La Dame de Monsoreau

The Last Valois #2.1

by Alexandre Dumas

1578 : Charles IX mort, son frère Henri III règne sur la France. Son royaume est divisé par les guerres de Religion, son pouvoir menacé par tous, y compris par son frère cadet, le duc d’Anjou. Lorsque Bussy d’Amboise, valeureux gentilhomme de ce dernier, tombe dans une embuscade tendue par les mignons du roi, il est miraculeusement sauvé et recueilli par une belle inconnue, dont il tombe amoureux. Mais Diane de Méridor est promise à l’infâme comte de Monsoreau, grand veneur du roi… Dès le guet-apens initial, les intrigues, politique et amoureuse, s’entrecroisent. Et Dumas d’offrir avec ce roman, deuxième volet de sa trilogie « Renaissance » (avec La Reine Margot et Les Quarante-Cinq), une fresque historique saisissante tout en renouant avec l’esprit des Trois Mousquetaires : les épées s’entrechoquent, les amours et rivalités se déploient sur les routes de Paris à Angers et à Lyon… Et le règne des Valois s’achève dans un bain de sang.

Genres: Classics, Historical Fiction, Fiction, France, French Literature, Historical, Adventure

1190 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1846

About the author

This 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

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers series, I did not think I would ever read another Dumas book that ranked so highly. Chicot the Jester (also published as La Dame de Monsoreau) proved me wrong. The character of Chicot is impossible not to love, he is both a warrior and comedian, making jokes at his opponents expense as he runs his sword through them. Even the King is fair game for Chicot. The unique thing about this book is that there are actually two protagonists in the story and several antagonists, giving the reader plenty of emotions toward the different characters. This is the second book in the series known as the Valois romances, the first being La Reine Margot and the final being The Forty-Five Guardsman. The entire series is excellent.

[Agir(آگِر) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ای چیکو، ای چیکوی دوس داشتنی

ریویو را با خطاب به دلقک دربار هانری سوم شروع کردم
که هرگاه وارد داستان شد لبخندی بر لبانم نشاند

بعضی شخصیت های الکساندر دوما محبوبیت خاصی پیدا می کنند، از کنت مونت کریستو گرفته تا دارتانیان
رابرت لوئی استیونسن نویسنده نامدار انگلیسی می گوید: پس از شکسپیر، عزیزترین دوست من "دارتانیان" قهرمان داستان سه تفنگدار است

: در مورد کتاب

این کتاب پر از ماجراست
ماجراهای شیرین چیکو (در فارسی شیکو ترجمه شده) با هانری سوم و کشیش ها و اشراف زاده ؛ مخصوصا بازگرداندن سرمایه با بهره آن به دوک دوماین
:D
عشق "دیان و دوبوسی" و نبرد معروف دوبوسی که در تاریخ فرانسه هم ثبت شده است
...و

الکساندر دوما یک نویسنده متبحر در سبک رمانتیسم و رمان تاریخی است که بخاطر کتاب های پرطرفدارش لقب سلطان پاریس را گرفته بود

کتابهای زیادی از الکساندر دوما خوانده ام ولی سه کتابش را بیشتر از بقیه آثارش دوس داشته ام
سه تفنگدار ، ژوزف بالسامو و گردن بند خانوم مونسورو

این کتاب هم بخشی از کتاب گردن بند خانوم مونسورو است که در ایران با نام "قبل از طوفان" توسط ذبیح الله منصوری و "خانم مونسورو" در کتابی دو جلدی توسط دکتر ناصر موفقیان ترجمه شده است

