I love Alexander Dumas novels but this was not one of my favorites. It was kind of rambling at times (it definitely felt like it had originally been published as serialized fiction and, most likely, that he was being paid by the word because there are many asides, lengthy recaps and explanations, etc. that only seem to be there to pad the word count) and it wasn't until the last 50 pages or so that I felt any "gotta turn the page" tension that kept me reading. The titular character is a secondary/background character and we never get to know him well (him or the other Royalist plotters). Instead, the story focuses on Maurice, a member of the citizens' commune/ruling body and his infatuation with another man's wife - which makes it hard to sympathetize with Maurice (or like him). Throughout the book, I didn't find any sympathetic characters and my one hope that the villain of the story would get his comeuppance was thwarted. And since the titular character's mission is to rescue Mario Antoinette from the guillotine (and we all know how that ended), there wasn't much suspense as to how the story was going to end. However, from a historical standpoint, this was an engrossing and eye-opening read - I've never really thought about the length of time Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before her execution or how she spent that time. The details regarding the atmosphere during the Reign of Terror are magnificent and you really feel like you are living in the times. This is a good book for those who enjoy historical fiction, but not great for fans of Dumas's other, more swashbuckling action-adventure stories that feature more likeable/enjoyable characters (such as the Count of Monte Crisco and The Three Musketeers).

#5 (and final) Marie Antoinette Romance series - Historical Fiction

Dumas wraps up this exciting historical fiction (loosely based on facts, but definitely embellished) series. As usual, the plot is complex, intriguing, dangerous, palace plots and sub-plots, colorful characters.

In 2018 I plan on reading a different new-to-me Dumas series.

The word swashbuckling might have been invented for Dumas with his dashing elegantly clad young men leaping about the streets waving their sabres and protecting young women. Indeed the hero is doing just that in the first few pages. In fact the word dates from much earlier and the history of such young men comes down to us from King Arthur via Sherwood Forest.
Anyway the book is much darker than tales of merry men, dealing as it does with The Terror and all its horrors. Inevitably I compared it to A Tale of Two Cities and although I am very glad to have read the Dumas, Dickens is in a different league.
But I found out quite a bit more about those times, and brushed up my French I hope. So would recommend it.

I enjoy Dumas stories. All the history, swashbuckling and adventure of 18th century France. This book takes place during the French revolution and is a condemnation of it and its excesses. Against the back drop of a chaotic time it tells a love story of a Knight and a Revolutionary and the conflicts and issues that arise. It parallels A Tale of Two Cities in many ways but gives a different point of view. It is worth reading in my view.

3.5.

Highly romanticised plot to rescue Marie Antoinette by the Chevalier, who with friends and in various disguises enlists the help of young soldier. Based on real life person and events, this is such a bloodthirsty period in French history and of course we know the outcome. She was hated and treated very badly, as was the Dauphin. I like the fact Dumas doesn't shy away from the inevitable conclusion that his characters are going to their death.(I was initially shocked by the ending of Marquerite de Valois). Also camaraderie, the two soldier friends stay true to eachother in adversity.

Detailing the exploits of a valiant young man unexpectedly embroiled in Royalist plots to rescue Marie Antoinette, this novel would make a great movie. Like A TALE OF TWO CITIES, there are several mawkish, sentimental scenes (including the conclusion), but the fact that Marie Antoinette doesn't ultimately escape doesn't prevent Dumas from building suspense. The translation occasionally distracted me with its odd idioms--"bites the dust" was used twice without being the least bit tongue-in-cheek, and "rabbiting" was used to mean "spoke rapidly," for example--but I could see they were aiming for colloquial.

Overall, not as good as MONTE CRISTO or THE THREE MUSKETEERS, but at least it was shorter!

This was my first foray into Dumas and I really enjoyed his style and this story about Marie Antoinette and her Knights of Maison-Rouge. You get all that you would expect from an Alexander Dumas book Paris, swordfights, intrigue, betrayal, honor and love, in a condensed 400 pages vs. jumping right into The Count of Monte Cristo with runs a whopping 1400+. I'm excited to read more by Dumas but I'll have to set aside several weeks for the other books, none of which seem to be under 1000 pages.

