamo reappears under the new name of Count Cagliostro, Andrée resides at court in service to Marie and falls in love with the Count de Charny (who loves the Queen) and Philip (called Philippe in this book) returns from America and also finds himself madly in love with the Queen. Andrée’s former servant Nicole (who bears a striking resemblance to the Queen) now goes by the name of Oliva and is drawn into Jeane’s schemes as she masquerades as the Queen setting off further scandals, and eventually Marie and de Charny are caught in a compromising position which leads to a drastic ploy by Marie to save both herself and de Charny. Will this ploy fulfill the secret desire of our heroine Andrée, or does a twist of fate forever change her happiness to great sorrow? I’ll never tell, but that was one heck of a plot twist!

Unfortunately, what should have been a ripping good read was ruined by a dreadful translation. I’ve read many works of Dumas and his storylines always move quickly with plentiful action and sparkling dialogue and displays the foibles and machinations of the French Monarchy to perfection. This book was stilted, slow paced with some of the most un-Dumas like dialogue I’ve ever come across. Worse yet, since most chapters were 3-4 pages long (this from an author who was paid by the word!!??) and from comparing the page count of this version (329) to that of another (432) I’m guessing quite a bit of the story was left out, and frankly I would have bailed on the book except for the fact that I intend to read the rest of the series and didn’t want to lose the story. The first two in the series of six I’ve read were much older publications, published in the early 1900’s by P.F. Collier and Son. If you are interested in reading the entire series I recommend you check your library and/or shop the online used sellers for one of those copies. Next up in the series, Taking the Bastile.

I do want to note that this review is for the Wildside Press edition and my comments about translation problems should not be reflected against other publishers of this book. I’m stating this as I notice that any reviews posted for one version of this book are showing up on others, and I suspect my review will show up on those editions as well.

Memoirs of a Physician by Alexandre Dumas

Tags

alexandre dumas, french revolution, historical fiction

Why no cover? Because most of the newer editions of this series are questionable translations and a bad translation = a mediocre Dumas novel. There are libraries that have the 100 year old editions and if you want to read this series I recommend going that route.

Dumas Rocks! But doesn’t he always?

Memoirs of a Physician begins where Joseph Balsamo left off as all Paris panics after a fireworks display goes awry and Andrée is almost crushed to death beneath the mob. Andrée’s brother Phillip desperately searches for her and is feared dead – until she is returned unharmed to her family by the mysterious Balsamo. Lower born Gilbert is still madly in love with Andrée and he follows her (working as a gardener) when she is taken into service by Marie Antoinette. Madame DuBarry continues her schemes, as does the mysterious Balsamo working with the Freemasons to stir unrest against the monarchy and lustful Louis XV takes one look at the beauteous Andrée and he plots with her father to make her his latest conquest.

Actually, there’s a whole lot more to the story than that but this is Dumas and it would take another novel to try to outline the story better. Suffice it to say that as in the first book in this series, the opulence and shenanigans of the French Court, the manipulations of the politicians, Balsamo’s hypnotic control over his wife Lorenza and Andrée, secret rooms and hidden staircases, a mad desire by Balsamo’s master to obtain the one horrific ingredient needed to complete his elixir of eternal life culminates in a thoroughly unputdownable tale that had me reading well into the wee hours of the morning. I especially loved Gilbert’s antics (ROFL, Hollywood would have a field day with this) as he spied on Andrée and the way Dumas used her contempt of his lower status as a way to emphasize the growing disparity between the classes. Next up in the series, The Queen’s Necklace.

Side note on the first two books in this series – as I understand it they were originally published in one volume called Memoirs of a Physician and are now published separately as Joseph Balsamo and Memoirs of a Physician.

Joseph Balsamo by Alexandre Dumas

Tags

alexandre dumas, france, french revolution, historical fiction

Why no cover? Because most of the newer editions of this series are questionable translations and a bad translation = a mediocre Dumas novel. There are libraries that have the 100 year old editions and if you want to read this series I recommend going that route.

Book one in Dumas’ tale of The French Revolution

Joseph Balsamo begins with a meeting in the dead of night high in the mountains as a group of robed and hooded freemasons from around the world meet to plot the fall of the French Monarchy (it’s actually more complicated than that, but I’m not going to try to put it into words). The leader of this group, Joseph Balsamo, then takes shelter in a storm at the impoverished household of the Baron de Taverney and his daughter Andrée and things then become very mysterious indeed. How is it the younger Balsamo can recall incidents from Taverney’s younger days as if he had been there himself? What mysterious hold does Balsamo have over the beauteous Andrée that he can command her actions with a wave of his hand? How is it that when the party of Marie Antoinette stops at Taverney Balsamo provides a sumptuous repast replete with gold plate out of thin air?

