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The Marie Antoinette Romances #8
The Knight of Maison-Rouge
A major new translation of a forgotten classic
Paris, 1793, the onset of the Terror. Brave Republican Maurice rescues a mys-terious and beautiful woman from an angry mob and is unknowingly drawn into a secret Royalist plot—a plot revolving around the imprisoned Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and her enigmatic and fearless champion, the Knight of Maison-Rouge. Full of surprising twists, breakneck adventure, conspiracies, swordplay, romance, and heroism, The Knight of Maison-Rouge is an exhilarating tale of selflessness, love, and honor under the shadow of the guillotine. Dumas here is at the very height of his powers, and with this first and only modern translation, readers can once again ride with the Knight of Maison-Rouge.
From the Hardcover edition.
Paris, 1793, the onset of the Terror. Brave Republican Maurice rescues a mys-terious and beautiful woman from an angry mob and is unknowingly drawn into a secret Royalist plot—a plot revolving around the imprisoned Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and her enigmatic and fearless champion, the Knight of Maison-Rouge. Full of surprising twists, breakneck adventure, conspiracies, swordplay, romance, and heroism, The Knight of Maison-Rouge is an exhilarating tale of selflessness, love, and honor under the shadow of the guillotine. Dumas here is at the very height of his powers, and with this first and only modern translation, readers can once again ride with the Knight of Maison-Rouge.
From the Hardcover edition.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1845
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2636 people want to read
About the author
Alexandre Dumas
6,994 books12.3k followersThis note regards Alexandre Dumas, père, the father of Alexandre Dumas, fils (son). For the son, see Alexandre Dumas fils.
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
May 10, 2011
This has to be one of the most under-appreciated books from Dumas! A non-stop action-packed book from beginning to end with intelligent, witty prose, it has all of the fun, and little of the tedium of dinner table descriptions as Dumas was wont to do. The ending is incredible and should be quoted like Shakespeare. Anyone interested in the Reign of Terror will appreciate this book!
July 18, 2020
Alexandre Dumas has done it again and rescued me from a reading slump! This was absolutely incredible, a wild ride from start to finish, and the ending left me stunned. I can’t believe this isn’t talked about more—I’m not sure what has relegated it to the bottom of the stack with Dumas. This was a great deal of fun and also thought provoking. Revolutionary Paris, Marie Antoinette, swashbuckling scenes! It was everything that I love.
September 17, 2019
«جمعیت تماشاچی، مانند خوشه های یک خرمن عظیم که گرفتار صر صر باد شده باشد بالا و پایین می رفت و هیجان جمعیت آشکار می نمود که ماری آنتوانت نزدیک می گردد. صدای غریوی مانند غرش آبشار و طوفان و رعد، از دور به گوش می رسید ولی شگفت آنکه، هرقدر ماری آنتوانت نزدیک می گردید صدا در دهانها خاموش می شد و نفس ها هم در سینه ضبط می گردید و آنهایی که فریاد می زدند به محض اینکه ماری آنتوانت را با لباس سفید در کنار مرد سیاه پوش ( کشیش) می دیدند سکوت اختیار می نمودند. هیچ محکوم و حبوسی مثل ماری آنتوانت، نتوانست هنگام رفتن به سوی سیاستگاه احترام خود را در دلها جا بدهدو علاوه بر احترام، وحشتی هم از او در دلها جا بدهد و علاوه بر احترام، وحشتی هم از او در دلها جا گرفته بود و بدون تردید در هیچ یک از ادوار عمر ماری آنتوانت شکوه و نفوذ آن روز را نداشت.»
فدائیان ملکه
ای جلد از تاریخ هم با تلاش ها، نقشه ها و حیله های سلطنت طلبان برای نجات علیاحضرت و ناکام ماندنشان به پایان رسید.
زنده باد سیمون پاره دوز
این هم سخن آخر لورِن جمهوری خواه : « رفقا سابقا من این بیت را می خواندم
باید در راه آزادی بمیریم _برای اینکه بهترین سرنوشت هاست
ولی امروز موریس عزیز، با تو هم عقیده ام، یعنی از این جمهوری و آزادی متنفر شده ام برای اینکه به رأی العین و به طرزی محسوس می بینم که ما در راه آزادی کشته نمی شویم بلکه برای این کشته می شویم که یک عده بایستند و مرگ ما را تماشا کنند و تفریح نمایند.»
واقعا تکان دهنده است که تیتر پایانی این کتاب 5500 صفحه ای که آخرین صحنه نمایش داده شده از انقلاب است اختصاص به سیمون پست فطرت دارد. عجیب است....
تجربه 8 ماه زندگی در انقلاب فرانسه و نفس کشیدن در فرهنگ فرانسوی بزرگترین ارمغانی بود که این کتاب برای من آورد.
روحت شاد الکساندر دوما
فدائیان ملکه
ای جلد از تاریخ هم با تلاش ها، نقشه ها و حیله های سلطنت طلبان برای نجات علیاحضرت و ناکام ماندنشان به پایان رسید.
زنده باد سیمون پاره دوز
این هم سخن آخر لورِن جمهوری خواه : « رفقا سابقا من این بیت را می خواندم
باید در راه آزادی بمیریم _برای اینکه بهترین سرنوشت هاست
ولی امروز موریس عزیز، با تو هم عقیده ام، یعنی از این جمهوری و آزادی متنفر شده ام برای اینکه به رأی العین و به طرزی محسوس می بینم که ما در راه آزادی کشته نمی شویم بلکه برای این کشته می شویم که یک عده بایستند و مرگ ما را تماشا کنند و تفریح نمایند.»
