The Knight of Maison-Rouge: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

I had been reading the rather quick type of books of late. I decided I needed something with a great plot, good character development-overall something I would not want to put down-a classic. I loved every word of this book, as well as the French Revolution history. This book had real and fictitious characters wonderfully portrayed. The story actually had a beginning, a middle and an end. I could not put it down and cannot wait to read more Dumas again (I always loved Camille, The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Christo). I highly recommend this book, if you like facts interwoven with fiction well defined characters, believable dialogue and a great plot. I felt as though I was in the gallery in every scene. I wanted to yell to the characters-do this do that, don't do that-NO. Great book even so many years later. Enough with the fast read-bring on the classics.

It is conceivable to see how this book could get a negative review. It is not an easy read on any level. Semantically it can be difficult due to its translation and many of the principal events require some limited knowledge of French history to be fully understood. Its subject, the French Revolution, is not a simple topic to broach. Nevertheless, Dumas manages to convey the gravity and despair of this time period in a brilliant manner. This book certainly does not leave the reader with a warmhearted feeling after completion. It is instead an accurate, and at times brutal, reflection of a cruel and turbulent world. The scenes with Marie Antoinette are particularly well done. For anyone who has an interest in her, you will find this book very fulfilling.Overall this was a good read, well worth the time.

Having read most of what Dumas has written, I can only say that this is one of his best novels. It is adventurous, fast paced and written in a superb manner. This book is a true delight and it is very hard to put down. It is one of Dumas' lesser known pieces, and has not been published anywhere in quite a few years so it was not easy to find before this new hardback edition.

Having read most of what Dumas has written, I can only say that this is one of his best novels. It is adventurous, fast paced and written in a superb manner. This book is a true delight and it is very hard to put down. It is one of Dumas' lesser known pieces, and has not been published anywhere in quite a few years so it was not easy to find before this new hardcover edition.Trust me on this one. It's really worth it.

This book is an exciting conclusion to Dumas' "Revolutionary" book cycle. The first four books in the series are also well worth your time...but they may be a little difficult to track down. They are (in order): "Memoirs of a Physician", "The Queen's Necklace", "Ange Pitou", "Countess De Charny" and finally "The Knight of Maison-Rouge." Read together they tell a story every bit as thrilling as the Musketeer cycle. Pick this one up in hardcover while you can (I think the last US edition of this title was published in 1906, and this translation if much superior). Vive Dumas!