After this, the story switches to Paris and Versailles with the intrigues and shenanigans of Louis XV’s mistress Madame DuBarry as she connives to have an elderly Baroness agree to present her at court, Balsamo’s wife begging sanctuary at a nunnery (very creepy), the wedding procession of Marie Antoinette, Balsamo’s mentor’s efforts to find the secret to eternal life (the final ingredient needed being the most costly of all) and ending in one heck of a cliff hanger as a fireworks display goes awry and puts Andrée in harm’s way with only one person to save her.

Suffice it to say that Dumas’ tale of the lives and loves of the Court of Louis XV and the growing tension amongst the lower classes of Paris and beyond was quite entertaining, especially with the mysterious appearances and disappearances of Balsamo in and out of the story. I also very much enjoyed the way Dumas used the character of Gilbert and his rationales about his lack of bread and the methods he would use to obtain the bread an excellent way to support the early beginnings of socialism and resentment against the monarchy. Be advised, you won’t find the swashbuckling page turning excitement of the Musketeer series. This is the first of a five volume series and Dumas is setting up much of the background for the later books in this one, so some readers might find this slow paced at times and I only recommend this for Dumas fans (I’m one) or for those looking for well written fictional tales of the times leading up to the French Revolution. Next book in the series, Memoirs of a Physician.

New World, New Love ~ Rosalind Laker

Not great, but not bad either. New World, New Love is the story of Louise de Vailly, a refugee from the French Revolution, as she arrives in New York with her sister Delphine. Although recently widowed, her marriage had not been a happy one and Louise is ready to strike out on her own and establish her independence, but self-centered Delphine would rather let themselves be supported by wealthy friends and fellow refugees. Louise also meets two men she is attracted to – silk merchant Daniel Lombard and Doctor Charles Noiret – but due to her previous disastrous marriage she keeps them both at arms length. When she is finally able to establish a successful career at millinery and commit to a marriage the changes in French politics facilitates a surprise return from her past that forces Louise to return to France and her family’s estate and leave her newly found happiness behind her.

Other than that, this is pretty much the standard Rosalind Laker formula. Beautiful woman strikes out for a career and financial independence against all odds, finds true love that wins out in the end all of which is set in an historical setting and well sprinkled with historical details and facts to give the reader a good sense of time and place. Definitely not Laker’s best book (that would be To Dance With Kings), but I would only recommend this for die hard Laker fans or for those looking for a light, easy read. I was going to give this 3.5 stars, but the abrupt ending left me wanting just a few more pages to round the story out — all those near misses just for that!!!

The Cornish Heiress ~ Roberta Gellis

Gellis is at her “explainatory” worst in this one. More on the above statement later. This book, the second in Gellis’ English Heiress trilogy continues the story of the St. Eyre family begun in The English Heiress as Roger’s son Phillip (who speaks French like a native) is sent by the English government to ascertain the size and condition of Napoleon’s Navy. Phillip plans to sneak into France aboard the ship belonging to Roger’s long time friend Pierre who is a smuggler by trade. Whilst waiting his boat in Cornwall, Phillip meets up with smuggler “Red Meg” who is in reality Meg Devoran – well born heiress forced into smuggling to pay her drunkard father’s debts. One thing leads to another and love blooms amidst spies, danger and the constant misunderstandings between the two – neither of the two realize the other is “well born” and thus have no hopes of marrying each other. **yawn**

Frankly, I found this one to be a serious bore of a book and only finished it by skimming quite a bit. Phillip’s trip into France as a spy was a serious sleep inducer, as were the constant misunderstandings between the two over each other’s misperceived social standings – it became quite mind numbing after a while as Gellis explained it over and over and over again. What with that and the antics of some of the most inadequate bad guys I’ve come across in a long time, all I can say is that I am now most grateful this book is over and I can move on to something else. Recommended for die-hard Gellis fans only.

Kent Heiress ~ Roberta Gellis

Don’t let the cover scare you, its a lot better than you’d think.  Although if I were planning on taking it on a plane or a bus I’d get one of those special covers so no one would think the worst 😀

The Kent Heiress is actually the last in a trilogy Gellis wrote starting with The Terror of the French Revolution and ending in this one set during the Napoleonic wars, although this book does well enough as a stand-alone. Sabrina de Conyers is married to womanizing diplomat William, Lord Elvan and when the novel begins they are assigned to the Russian Court in Saint Petersburg as the conflicts between Russia and Napoleon are heating up. Disgusted with her husband’s numerous affairs, Sabrina meets up with childhood friend Perce Moreton, who realized his feelings too late (she was already married to William) and still carries the torch and sparks begin to fly (well of course).