واقعا تکان دهنده است که تیتر پایانی این کتاب 5500 صفحه ای که آخرین صحنه نمایش داده شده از انقلاب است اختصاص به سیمون پست فطرت دارد. عجیب است....
تجربه 8 ماه زندگی در انقلاب فرانسه و نفس کشیدن در فرهنگ فرانسوی بزرگترین ارمغانی بود که این کتاب برای من آورد.
روحت شاد الکساندر دوما
December 26, 2023
سری 8 جلدی The Marie Antoinette Romances معادل ترجمه و اقتباس ژوزف بالسامو و غرش طوفان ذبیح الله منصوری
Joseph Balsamo روایت خود کیمیاگر و ورود ماری آنتوانت به خاک فرانسه
The Mesmerist's Victim -
The Queen's Necklace دسیسه ربودن گردنبد ماری آنتوانت پیش از انقلاب
Taking the Bastile شروع انقلاب فرانسه و حمله به زندان باستیل
The Hero of the People رویدادهای پس از گرفتن قلعه باستیل
The Royal Life Guard فرار خانواده سلطنتی
The Countess de Charny -
The Knight of Maison-Rouge محاکمه ماری آنتوانت
اون دوتا هم دقیقا مطمئن نیستم معادل کدام بخش کتابه ولی شاهد مسحور احتمالا بخشی از ژوزف بالسامو و کنتس هم یکی از درباریان و نزدیک ملکه در زمان انقلاب بود.
Joseph Balsamo روایت خود کیمیاگر و ورود ماری آنتوانت به خاک فرانسه
The Mesmerist's Victim -
The Queen's Necklace دسیسه ربودن گردنبد ماری آنتوانت پیش از انقلاب
Taking the Bastile شروع انقلاب فرانسه و حمله به زندان باستیل
The Hero of the People رویدادهای پس از گرفتن قلعه باستیل
The Royal Life Guard فرار خانواده سلطنتی
The Countess de Charny -
The Knight of Maison-Rouge محاکمه ماری آنتوانت
اون دوتا هم دقیقا مطمئن نیستم معادل کدام بخش کتابه ولی شاهد مسحور احتمالا بخشی از ژوزف بالسامو و کنتس هم یکی از درباریان و نزدیک ملکه در زمان انقلاب بود.
November 25, 2014
Here is a novel that had oddly vanished from circulation in France, there is no real reason as to why it was neglected out of all of Dumas's works. There is no speculation. Was it because this particular story shows how favourably he viewed the royals at such a fragile time in French history even though by the time of his adulthood the Revolution was long past? As Lorenzo Carcaterra points out and as many Dumas readers are full aware he never uses accuracy in any historical sense. But then most of his readers in his time and possibly after are not very concerned with historical accuracy. They all want to know what will become of his heroes? Without a doubt Maurice Lindey is his father,General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. As for the ultra perfect Genevieve? Perhaps she was based on his mother or else she was a complete fragment of his imagination. To be expected of course his two heroes have a triumphant end. The Revolution exists or doesn't on the last two true Revolutionaries, Lindey and Lorin. There is not much of a write about the novel on Wikipedia so for those concerned save yourselves the trouble of searching for it there. As always with Dumas you can disappear to another place, another time with different people, it is so easy to be caught up in Dumas's writings and well worth to be caught up by him. You find yourself sharing explicitly all the emotions and thoughts of the heroes and of course by then you want him or her to succeed and never to fail. When he or she is jealous you want to call out as a character "Now take it easy! It's not as bad as all that." But for me is it as straight forward to feel admiration in Genevieve? She is too perfect to feel she was real and too much perhaps in Dumas's fantasies as to feel a party to her creation. And yet Dumas always wanted the perfect match for his heroes and perhaps as the reader we expect no less. Such as she in this book that Lindey has no head for several situations and fortunately Dumas acknowledges to his reader what is apparent is apparent and he is not pulling on any tricks of our suspicions which to the reader is obvious if not for the hero. No less an action hero not one to be using his intelligence often. He reacts on a whim, not thinking of the consequences, he doesn't plot or bide his time, he simply acts. For if he thought more he would have realised that there were other forces around him that were in more control of the environment than himself. if he had stopped to question even the simplest of acts he would have had more cause to pause and the outcome of many events would have been very different. Is he a man to act on instinct? It may have been instinct or foolhardy bravado thus is Maurice Lindey and his trusty friend at arms, Lorin, so much the wiser in that he thinks things through. He is not as much a man of impulse although he can when he needs to be for the sake of his friend, his foster brother as it were. Although some translated words seemed odd, the cry of "Bully for you!' for example, unless of course Dumas had a quirk to use British phrases and I was a little confused that the little dog the Queen had was separated from her for two months, found her again obviously fed and cared for only to be run over by the cart and then a little later on to miraculously recover from this slight only to be banged on the head. This time it didn't recover. In this novel though there is not any sympathy in the least for the ordinary man or woman. One would feel that they are at fault for executing the "poor queen", whose only crime it would seem was to be a queen with a regal attitude and fine bearing. Not that she had scads of money and could eat fine and dress well while the vast majority of Frances's subjects went hungry, died of starvation and had only rags to wear. But Dumas's book here is not an obvious political one, he hides it all with the distractions of his two heroes. One who acts on the love of an "angelic" woman and the other for the love of his great friend. It is very trying for Dumas to have two notable women characters, the plot is not big enough in many of his book for four. Brothers in arm and one of those brothers love, three is the neat little party. As a middle aged man Dumas was larger than life, his characters are larger than life in spirit.
