Audiobook7 hours
Mary Stuart: Celebrated Crimes: Book 4
Written by Alexandre Dumas
Narrated by Robert Bethune
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
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About this audiobook
To paraphrase the note from the translator, The Celebrated Crimes of Alexandre Dumas père was not written for children. The novelist has spared no language—has minced no words—to describe violent scenes of violent times.
In this, the fourth of the series, Dumas tells the story of Mary Stuary, Queen of Scots--a story both strikingly touching and almost morbidly violent. Never one to allow a mere fact to stand in the way of a good story, though very sympathetic to Mary, Dumas puts all the most sensational accusations made against her--mostly by her enemies--to circumspect yet full use, which certainly distorts history, but makes for a great tale. Also, he often takes the novelist's approach, giving us details of scenes for which there can be no historical record--we are given, for example, a wonderful description of Darnley's actions and feelings at Kirk of Field as his enemies prepared to blow the house sky-high with him in it, despite the fact that Darnley was alone at the time and died in the explosion. As the translator notes, "The careful, mature reader, for whom the books are intended, will recognize, and allow for" Dumas' love of sensationalism. We're reading Dumas here, not Tuchman or Toynbee.
Dumas gives us a sweeping tale of love, hatred, betrayal, connivance, conquest both military and sexual, and above all the fragility of royalty--a form of greatness that can disappear like a bubble. It is a tale of events and personalities that shook Europe and created both a potent historical influence and an unfailing fountain of romance.
Enjoy!
In this, the fourth of the series, Dumas tells the story of Mary Stuary, Queen of Scots--a story both strikingly touching and almost morbidly violent. Never one to allow a mere fact to stand in the way of a good story, though very sympathetic to Mary, Dumas puts all the most sensational accusations made against her--mostly by her enemies--to circumspect yet full use, which certainly distorts history, but makes for a great tale. Also, he often takes the novelist's approach, giving us details of scenes for which there can be no historical record--we are given, for example, a wonderful description of Darnley's actions and feelings at Kirk of Field as his enemies prepared to blow the house sky-high with him in it, despite the fact that Darnley was alone at the time and died in the explosion. As the translator notes, "The careful, mature reader, for whom the books are intended, will recognize, and allow for" Dumas' love of sensationalism. We're reading Dumas here, not Tuchman or Toynbee.
Dumas gives us a sweeping tale of love, hatred, betrayal, connivance, conquest both military and sexual, and above all the fragility of royalty--a form of greatness that can disappear like a bubble. It is a tale of events and personalities that shook Europe and created both a potent historical influence and an unfailing fountain of romance.
Enjoy!
Author
Alexandre Dumas
Frequently imitated but rarely surpassed, Dumas is one of the best known French writers and a master of ripping yarns full of fearless heroes, poisonous ladies and swashbuckling adventurers. his other novels include The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask, which have sold millions of copies and been made into countless TV and film adaptions.
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Titles in the series (17)
Joan of Naples: Celebrated Crimes, book 10 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ali Pasha: Celebrated Crimes book 13 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Murat: Celebrated Crimes, book 15 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Martin Guerre: Celebrated Crimes, book 12 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Countess of Saint-Geran: Celebrated Crimes, book 14 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Man in the Iron Mask: Celebrated Crimes, book 11 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vaninka: Celebrated Crimes, Book 17 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Marquise de Brinvilliers: Celebrated Crimes, Book 16 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Marquise de Ganges: Celebrated Crimes, Book 18 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Borgias: Celebrated Crimes, Book 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Antonin Derues: Celebrated Crimes, book 8 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mary Stuart: Celebrated Crimes: Book 4 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Urbain Grandier: Celebrated Crimes, Book 6 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Karl-Ludwig Sand: Celebrated Crimes, Book 5 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nisida: Celebrated Crimes, Book 7 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Massacres of the South: Celebrated Crimes, Book 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cenci: Celebrated Crimes, Book 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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