As Sabrina fights to remove herself from an unhappy marriage, Perce risks life and limb as a British envoy of sorts to the Russian army. Sabrina returns to her family in England and attempts to annul her marriage, but Elvan convinces her to help him “keep up a good front” and travel with him to his new post in Portugal, where his wandering eye eventually leads him into an affair with deadly consequences and leaves Sabrina in a perilous pickle that only Perce can extricate her from…..

I know it all sounds like your basic cut and paste romance novel, but when you’re reading Gellis there’s always quite a bit more to the package. She loads her books with tons of historical details and political intrigues that raise the bar for a more rewarding read — although romance readers looking for a basic bodice ripper will likely be bored to death with the added history. All in a all very pleasant romp and I very much enjoyed the ups and downs of Sabrina and Perce — but they are quite a lusty couple and a couple of their scenes were just a tad bit…well…ahem…too detailed for my tastes – I wouldn’t recommend this for younger readers. I’m sorely torn between 3.5 and 4 stars, but it _is_ Gellis so I’m going for broke and giving her four. Now to backtrack and read the first two in the trilogy, The English Heiress and The Cornish Heiress.

The English Heiress ~ Roberta Gellis

 

Definitely not Gellis’ best offering

This is the first in Gellis’ Heiress Series and begins during the French Revolution. The De Conyers family home ransacked, the women sexually abused and now imprisoned by the revolutionaries, Roger St. Eyre is sent into France to rescue the De Conyers family and bring them home to England (they are half French/half English). The only member of the De Conyers family to make it out of prison alive is Leonie and she and Roger flee for Paris in an effort to find a way out of France and end up unable to leave the city and masquerade as French citizens as the revolution swirls around them until they are finally unwillingly drawn in to a plot to rescue Marie Antoinette and the young Dauphin.

Of course love blooms (it _is_ a romance novel), although in typical Gellis style the misunderstandings keep the couple from avowing their true feelings until the final payoff at the end. Roger was always harping to himself he had no right to ask for the hand of such a wealthy heiress (he’s a younger landless son) and Leonie always worried about how she let a prison guard “use her” and that Roger would think she’s a “whore” just got a tad bit old after a while.

Although I do love Gellis, this is one book of hers that just didn’t rock my boat. The retelling of the revolution and The Terror was just a bit too dry for me, and I think Gellis would have been better served to lighten the story up a bit more and keep her tongue firmly planted in her cheek – at least with the relationship between Roger and Leonie. She finally did that in the last 50 or so pages and things became quite fun leading up to the final payola (that was a cute scene), but wading through the first 300 + pages to get there was just a bit too long for this reader. 3/5 stars.

The next two in the series,

The Cornish Heiress
The Kent Heiress

The Glass-Blowers by Daphne DuMaurier

“Somehow, we no longer seemed to preach the brotherhood of man”

In this book du Maurier recounts the tale of her forebears, the Busson family of master glass-blowers leading up to and through the French Revolution. Told through the POV of Sophie as she looks back on her life, daughter of master glass-blower Mathurin Busson and his formidable (in a good way) wife Magdaleine and her siblings Robert, Pierre, Michel and Edmé. For Robert, the eldest working his craft in the countryside is not enough and he dreams of greatness in Paris – but unable to manage his spending he always ends up in financial disaster and bankruptcy and he depends on his family to bail him out time and again.

The countryside where the Busson family lives is not greatly affected by the first stirrings of the revolution in the cities, but that soon changes when Michel and Sophie’s husband Francois become National Guardsman and find themselves slowly being caught up in the nationalist fervor sweeping the country. At first Sophie is horrified at the behavior of her brother and husband as they join others in sacking the manor houses and churches –

“The people were mad. They had to have a victim. No single one of them was to blame, it was like a fever sweeping them.”

Eventually she too finds herself buying into the revolutionary ideals as the madness continues to grow and suspicion and rumor grip the countryside. In the end a new and “stable” government takes control but it is never enough. Eventually Sophie and her family are swept up in the War in the Vendée, a little known but horrific footnote in history (do go to Wik and read up on it). Once The Terror is over the Busson siblings rebuild their lives and eventually things come full circle with the return of Robert – who fled to England as an émigré to avoid the debts of his last business debacle.

While this novel is a bit slower paced at times (although the scenes from the Vendée were downright unputdownable) and might not appeal to all readers, I enjoyed it a great deal. A refreshing change seeing the Revolution from the countryside – major events such as the taking of the Bastille, the Women’s March on Versailles and the executions of Louis and Marie were events that happened far away. As maddening as he was in his doomed financial efforts, Robert was great fun and I loved the way the author worked in the “birth” of the family name in England – du Maurier. Definitely recommended for du Maurier fans or those interested in the history of the Revolution.