March 4, 2024
Dumas !? Qu’est-ce donc que cette sorcellerie ?!
Première expérience avec l’auteur et c’était juste incroyable.
Etait-ce le bon mood ? Un hasard du destin ? Ou juste que Dumas est fait pour moi ? On verra à la prochaine lecture.
En attendant ….
100000 étoiles. Voilà ma note.
Un pur chef d’œuvre qui représente le talent de conteur et comique de Dumas.
Je pensais lâcher ma dernière larme à la dernière page du livre mais comme Dumas sait si bien le faire, il a réussi à me faire rire dans un dernier rebondissement tragique.
Première expérience avec l’auteur et c’était juste incroyable.
Etait-ce le bon mood ? Un hasard du destin ? Ou juste que Dumas est fait pour moi ? On verra à la prochaine lecture.
En attendant ….
100000 étoiles. Voilà ma note.
Un pur chef d’œuvre qui représente le talent de conteur et comique de Dumas.
Je pensais lâcher ma dernière larme à la dernière page du livre mais comme Dumas sait si bien le faire, il a réussi à me faire rire dans un dernier rebondissement tragique.
July 12, 2015
Alexandre Dumas was one of the worlds most prodigous writers. He wrote over 200 novels and yet, I imagine, like many other readers, if someone sidled up to me and said " and now, for a million dolllars, tell us the titles of six novels by Alexandre Dumas!" I think I would start well, Three Musketeers, Count of Monte Cristo, Man in the Iron Mask and, if I was lucky, i might remember Twenty Years After. That would be it. Three, or with luck, four novels out of 200.
Seeing The Knight of Maison Rouge in its well advertised new translation reminded me that there is more to Dumas than the three novels I'd read. Maison Rouge is a novel of the French Revolution, more specifically of the days leading to The Terror of 1793. It is attached to the series called The Marie Antoinette novels but is actually related to those novels than in a direct correspondence. Maison Rouge is concerned with a number of plots to free Marie Antoinette from her Republican imprisonment. A typical Dumas hero, a brave and noble young man, Maurice Lindy, unaware of the company he keeps, becomes involved with the plotters.
Maison Rouge demonstrates Dumas' talent for using a historical setting, real people and a tense siutation to relentlessly ratchet up the pace and tension to a breakneck speed. Such is Dumas' talent that a reader can be forgiven for beginning to believe that the plot might be sucessful and the Queen of France will escape her grisly fate. All this on a smaller canvas than the gargantuan Musketeers or Monte Cristo, it totals approximately 300 pages.
The story is well told and totally engrossing. In addition it opened my eyes to the many, many, other Dumas novels. The only flaw in this edition for me was the quality of the translation. The book is a strange mixture of very modern idiomatic phrases which then reverts to a more typical sounding 19th century translation.
Some examples:
“Cripes!” said Lorin. “Now there’s a letter that must bear interesting tidings!”
Heck!’ says I to Santerre, pulling him aside, ‘you’re all in a bit of a tight spot."
Do you swear on your honor...cross your heart and hope to die?"
"This is the dizzy limit, madame!"
"...the thought gave his heart a pang and caused him suddenly to clam up."
These strange locutions strike me as the result, not of a new translation, as Modern Library advertises but of a speedy bit of linguistic modernization performed on a much older text.
Nevertheless, such is the strength of Dumas' story that these infelicities are mere hiccups in a great story.
April 2, 2019
Dumas has been one of my favorite authors since we tore through The Three Musketeers in college when we should have been studying for finals. (Honestly, I think we did better on the finals because of the distraction.) The Knight of Maison-Rouge is one of his lesser-known books, and I am glad we were lucky enough to find a copy when we did.
This book is set during the Reign of Terror, after King Louis XVI was beheaded but before Marie Antoinette suffered the same fate. It’s based on the real “Affair of the Carnation” in which notes were passed to the Queen in captivity through a carnation. Putting notes into the carnation was ingenious, though in real life, as in the book, the attempt failed. One of the best things about Dumas’ fiction to me is the fact that he based it on real-life events, so while it’s not an accurate history lesson, it can at least prompt someone to go find out more about the real story. And weaving real people into the narrative is always fun. Many authors before and since have used this device.
Overall the book was very good. Each time I come back to Dumas’ works, i forget what a good story-teller he was and how the reader gets caught up in the story. I guess in some ways that was necessary because of the serialized way the novels were originally published, but this reader finds it engaging and very each to be drawn through the story.
While I missed my friends from The Three Musketeers, I was happy too make friends of the characters in this novel. Maurice and Lorin were likable, which made me want to root for them to succeed through the book. The villains were completely unlikable and the reader really dies want to kick them all, if not run them through with a sword.
I am not sure this qualifies as “great literature,” and I am not sure this should be the Dumas work chosen for required reading, if in fact one is at all, but it’s well worth the read and a galloping good journey through a vicious period in France’s history.