Alexandre Dumas est un coupeur de têtes. Que l'on songe à Milady. Que l'on songe à La Môle et Coconnas — ah oui, il aime beaucoup aussi les Orestes et les Pylades, ces amis dévoués jusqu'à la mort. Dès lors, il est ironique qu'on se souvienne avant tout pour ses romans Louis XIII (ou Louis XIV jeune) de cet amoureux de la période révolutionnaire : en bon romancier romantique il se souciait de ce moment de l'Histoire qui innervait profondément la période qu'il vivait et en influençait la création artistique de façon drue et souterraine ; mais qui plus est, nous devons admettre qu'en matière de décollations, décapitations et autres, MM. Sanson et Guillotin, sans parler de MM. Robespierre, Saint-Just et Fouquier-Tinville, lui fournissent mieux qu'une occasion, une réserve innombrable de scènes pathétiques.
C'est donc, blague à part, en 1793 que se déroule "Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge". Le protagoniste n'en est pas le personnage éponyme mais le vaillant Maurice Lindey, républicain convaincu, que son amour pour la mystérieuse Geneviève Dixmer entraîne dans des situations politiques et sentimentales très délicates. Le Chevalier, lui, est une sorte de prototype d'Arsène Lupin, que Dumas (et Maquet) font identifier implicitement par le lecteur en lui épargnant généralement des révélations mélodramatiques, par le moyen d'indices habilement disposés. Occasion de rendre encore une fois hommage à leur génie de la narration et de la combinaison romanesque, porté par une verve qui est la marque propre du grand Alexandre, qui se rit de ses propres inconséquences (les personnages ont une petite tendance à changer de prénom) tant il nous mène par le bout du nez. Négligeant délibérément certains faits historiques, en utilisant d'autres en se montrant fidèles au détail près, ils montrent ainsi que leur désinvolture est calculée, que tout est subordonné à l'émotion, certes, mais aussi au sens, et que fausser la perspective historique, ce peut être la dégager et la rendre visible.

There's a reason why this book was almost lost. It's a stinker.

I love Dumas, but this time he drops the ball. Writing a morality polemic in the pathetic aesthetic and disguising it as romantic adventure is a pretty low blow to the reader. Hey, I want that kind of stuff I'll read Victor Hugo's Toilers of the Sea or the Hunchback of Notre Dame!

I mean, really. The nerve!

It could have been great. Young super-patriot of the French revolution Maurice and his bestie are elite prison guards with a conscience. They work at the nasty prison holding Queen Marie Antoinette as she waits for her fate to be decided by rabid aristo-hating revolutionaries.

Opposed to them is the mysterious Knight of Maison-Rouge and his minions who wish to free the Queen and help her flee France. In between these two opposed forces is Genevieve, torn between her love for Maurice and her Royalist duty. This is fabulous stuff.

Alas, Dumas doesn't pull it off. He's too interested in making a point about the senseless barbarity of the revolution and the horrific political effects to tell a good yarn. And he's not in any way vague about his loyalties or outlook.

Whether Queen Marie Antoinette really was as awful as she has been portrayed is a whole other subject. My view is that one only has to read the letters of expatriate aristocrats of the time to get a picture of how little the upper classes knew or cared about what was happening--why would they have to know or care? They never had to before!

So the idea of the Queen as the inspiration for a knight's amor is a little farcical to me, if not outright grotesque. Since I'm expecting a romantic adventure though, I'm willing to go with it. You can't have a champion following the rules of romantic courtesy without the inspiration of a pure amor, and the very idea of it is supposed to render all other external judgements null anyway. True love conquers all, as they say.

Alas, it's not a romantic adventure. It's the pathetic. That means failure and permanent, catastrophic consequences as a result. This happens again and again until everyone (and I mean everyone) ends up in the dumpster of fate to make a point. All you're left with is the message, delivered with less than masterful skill.

Queen Marie Antoinette was a saint and the lower class were savages. You got that kids?

No, Dumas. You bungled it. The subtext is really "Don't do romance during a revolution or bad things will happen."

Next!

It was a nice ride. This book is like the ferris wheel at amusement parks. It's just a simple and relaxing ride. It's not the most popular ride, but everyone pretty much enjoys it. This is not Mr. Dumas' best book.

'The Knight of Maison-Rouge' is not a typical book I usually read. It heavily shows the Revolutionaries side and a little bit of Marie Antoinette's side. Too be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of this one. Yes, it did show a different viewpoint and it shows a very strong-willed and courageous Marie Antoinette. Which is different, because many novels about the Queen shows her as weak and how to succumbs to just playing the victim.

Alexandre Dumas is a fantastic author, but this was not his best. He does a wonderful job, but it was....not interesting. Like I said, the ferris wheel of his novels. Just a cute tale to take a break from all the breakneck rides that are so exciting you may lose your lunch. There were some twists and turns, but it was very predictable. The main character was kind of an idiot and very naive. I couldn't stand Maurice. The ending was horrid and made me mad. Besides that, it was not a horrible book. Just not a classic and I'll probably never read it again. Out of five *s, I grant this one 3 stars. It would be 2.5, but I don't give decimals, so I rounded up.

I had such high expectations for this novel. The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite books. I didn't think I would be so disappointed reading this novel. It was a struggle to get through. Alexandre Dumas is, of course, a good writer. But this novel seemed to be missing a lot; I didn't even find the characters engaging. I wasn't intrigued by the plot he seemed to be trying to weave. I don't think he was trying to build sympathy for the revolution, but rather, for the love story. Even when the lovers were found and forced to split, my heart didn't break for them. Normally I am pretty emotional when reading those situations. In this case, I was just hoping I would feel something -- anything -- as the novel came to and end. What I felt was relief that it was over.