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Summary: D'Artagnan revisits Babylon
Review: How can an author mix Devil Worshipers, a murder mystery, ancient book collectors, a love story, and a weird club into one single book? Perez Reverte had no problems in doing so. I would love to tell you how the story develops, but I'd rather let you figure it out by yourself. Next time you are on vacation, and feel like reading a good mystery novel, think of The Dumas Club first. I don't think you will be dissapointed.
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Summary: Seedy, trite and politically incorrect -- a pure delight!
Review: A marvelous suspense story. The wide variety of on-line reviews should tell you that there is something more than meets the eye here. The author adroitly ties sophisticated 20th century Europe to Dumas's bohemian 19th, as well as the hysteria of the Inquisition. The gin-soaked, unscrupulous protagonist, who demands payment in the face of the devil, is my kind of hero. And the ending, far from murky, is most satisfying. As for the concern over the mysterious girl, remember what the narrator instructs us in terms of reader response -- she may be what we want her to be. One thing is certain, Perez-Reverte and The Club Dumas would not have survived the Inquisition, which is all the more reason to enjoy this book!
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Summary: Overly complicated and uninteresting plot; boring chars.
Review: I barely made it through this book. For me it was incredibly boring. The plot lines were complicated, but that's OK. I figured I'd get it at some point; never did and never did care if I did! What was particularly odd is that there really are two different intertwined plots or stories and you keep wondering how they're going to be inter-related. By the end of the book (if you make it) you discover the secret -- they're NOT! I really dis-liked this book, found it boring and the characters uninteresting and flat. Two stars is a really generous rating...
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Summary: Author vs. Translator In Fascinating, Flustering Mystery
Review: Others have astutely analyzed the quality of the novel. I would merely like to mention that this novel suffers significantly from the often literal and awkward translation. It's not often that a translator's voice can be so clearly heard, occasionally obscuring the author's.Still, "The Club Dumas" is a great read.
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Summary: intriguing for the person interested in literature
Review: The book cover says this book is the ideal "beach book for the intellectual" and since I was going to the beach, I decided to give it a try. The book is wonderful. Those who love literature and who like to be intellectually stimulated should read this book as well as The Flanders Panel.
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Summary: A thinking person's mystery
Review: Arturo Perez-Reverte's margelous literary thriller The Club Dumas combines several great themes - the love of (and lust for) antiquarian books; the discovery (or re-discovery) of an original Dumas manuscript; and a long-missing satanic tome which, it seems, contains the key to re-conjure the devil himself. Perez-Reverte is a wonderful companion and story-teller: he is both scholarly and erudite in his expositions of the world of rare books and famous writers; he also writes good (although sparing) sex and violence. This is the thinking person's mystery, and a book which I will soon re-read.
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Summary: A refreshing and brilliant "what's going-on; whodunnit" read
Review: I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I loved the idea of the story, its so very clever and exceptionally original. In summary, if you enjoy clever, twisted and atmospheric mysteries you will love this book.
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Summary: A Labyrinth With No Minotaur
Review: The Club Dumas starts of great. It's style is engrossing, it's intricately plotted, and there is an amazing amount of historical detail packed into this one volume. I had no idea what an extraordinary achievement the art of bookmaking was, and what it took to bring the written word to the world, and keep that flame burning despite all the fears and hatreds that threatened to snuff it out. As a historical novel it worked great. Unfortunately, for me it didn't work so well as a mystery. The problem I think is that there are several stories running through, none of which are given as much attention as necessary, and none of them reach a completely satisfying conclusion. Red herrings are great, but too much of anything is liable to give you a tummyache. As it is, while I admire the craftsmanship, in terms of entertainment I felt cheated. Still worth a read for the engrossing literary details.
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Summary: Overall, a good read.
Review: I enjoyed the book very much, however, the ending was anti-climatic, a real let-down. This author could have done a better job. I am now reading the Flanders Panel, which also gets off to a good start, but the middle seems to slow down a fair bit. Hopefully, it will have a better finish
Rating:
Summary: Initially intriguing, ultimately unsatisfying
Review: If you love mysteries and old books, as I do, this story will hook you from the start. Perez-Reverte puts his research about Dumas, the occult and rare book buyers to good use. Unfortunately, if you take away these interesting tidbits, the weaknesses in the plot and main characters becomes apparent. I read with enjoyment and willingly suspended disbelief until the main character's "love affair" with the mysterious young woman. Even then the book remained readable. But the last chapter was so bad I almost wish I had not finished the book, or that I had reread The Name of the Rose instead.
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