This book is set during the Reign of Terror, after King Louis XVI was beheaded but before Marie Antoinette suffered the same fate. It’s based on the real “Affair of the Carnation” in which notes were passed to the Queen in captivity through a carnation. Putting notes into the carnation was ingenious, though in real life, as in the book, the attempt failed. One of the best things about Dumas’ fiction to me is the fact that he based it on real-life events, so while it’s not an accurate history lesson, it can at least prompt someone to go find out more about the real story. And weaving real people into the narrative is always fun. Many authors before and since have used this device.
Overall the book was very good. Each time I come back to Dumas’ works, i forget what a good story-teller he was and how the reader gets caught up in the story. I guess in some ways that was necessary because of the serialized way the novels were originally published, but this reader finds it engaging and very each to be drawn through the story.
While I missed my friends from The Three Musketeers, I was happy too make friends of the characters in this novel. Maurice and Lorin were likable, which made me want to root for them to succeed through the book. The villains were completely unlikable and the reader really dies want to kick them all, if not run them through with a sword.
I am not sure this qualifies as “great literature,” and I am not sure this should be the Dumas work chosen for required reading, if in fact one is at all, but it’s well worth the read and a galloping good journey through a vicious period in France’s history.
April 16, 2012
While the story was intriguing and filled with suspense (I had to constantly remind myself that Marie Antoinette did not, in fact, survive), the translation left much to be desired. Was the translator trying to make it more 'accessible' to the modern reader? Phrases like 'Let's crush this bastard legally!' and 'Lawyers will have a field day with him!' had me cringing throughout.
There must be a better translation out there. There has to be.
There must be a better translation out there. There has to be.
March 4, 2018
Je voudrais simplement dire que je suis vraiment très amoureuse du personnage de Lorin. Je l'aime d'un amour fou.
J'étais tellement imprégnée de l'époque et de l'ambiance, qu'en finissant le bouquin je me suis enfilée quinze émissions sur le sujet. A l'aide.
13/10/2017: je me rends compte que ce livre me manque énormément.
04/03/2018 : ce livre me manque toujours ; il faut que je le relise!
J'étais tellement imprégnée de l'époque et de l'ambiance, qu'en finissant le bouquin je me suis enfilée quinze émissions sur le sujet. A l'aide.
13/10/2017: je me rends compte que ce livre me manque énormément.
04/03/2018 : ce livre me manque toujours ; il faut que je le relise!
April 15, 2021
Not nearly in a class with the best Dumas, alas. I liked the bits with Marie Antoinette but wasn't very interested in the swooning romantic leads. Also, the translation wasn't to my taste. I personally prefer to get the flavor of the original language, and modern expressions like "for crying out loud", "pronto", and "you miserable creep" just throw me right out.
September 13, 2008
The story begins in March 1793 as Louis XVI has been beheaded, Marie Antoinette and her children are imprisoned and the Committee for Public Safety has unleashed The Reign of Terror. Unaware of a curfew, a young woman is stopped by members of the National Guard but saved from arrest by Civic Guard office Maurice Lindey. The woman disappears into the night but the enchanted Maurice finally locates her, and becomes friends with Genevieve and her older husband (who finds Maurice to be useful in his royalist plots). In the meantime, all Paris is abuzz over the mysterious Chevalier de Maison Rouge and his heroic attempts to secrete Marie Antoinette away from her fate with the guillotine.
The story then goes back and forth between that of Maurice and his beloved Genevieve and a recounting of the final days of Marie (now called Madame Capet) and the various schemes of several royalist parties to save her. Although I did enjoy this book very much (it _is_ Dumas), this one just didn't come off with the excitement and flare the previous six have done. Perhaps after six books I was approaching burn out, perhaps it's because there was no sign of my favorite characters from the first five books, but this one just didn't knock my socks off -- although I very much enjoyed the love story between Genevieve and Maurice. They were very touching and I doubt I'll ever look at a carnation the same way again. Have the tissue handy for the ending.
I do want to caution potential readers of this series to research carefully which edition you purchase -- there are some bad translations out there that can seriously impact your reading experience. The best luck I've had is with the early 1900's translations published by a P F Collier and Sons. The entire series, in order:
Joseph Balsamo
Memoirs of a Physician
The Queen's Necklace
Taking the Bastile
The Countess de Charny
The Chevalier de Maison Rouge (or The Knight of the Maison-Rouge)
The story then goes back and forth between that of Maurice and his beloved Genevieve and a recounting of the final days of Marie (now called Madame Capet) and the various schemes of several royalist parties to save her. Although I did enjoy this book very much (it _is_ Dumas), this one just didn't come off with the excitement and flare the previous six have done. Perhaps after six books I was approaching burn out, perhaps it's because there was no sign of my favorite characters from the first five books, but this one just didn't knock my socks off -- although I very much enjoyed the love story between Genevieve and Maurice. They were very touching and I doubt I'll ever look at a carnation the same way again. Have the tissue handy for the ending.
