Rating: 
Summary: Its easy to tell whether you will like this book.
Review: If you are the sort of reader that likes the "perfume" of intrigue without demanding any real "substance", then this book is perfect for you. One review I have read calls it a "beach book for intellectuals" which is very close to the truth. Its not as good as Reverte may trick you into thinking it is, but is a very entertaining read for fans of the intellectual-thriller. The end of the book is a bit of a letdown, but that really fits the jaded mentality of the protagonist in a clever sort of a way. Pretty good book in my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: Eco's pendulum gets a nasty twist...
Review: When reading this book one cannot ignore the influence of two great writers: the one is Umberto Eco, whose style and Idea, as well as the way of writing surely reflect through the writing of Reverte; the other is Hermann Hesse in his Nobel Prize winning book The Glass Bead Game [Das Glasperlenspiel], a book which, I suspect, is not known to Reverte. Alas, this current book does not stand in the standard of such great Novelists. Though the plot seems to be very 'intelligent' to say the least (through citations and so forth), the end is very badly written, the whole subject of enjoyment from this book is thus questioned. I wouldn't advise reading this book if you're an intellectual.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than the movie
Review: I much preferred the intellectual angle the book had, as opposed to the formulaic nature of the movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Three Musketeers would be proud
Review: Arturo Perez-Reverte effortly melds the plot of " The Club Dumas" with the characters of "The Three Musketeers". His mysteries work on different levels. He has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Arturo Perez-Reverte has joined the ranks of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez as one of my favorite storytellers.
Rating:
Summary: HALFWAY BRILLIANT, HALFWAY STUPID
Review: The sections dealing with rare books were engrossing, but the ludicrous adventure club subplot frankly was an irritating intrusion. This is one of those cases where the film version is superior to its source work.
Rating:
Summary: c
Review: Engrossing but a little disappointing ending
Rating: 
Summary: A Splendid Mystery!
Review: Reminded me of Eco and Borges. Much better than the movie version -- if you've seen the movie.
Rating:
Summary: A Slower-Paced Thriller from the Old Days
Review: This tale of book-hunter Lucas Corso disguises its true purpose -- to wallow in its love of Dumas and Dumas-styled adventures -- by hiding in the trappings of mystery, murder conspiracies and demonology. Perez-Reverte does a nice job of juggling his many characters and plot elements and illuminating the literary touchstones that act as guideposts through the plot. His ability to build atmosphere and layer mood into his scenes is quite effective. The amibiguous nature of the Irene Adler character is both infuriating and well-handled. In the end, the reader can almost believe that there is redemption in Corso's path toward damnation.
Rating:
Summary: Don't expect the movie
Review: If you picked up this book expecting to find the story portrayed in the movie "The Ninth Gate" then you might be disappointed. Even though the movie portrays much of the story told in the book it is not the main plot of the book.If you are expecting to find a solidly written story of murder and mystery then you picked up the right book for you. This story has more twists and turns than then a chiroprachtors office. But in the end it is fully drawn together. if there was one complaint that I have with this book it would be it ended to soon. I say this for two reasons, first I wanted to continue to follow the story beyond where the final page ended it, and secondly I felt that the story ended too soon because there are a feew loose ends and a few questions that went unanswered. Don't let this stop you from reading this book though. You will not regret investing your time into this story.
Rating:
Summary: Into another world
Review: I bought The Club Dumas over a year ago at a used book store, but I didn't get around to reading it until this past weekend. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I was content to sit curled up under a blanket on my couch reading it for hours at end. One enters another world as one reads the book. Instead of merely getting superficially involved in the characters' lives, one wants to live them. I wanted to feel an old book in my hands - to touch the paper and gently turn the pages. I sympathized with the main character's need for gin and a smoke (and I don't smoke and I hate gin). The book is intellectual, but not overly so. It addresses the postmodern concepts of interpretation of texts according to what the reader brings to them, but does so in a way that is closely tied to the plot and therefore fasinating. I admit to having never read The Three Musketeers (or ever even watching one of the movies), but I was able to follow the references to it fairly well. It has now been added to my reading list as a result of The Club Dumas. Overall, a highly enjoyable and stimulating book that I recommend.
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