:لینک دانلود پی دی اف کتاب

جلد یک

جلد دو

[Andrei Stoian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romanian review: Indiferent câți ani trec, indiferent cât înaintez în vârstă, se pare că nu va exista un moment în viața mea în care să consider romanele lui Alexandre Dumas prea puerile pentru gustul meu. Mi-am pierdut cu mult timp în urmă dubiile privind talentul extraordinar pe care l-a posedat celebrul scriitor francez. Pornind de la acest talent și de la prolifica lui activitate literară, aș vrea să discut puțin despre teoria conform căreia multe dintre romanele lui Dumas au fost scrise de autori fantomă.
O simplă căutare pe wikipedia mi-a arătat că între 1844 și 1850, Dumas a publicat nu mai puțin de 16 romane, printre care se numără toate cărțile care l-au făcut faimos: ,,Cei trei mușchetari", ,,După douăzeci de ani", ,,Vicontele de Bragelonne", ,,Regina Margot", ,,Doamna de Monsoreau", ,,Laleaua neagră" și ,,Contele de Monte-Cristo". Majoritatea dintre aceste romane sunt volume destul de groase care, în funcție de ediție, depășesc 700-800 de pagini. Abundența aceasta de cărți scrise într-un timp atât de scurt, fără ca valoarea lor să aibă de suferit, este un argument bun pentru teoria scriitorilor fantomă. Ce mi se pare, însă, cu adevărat incredibil este că, citind toate aceste romane (în traducere într-adevăr) nu am simțit în niciun moment că nu ar fi scrise de același om. Nu a existat nicio diferență sesizabilă în ce privește stilul, proza, tipologia personajelor sau atmosfera specifică. Tind să cred că este aproape imposibil ca un singur om să scrie atâtea cărți într-un timp atât de scurt, însă mi-ar fi imposibil să stabilesc, doar parcurgându-le, care este scrisă de Dumas și care nu.
Despre romanul de față nu am foarte multe lucruri noi de spus— lucruri pe care nu le-am spus în recenziile altor cărți semnate de Dumas. Dumas își păstrează stilul epic de a povesti, romanul acesta fiind o alternanță între lupte cu sabia, scene romantice și intrigă politică, deși am rămas cu senzația că avem o tentă către melodramă mult mai puternică decât în alte volume.
Romanul prezintă numeroase conspirații politice, al căror scop final este obținerea tronului Franței. Tronul este râvnit în egală măsură de Henric al-III-lea, fratele său mai mic, François d'Anjou, și de unul dintre cei mai puternici duci din regat, Henric de Guise. În poveste intervin Caterina de Medici și Henric de Navarra, însă joacă un rol mult mai mic decât în primul roman din serie, ,,Regina Margot". Deși avem multe personaje cu o moralitate îndoielnică, care te fac să îi dai dreptate șefului cadrelor din ,,Cel mai iubit dintre pământeni" când spunea că ,,omu' e un intrigant", există și personaje care amintesc de varianta idealizată a cavalerilor și domnițelor, așa cum îi percepeam în copilărie.
Cel mai important exemplu este Louis de Clermont, conte de Bussy— un cavaler curajos, cinstit și onorabil— care este un luptător desăvârșit, fiind protagonistul multor scene de acțiune, una dintre ele fiind parcă desprinsă din John Wick.
Cu toate acestea, personajul meu preferat este Chicot, bufonul regelui, probabil cel mai inteligent personaj. Nu degeabă îi place să spună că el este adevăratul rege al Franței. Chicot are parte de multe momente în care strălucește atât prin curajul său, cât și prin inteligență și viclenie, oferindu-ne multe replici de dialog savuroase, unele dintre ele încărcate de umor.
Am luat în considerare să îi dau cinci stele acestui volum, deznodământul fiind încărcat cu momente epice și memorabile— cel mai remarcabil fiind duelul dintre favoriții regelui și favoriții ducelui d'Anjou. Dar, după cum am zis anterior, parcă acest roman a avut un caracter de melodramă mult mai pronunțat decât altele, iar comparația cu cele mai reușite cărți ale lui Dumas nu mi-a permis să o așez pe aceasta pe aceeași treaptă.



English review: No matter how many years pass or how much older I grow, it seems there will never be a moment in my life when I find Alexandre Dumas' novels too childish for my taste. Long ago, I shed any doubts about the extraordinary talent possessed by the celebrated French writer. Starting from this talent and his prolific literary activity, I’d like to delve briefly into the theory that many of Dumas’ novels were written by ghostwriters.
A quick Wikipedia search revealed that between 1844 and 1850, Dumas published no fewer than 16 novels, including all the works that made him famous: "The Three Musketeers", "Twenty Years After", "The Vicomte of Bragelonne", "Queen Margot", "La Dame de Monsoreau", "The Black Tulip", and "The Count of Monte Cristo". Most of these novels are substantial volumes, often exceeding 700-800 pages, depending on the edition. This sheer abundance of books written in such a short time, without any apparent loss in quality, is a strong argument for the ghostwriter theory.
What’s truly incredible, however, is that, having read all these novels (albeit in translation), I never once felt that they weren’t written by the same person. There was no discernible difference in style, prose, character types, or the specific atmosphere Dumas is known for. I find it almost impossible for a single individual to have produced so many books in such a brief period. Yet, simply by reading them, I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint which might have been written by someone other than Dumas.
As for the novel at hand, I don’t have many new observations to make—nothing I haven’t already mentioned in reviews of Dumas’ other works. He maintains his epic storytelling style, blending sword fights, romantic scenes, and political intrigue. However, this volume seems to lean more heavily toward melodrama than some of his other books.
The novel revolves around numerous political conspiracies, all centered on the struggle for the throne of France. The throne is contested by King Henry III, his younger brother François, Duke of Anjou, and Henry de Guise, one of the kingdom’s most powerful dukes. Catherine de Medici and Henry of Navarre also appear, though their roles are far smaller than in "Queen Margot". While many characters exhibit dubious morals, there are also those who recall the idealized knights and ladies of childhood perception.
The most prominent example is Louis de Clermont, Count of Bussy—a brave, honest, and honorable knight. He is a masterful fighter and features in many action scenes, one of which feels like something straight out of John Wick.
Nevertheless, my favorite character is Chicot, the king’s jester, who is arguably the most intelligent character in the novel. It’s no coincidence that he likes to declare himself the true king of France. Chicot shines in numerous moments, showcasing his courage, wit, and cunning while delivering sharp, humorous dialogue that often steals the scene.
I considered giving this volume five stars, as its conclusion is packed with epic, memorable moments—most notably the duel between the king’s favorites and the Duke of Anjou’s favorites. However, as I mentioned earlier, the novel has a much more pronounced melodramatic tone than others, and comparing it to Dumas’ most accomplished works prevents me from placing it on the same pedestal.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel of sorts to La Reine Margot, this is another classic romantic adventure set against the political in-fighting between Henri III and his brother Duc d'Anjou, as well as the religious wars that raged in C16th France, spearheaded here by the dashing Henri de Guise, Le Balafré.