I do want to caution potential readers of this series to research carefully which edition you purchase -- there are some bad translations out there that can seriously impact your reading experience. The best luck I've had is with the early 1900's translations published by a P F Collier and Sons. The entire series, in order:
Joseph Balsamo
Memoirs of a Physician
The Queen's Necklace
Taking the Bastile
The Countess de Charny
The Chevalier de Maison Rouge (or The Knight of the Maison-Rouge)
October 22, 2020
دوك حيرت زده برگشت و چشمش به خانم دوپاري افتاد و با مسرتي زياد كه معلوم نبود طبيعي يا ساختگي است گفت: آه... كنتس عزيز، شما مثل هميشه زيبا و شاداب هستيد و متشكرم كه از همه زودتر آمديد.
دوپاري گفت: دوست عزيز، من تقريبا از سرما منجمد شده ام.
دوك گفت: خواهش مي كنم به بودوار تشريف بياوريد.
دوپاري با غمزه اي مليح گفت: آخر من چطور با شما تنها، در بودوار باشم؟
در اين هنگام صداي ديگري شنيده شد كه گفت: تنها نيستيد بلكه سه نفر مي باشيد.
دوپاري گفت: دوست عزيز، من تقريبا از سرما منجمد شده ام.
دوك گفت: خواهش مي كنم به بودوار تشريف بياوريد.
دوپاري با غمزه اي مليح گفت: آخر من چطور با شما تنها، در بودوار باشم؟
در اين هنگام صداي ديگري شنيده شد كه گفت: تنها نيستيد بلكه سه نفر مي باشيد.
July 17, 2017
Un clásico que todo mundo debe de leer!!!
September 21, 2020
Much adventure and little character development! Dumas empathy for the royalists comes through strongly.
June 27, 2022
Alexandre Dumas sapeva bene come costruire un racconto frenetico di avventura e romanticismo, mescolando storia e finzione e creando un'atmosfera di intrighi e capovolgimenti mozzafiato.
Il cavaliere di Maison-Rouge, scritto solo tre anni dopo I tre moschettieri e Il conte di Montecristo, tuttavia è obiettivamente meno accattivante delle sue opere più celebri.
Pubblicato come al solito nelle vesti di romanzo a puntate, il romanzo passa velocemente da un capitolo all'altro raccontando la storia di Maurice Lindey, un giovane patriota e rivoluzionario che ha la sfortuna di innamorarsi di Genevieve, un'aristocratica sposata con un intrigante monarchico, lottando così tra la sua lealtà alla Repubblica e il suo amore per la donna, il tutto mentre cerca di smascherare un monarchico, il cavaliere del titolo, che complotta per salvare la regina Maria Antonietta, imprigionata come storicamente noto.
Sicuramente esuberante e dalla narrativa energica, non brilla ma è perfetto da leggere se non si è neofiti dell'autore.
Il cavaliere di Maison-Rouge, scritto solo tre anni dopo I tre moschettieri e Il conte di Montecristo, tuttavia è obiettivamente meno accattivante delle sue opere più celebri.
Pubblicato come al solito nelle vesti di romanzo a puntate, il romanzo passa velocemente da un capitolo all'altro raccontando la storia di Maurice Lindey, un giovane patriota e rivoluzionario che ha la sfortuna di innamorarsi di Genevieve, un'aristocratica sposata con un intrigante monarchico, lottando così tra la sua lealtà alla Repubblica e il suo amore per la donna, il tutto mentre cerca di smascherare un monarchico, il cavaliere del titolo, che complotta per salvare la regina Maria Antonietta, imprigionata come storicamente noto.
Sicuramente esuberante e dalla narrativa energica, non brilla ma è perfetto da leggere se non si è neofiti dell'autore.
May 6, 2020
This book is sublime. This was my second time reading it, after initially reading it two years ago. While on my first pass I had read it as a standalone novel, this time I approached it as the conclusion to the Marie Antoinette romances. It works in either capacity, but keep in mind that Knight of Maison-Rouge was written first, although occurring last, chonologically.
Thus, while we first meet the enigmatic Knight of Maison-Rouge in the present volume, we have to turn to Joseph Balsamo and the Queen’s Necklace to learn all about his powerful bond with Antoinette. I only wish Dumas had made it easier to revel in the continuity of these characters’ arcs throughout the entire epic series. In Maison-Rouge we learn the knight’s name is Armand; in Balsamo we know him as Philippe de Taverney. In Maison-Rouge he’s described as short, with “spindly legs,” which doesn’t square with my image of him from the other books. His age is sometimes described as mid-to-late thirties, which is consistent with the earlier timeline; at other times, he’s described as ten years younger. At one point the queen claims never to have seen the knight before; but the knight later states that “she was my protectress”. It’s possible to either reconcile each of these statements or to ignore them, but it’s unfortunate having to read through the story with the nagging question of, “wait, is this Philippe or not?” Well, it is – but Dumas wasn’t necessarily thinking ahead to how Maison-Rouge would figure in later stories.
Another thing to keep in mind, relating to this book having appeared first: Dumas hadn’t fleshed out the entire world he was about to unleash throughout the subsequent volumes. Other than the Queen and the Knight, there are no familiar faces; as far as the other characters go, Countess de Charny is the real conclusion, being Dumas’ final venture into that particular era. Instead, much of the main action revolves around Maurice and Lorin: two unforgettable new heroes, whose bond reminds me somewhat of Jules et Jim in the early scenes of the film by the same name.
And for anybody thinking of tackling the Marie Antoinette romances, and is unsure whether to read Knight of Maison-Rouge first or last: why not both!
Thus, while we first meet the enigmatic Knight of Maison-Rouge in the present volume, we have to turn to Joseph Balsamo and the Queen’s Necklace to learn all about his powerful bond with Antoinette. I only wish Dumas had made it easier to revel in the continuity of these characters’ arcs throughout the entire epic series. In Maison-Rouge we learn the knight’s name is Armand; in Balsamo we know him as Philippe de Taverney. In Maison-Rouge he’s described as short, with “spindly legs,” which doesn’t square with my image of him from the other books. His age is sometimes described as mid-to-late thirties, which is consistent with the earlier timeline; at other times, he’s described as ten years younger. At one point the queen claims never to have seen the knight before; but the knight later states that “she was my protectress”. It’s possible to either reconcile each of these statements or to ignore them, but it’s unfortunate having to read through the story with the nagging question of, “wait, is this Philippe or not?” Well, it is – but Dumas wasn’t necessarily thinking ahead to how Maison-Rouge would figure in later stories.
Another thing to keep in mind, relating to this book having appeared first: Dumas hadn’t fleshed out the entire world he was about to unleash throughout the subsequent volumes. Other than the Queen and the Knight, there are no familiar faces; as far as the other characters go, Countess de Charny is the real conclusion, being Dumas’ final venture into that particular era. Instead, much of the main action revolves around Maurice and Lorin: two unforgettable new heroes, whose bond reminds me somewhat of Jules et Jim in the early scenes of the film by the same name.
And for anybody thinking of tackling the Marie Antoinette romances, and is unsure whether to read Knight of Maison-Rouge first or last: why not both!
January 26, 2020
This can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. Only few characters from the previous books in the series made an appearance here, most notably Marie Antoinette.
The story is once again very dramatic and tense. The Reign of Terror is in its prime. The people in Paris are thirsty for blood and for spectacles. The imprisoned queen patiently waits for her doom, while a handful of loyal supporters desperately try to set her free. And a devoted Republican falls deeply in love with a young and beautiful noblewoman.
As a person, who read the previous four books, my only criticism was that I was really expecting Philippe de Taverney to be a prominent figure here. I don't think he was properly removed from the story, having in mind what an important character her was in the first two books.
The story is once again very dramatic and tense. The Reign of Terror is in its prime. The people in Paris are thirsty for blood and for spectacles. The imprisoned queen patiently waits for her doom, while a handful of loyal supporters desperately try to set her free. And a devoted Republican falls deeply in love with a young and beautiful noblewoman.
As a person, who read the previous four books, my only criticism was that I was really expecting Philippe de Taverney to be a prominent figure here. I don't think he was properly removed from the story, having in mind what an important character her was in the first two books.
April 19, 2021
Difficile de ne pas haïr la Révolution, en particulier la Terreur, après cette lecture.
Dumas se montre nettement royaliste en dénonçant avec ironie les absurdités du langage révolutionnaire, du calendrier révolutionnaire, la tyrannie et l'arbitraire des tribunaux révolutionnaires, les innovations religieuses autour de l'Être suprême et de la Déesse Raison. On aurait pu deviner son positionnement en prêtant attention aux titres de plusieurs de ses ouvrages : Comte de Monte Cristo, Comtesse de Charny, Vicomte de Bragelonne, Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, etc. la noblesse est à l'honneur ! Il présente la famille royale et ses amis revêtus de sentiments nobles, rapporte l'exécution de Marie-Antoinette comme celle d'un martyr. Nous sommes en effet en 1793.
Deux récits sont emboités : celui des conspirations pour libérer la reine et celui des amours d'un révolutionnaire zélé. Le thème des amours personnels et de l'amour de "la cause" est omniprésent : Maurice, notre révolutionnaire, préfère-t-il la Révolution à sa Geneviève ? Le chevalier de Maison-Rouge aime-t-il Marie-Antoinette en tant que reine ou que femme ? Lorin place-t-il l'amitié au-dessus de la République ?
Bien écrit, on est vite captivé par la trame du récit. Dumas a cette capacité à nous faire "sentir" l'esprit d'une époque dans son quotidien, son langage et ses tourments.
Dumas se montre nettement royaliste en dénonçant avec ironie les absurdités du langage révolutionnaire, du calendrier révolutionnaire, la tyrannie et l'arbitraire des tribunaux révolutionnaires, les innovations religieuses autour de l'Être suprême et de la Déesse Raison. On aurait pu deviner son positionnement en prêtant attention aux titres de plusieurs de ses ouvrages : Comte de Monte Cristo, Comtesse de Charny, Vicomte de Bragelonne, Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, etc. la noblesse est à l'honneur ! Il présente la famille royale et ses amis revêtus de sentiments nobles, rapporte l'exécution de Marie-Antoinette comme celle d'un martyr. Nous sommes en effet en 1793.
Deux récits sont emboités : celui des conspirations pour libérer la reine et celui des amours d'un révolutionnaire zélé. Le thème des amours personnels et de l'amour de "la cause" est omniprésent : Maurice, notre révolutionnaire, préfère-t-il la Révolution à sa Geneviève ? Le chevalier de Maison-Rouge aime-t-il Marie-Antoinette en tant que reine ou que femme ? Lorin place-t-il l'amitié au-dessus de la République ?
Bien écrit, on est vite captivé par la trame du récit. Dumas a cette capacité à nous faire "sentir" l'esprit d'une époque dans son quotidien, son langage et ses tourments.