Structurally, this is very similar to Margot: we have two young and handsome men, and a fraught love triangle between the heroic Bussy d'Amboise, Diana de Monsoreau and her villainous husband. With duels and imprisonment, last-minute escapes and disguises, conspiracies and betrayals, this is fast-paced and entertaining reading. Dumas is an expert at the cliff-hanging chapter end and employs the technique consistently to keep the pages flying.

Readers unsure about the politics of C16th France may need to do a bit of Googling to get the politics and personages straight, especially as Dumas draws so closely on real history. The drawback, of course, is that we know who's going to die and when... The assassination of Bussy d'Amboise is a particularly fine set-piece as he fights off twenty men, killing about fourteen of them before being overcome himself partly through the perfidy of d'Anjou. The disappearance of Diana at the end is odd, but is perhaps an indication of her relative unimportance in the book other that as a figure for Bussy's idealising love.

So this doesn't quite have the sublime drama of Margot, or the political complexity of the later Musketeers books, but Dumas marshals the tropes and figures of romantic adventure very well.

[Jose Moa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some day fall in my hands this novel and only a little late i knew that is the continuation of La Reina Margot,it is mainly located in Paris in 1578.
Awesome novel of adventures, intriges,murders ,history, and as a subplot a imposible and tragic love between La Dama de Monserau and Bussy Dambroise who in the end is ambushed and killed.
Is followed by the novel Los Cuarenta y Cinco

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a novel by Alexandre Dumas is always a treat: it brings back the kind of joy of reading that I experienced as a kid, and it immerses me into the convoluted, but deeply entertaining, world of French history I grew up with. Dumas has a way of bringing History alive that nobody can really match - even if he sometimes twists real events to make them fit what his imagination prefers. This book is massive (close to 1000 pages), complex, and in some ways more old-fashioned than The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. There are myriads of things happening here (which I guess can be a bit disconcerting for some readers) and Dumas definitely takes his time installing the story and moving it forward. But what a story! What fascinating heroes (most of them have existed) ! Dumas is not afraid of melodrama, and he knows how to make it work superbly - he's also incredibly gifted at describing all the plots that heated up the King's court during the reign of the Valois, and he cleverly uses them to construct a highly suspenseful and elaborate historical saga. What's most surprising, maybe, is Dumas' wonderful sense of humor and wit, which are especially evident in some of the dialogues and in the character of Chicot, the court jester, a wonderfully charismatic character. The last chapters, filled with tragedy, are much more moving than one would have expected. No wonders this novel was one of Dumas' greatest successes.

[Stuart Lutzenhiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. 2nd in the series of the Henrys after Queen Margot. It tells of a noble man who is in love with Diana of Meridor who is loved by the King's huntschief who..... well, you can see where it gets complicated. There is a plot to unseat the King. I really loved this book although it would have been easier to keep the characters straight if I knew the history better.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5

[Dangermousie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to pick the book that shaped my childhood, this would be it. Oh God, this was such a childhood favorite of mine.

Political intrigues, tragic lovers (I bawled so much at the end that it could have been legitimately labeled hysterics), a deliciously tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and plots-within-plots. Still so very good, after all these years.

Diana, our heroine, is not that interesting, I confess (her best friend Jeanne is about twenty times more exciting and awesome), but the rest - the pragmatic, irreverent Chicot, who genuinely loves his weak King, Henri III (a fascinating character in his own right), the various Guises, the villanous Duke d'Anjou, the irrepresible and crushworthy St Luc and Jeanne, the gluttonous monk friend of Chicot, the sinister Monsoreau, and of course, the hot-tempered, proud, and passionate Bussy, Diana's lover and my ultimate childhood crush (I shudder to think how Dumas influenced my real-life preferences in men).