August 5, 2017
"C’est que l’on a souvent pour ennemis des gens qu’on voudrait avoir pour amis."
I didn't even realize how much this book dragged me into the plot, how much I got involved. I also noticed, that A.Dumas' books are always full of education history wise. When you finish reading one of his books, you feel like you've learned so much more about the times the action took it's place.
This time I re-lived the XVIIIth, French revolution. Imagined myself walking down the streets of not so stable and safe Paris, following the characters of the book. And I loved every page of it.
I feel like Lorin deserves a golden medal for "The best 'best friend' of all time". Really. I loved his poetic and enthusiastic soul. Lorin - A friend that everybody NEEDS to have.
I didn't even realize how much this book dragged me into the plot, how much I got involved. I also noticed, that A.Dumas' books are always full of education history wise. When you finish reading one of his books, you feel like you've learned so much more about the times the action took it's place.
This time I re-lived the XVIIIth, French revolution. Imagined myself walking down the streets of not so stable and safe Paris, following the characters of the book. And I loved every page of it.
I feel like Lorin deserves a golden medal for "The best 'best friend' of all time". Really. I loved his poetic and enthusiastic soul. Lorin - A friend that everybody NEEDS to have.
January 1, 2015
The first thing I realized in reading this book was that I have a woeful lack of knowledge about the French Revolution. I now have to remedy that, so suggestions for good non-fiction accounts of the French Revolution are being accepted. :-)
I genuinely loved this book; it is definitely a "swashbuckler," but in all the best ways -- a great, dramatic tale, with great, honor-bound characters. I had somehow skipped over Dumas prior to this, but now will go back to scoop up the Three Musketeers and Count of Monte Cristo at some point. If you are in the mood for historical fiction, this is a worthy read.
I genuinely loved this book; it is definitely a "swashbuckler," but in all the best ways -- a great, dramatic tale, with great, honor-bound characters. I had somehow skipped over Dumas prior to this, but now will go back to scoop up the Three Musketeers and Count of Monte Cristo at some point. If you are in the mood for historical fiction, this is a worthy read.
June 25, 2007
Set during the French Revolution, this story centres around the imprisoned Marie Antoinette and a ring of royalists led by a shadowy figure calling himself the Knight of Maison-Rougue. Full of secret messages, hidden identities, attempted jail breaks, denunciations and executions.
Exciting story, but fairly predictable. It was obvious to me from early on in the book what all of the secrets were, and the fact that this was so transparent, made the main character, Maurice, look pretty oblivious.
June 4, 2016
Dumas's (almost) lost novel is set in 1793 Paris and involves a small group of conspirators surrounding a man known as the Knight of Maison-Rouge (loosely based on a true historical figure) who hatch a number of plots to free the imprisoned Queen Marie Antoinette. Intrigue, adventure, heroism and romance - Dumas is entertaining as ever in this lates of his tales to find its way onto my bookshelves. Lorin with his penchant for silly poetry and steadfast loyalty has instantly become one of favourite Dumas characters.
December 12, 2016
#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.
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.
June 18, 2016
A very good book and easy read. Completely different in style compared to his other works in the same genre, more so, classed as a romantic work.
December 7, 2022
Ni le plus méconnu des romans de Dumas, ni le meilleur. Je vous le conseille quand même si vous cherchez une version plus tragique du Mouron Écarlate.
Petit résumé : un groupe de royalistes mené par le chevalier de Maison-Roue complote pour faire échapper Marie-Antoinette de la prison du Temple. En même temps, un révolutionnaire nommé Maurice s’éprend de l’épouse de l’un des conspirateurs. Des aventures, des mensonges, et multiples morts s’ensuivent.
D’un côté, j’aime beaucoup les histoires mettant en scène la Révolution française, et qui d’autre que Dumas pourrait y situer une aventure de cape et d’épée ? D’un autre côté, la trame est un peu éparpillée et les personnages manquent de crédibilité. Le héros Maurice est supposément un patriote de la Révolution, mais il veut bien trahir sa cause pour les beaux yeux de Geneviève, une jeune femme mariée.
D’ailleurs, parlons un peu de Geneviève : on nous la présente comme étant une personne courageuse, dévouée à ceux qui lui sont chers et prête à tout pour les aider. Et pourtant, elle n'agit que pour les autres dans ce roman. Quand il s’agit de poursuivre ses propres désirs, elle s’efface et baisse les bras. Quand elle se donne enfin à son amoureux, elle le fait comme un sacrifice de sa pureté, une simple manière de racheter son comportement envers Maurice (un comportement qui, d’ailleurs, lui avait été imposé par son mari, mais bon, je passe). Bref, je trouve que c’est dommage qu’elle n’ait pas eu droit à un plus beau rôle.
Le chevalier éponyme apparait à peine dans le roman, et seulement à gros coups de pinceau, comme une ébauche vite faite, sans plus d’explication.
Enfin, j’avoue que la fin du roman expie toutes ses fautes. Maurice, Geneviève, et Lorin ensemble, c’est une scène inoubliable et profondément émouvante par son écriture.
Conseillé aux amateurs de Dumas, de romans historiques, et d’histoires de casse (le tout enrobé d’une sauce au romantisme du XIXème siècle).
Petit résumé : un groupe de royalistes mené par le chevalier de Maison-Roue complote pour faire échapper Marie-Antoinette de la prison du Temple. En même temps, un révolutionnaire nommé Maurice s’éprend de l’épouse de l’un des conspirateurs. Des aventures, des mensonges, et multiples morts s’ensuivent.
D’un côté, j’aime beaucoup les histoires mettant en scène la Révolution française, et qui d’autre que Dumas pourrait y situer une aventure de cape et d’épée ? D’un autre côté, la trame est un peu éparpillée et les personnages manquent de crédibilité. Le héros Maurice est supposément un patriote de la Révolution, mais il veut bien trahir sa cause pour les beaux yeux de Geneviève, une jeune femme mariée.
D’ailleurs, parlons un peu de Geneviève : on nous la présente comme étant une personne courageuse, dévouée à ceux qui lui sont chers et prête à tout pour les aider. Et pourtant, elle n'agit que pour les autres dans ce roman. Quand il s’agit de poursuivre ses propres désirs, elle s’efface et baisse les bras. Quand elle se donne enfin à son amoureux, elle le fait comme un sacrifice de sa pureté, une simple manière de racheter son comportement envers Maurice (un comportement qui, d’ailleurs, lui avait été imposé par son mari, mais bon, je passe). Bref, je trouve que c’est dommage qu’elle n’ait pas eu droit à un plus beau rôle.
Le chevalier éponyme apparait à peine dans le roman, et seulement à gros coups de pinceau, comme une ébauche vite faite, sans plus d’explication.
Enfin, j’avoue que la fin du roman expie toutes ses fautes. Maurice, Geneviève, et Lorin ensemble, c’est une scène inoubliable et profondément émouvante par son écriture.
Conseillé aux amateurs de Dumas, de romans historiques, et d’histoires de casse (le tout enrobé d’une sauce au romantisme du XIXème siècle).
April 9, 2024
I absolutely loved this book, and I don’t think that it gets enough credit as it hides in the shadow of Dumas’s other works (The Count of Monte Cristo / D’artagnan Romances). But the tale is magical, recounting the last days of Marie Antoinette and the various Royalist plots to free her. The two main characters are romantic, light-hearted, and whimsical, a complete contrast to the madness of the Terror happening in the background. It’s a funny peculiarity with Dumas as the Knight of Maison Rouge is in fact more a secondary character, the reader learns little of his background, why is he so loyal to the former Queen, a similar case with Diximer, their background remains a mystery. I found this peculiarity in the Man in the Iron Mask, who was finally only a periphery character in the climax of the D’artagnan series.
One thing I really appreciate about Dumas is his style of writing which allows the reader to really imagine the colors, the landscapes, the emotions of each scene, his books really stand the test of time. The ending unfortunately is tragic, there is no walking off into the sunshine for the two lovers Maurice and Genevieve. Lorin rather bravely accepts his death humorously while the villain Simon is appraised by a regime that operates on innuendo and public denunciations.
It is somewhat a shame that the three characters seem to accept their condemnation and that a showdown exposing Diximer as the master manipulator and Simon as a petulant schemer is not offered up as a conclusion. The reader instead gets death of the three main characters and Maison Rouge delivered through love, friendship and unquestionable loyalty.
December 8, 2021
I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK!
During the summer, I did not have much to do so I spent the majority of it sitting around and doing nothing until I remembered that I had this book in my room!
I read the first pages and did not think much of it until I made it halfway and fell in love with the plot and the storytelling. The dynamic between Louis and Maurice is one most people wish for and Louis was so funny throughout the book. I loved his digs at Simon oh my god.
Maurice is genuinely a good character. He's respectful and I wish I could take off a point for his borderline obsessive love for someone that didn't really care for him (he's a sad simp) but my love for this masterpiece of a work stops me from doing so.
During the summer, I did not have much to do so I spent the majority of it sitting around and doing nothing until I remembered that I had this book in my room!
I read the first pages and did not think much of it until I made it halfway and fell in love with the plot and the storytelling. The dynamic between Louis and Maurice is one most people wish for and Louis was so funny throughout the book. I loved his digs at Simon oh my god.
Maurice is genuinely a good character. He's respectful and I wish I could take off a point for his borderline obsessive love for someone that didn't really care for him (he's a sad simp) but my love for this masterpiece of a work stops me from doing so.
September 17, 2023
4.5 ☀️
C'est une lecture pour l'école. Je ne m'attendais pas à ce qu'il soit aussi bon et aussi bien! Les personnes sont super attachantes et la romance très bien exploité. Mon personnage préféré est Lorin, le meilleur ami de Maurice, vraiment un petit coeur. 💗
C'est une lecture pour l'école. Je ne m'attendais pas à ce qu'il soit aussi bon et aussi bien! Les personnes sont super attachantes et la romance très bien exploité. Mon personnage préféré est Lorin, le meilleur ami de Maurice, vraiment un petit coeur. 💗
March 29, 2024
შეუძლებელია სახელმწიფომ, რომელიც ქალებსა და ბავშვებს ასე ექცევა (საერთოდ არ აქვს მნიშვნელობა, ვინ არიან ისინი), დიდხანს იარსებოს და ასეც მოხდა. ბევრი კარგი ადამიანი კი შეეწირა მარია-ანტუანეტას ხსნის მცდელობას - რეალურად არსებულნი და დიუმას გამოგონილნი.
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