In fact, I am probably going to go reread it right now!

[Janez · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was younger, I remember watching a French TV series La Dame de Monsoreau. It was, like any other French TV series from the 1970's (humph). However, the book is so much more richer in details, that it beats the TV series on the whole scale.
Dumas and his co-worker had a very vivid imagination when it comes to the two main characters. The noble, courageous and chevaleresque comte de Bussy differs very much from his historic representation. And Diane de Meridor-Monsoreau is, let's face it, very fade. I was really drawn to the character of the jester, Chicot, and to that of Gorenflot. Chicot,funny,cynnical,noble,philosophical, protective and compassionate-what is not to like in him? And Gorenflot, the debauched monk, who likes nothing better than a good meal? He reminds me of certain personnae from Francois Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel.
I highly recommend La Dame de Monsoreau to anyone who likes romance, political intrigues, mysteries, humour and a tad of philosophy!!!

[Comte · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai moins apprécié ce tome que le précédent. Il est plus porté sur l'aventure et l'humour que les complots et les intrigues politiques, et je n'aime ni l'aventure, ni rire ! Il y a quand même eu pas mal de politique (ouf) et surtout le personnage de Chicot, qui est le seul autorisé à me faire rire, parce qu'il est incroyable... J'espère retrouver une ambiance plus proche de La Reine Margot dans Les Quarante-Cinq ; mais malgré cette préférence pour le premier tome, la lecture est restée agréable et prenante, avec beaucoup de passages emplis de tension et impossibles à interrompre (et d'autres passages qui correspondaient moins à ces caractéristiques...).
J'ai hésité à mettre trois étoiles, mais comme je l'ai lu en quelques jours, bon, c'est quand même significatif d'une certaine qualité...

[Cyprien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peut être un de mes top 5 chez Dumas, ce qui veut dire beaucoup. 5 étoiles merité, rien que pour Chicot.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second volume in Alexandre Dumas's Valois trilogy, La Dame de Monsoreau is an odd duck--even odder than its previous installment, La Reine Margot, which I found engaging but weirdly divided between multiple stories (which were themselves unpacked into multiple mini-stories).

Monsoreau is similarly split into multiples stories, but unlike in Margot, it's hard to really decide which one should be driving the story. Margot gave us an A-plot (Margot's doomed romance with La Mole, who is himself an object of "true friendship"/romantic passion for his enemy-to-lover, Coconnas), a B-plot (the future Henri IV of France trying not to get murdered), and a C-plot (Valois fam shenanigans & murder & coups and whatnot). Monsoreau, however, has no real star. We get the same structure of a main couple (Bussy... yes that's his name... and the titular Diane de Monsoreau tricked into an unwilling marriage, with a mild-mannered and devoted best friend in Remy, Bussy's doctor), a political figure we're rooting for (or more specifically, a smart little Gascon helping a king survive various attempts to overthrow him, a/k/a Chicot the nobleman/jester ), and a C-plot (the story of the Duke d'Anjou, who is constantly to be overthrow his brother the king while also being a total backstabbing coward). Not to mention the various sideplots.

I like the book, but it reads best in parts, not in one go. It reminds me of a 3-season mini-series, with tonal shifts between wacky comedy and bloody tragedy. No in-between area.

Recommended if you like Dumas, romantic 19th century takes on the 15th century (I bet Dorothy Dunnett fans would enjoy this), or just a fun historical adventure with high stakes and lots of sitcom potential.

[Luis Celhay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es la continuación de "La Reina Margarita" ("La Reine Margot") y todo la novela gira en torno a Diana, su odiado esposo (el conde de Monserau) y dos viejos conocidos: Bussy y el duque de Anjou. Enrique de Navarra aparece de forma esporádica y aleatoria a lo largo de la novela y la tuercas flojas de Margarita no forma parte de la acción, pero hay dos nuevos personajes que le dan vida a toda la historia. El primero es Chicot (un D'Artagnan transmutado en un pérfido bufón que también es gascón) y el segundo un fraile tragón y borracho llamado Gorenfolt.

La novela, como la mayoría de las de Dumas, es larga como la cuaresma, toma un tanto inmersarse en ella y al final uno detesta el haberla terminado por puro miedo a nunca volver a leer algo similar. Y sin afan de querer arruinarles el libro tengo que decir que yo también odio a Monserau, extraño al bueno y leal de Remigio y ¡Bussyyy... !

La historia continúa en "Los cuarenta y cinco".

[Alberto Martín de Hijas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claramente la mejor novela de la trilogía de las Guerras de Religión. No sólo la historia de Bussy d'Amboise y Diana de Monsoreau es muy buena con la combinación de aventura y drama (Y melodrama, claro) que se le daba tan bien a Dumas, si no que, además contamos con la introducción de Chicot, el bufón que es un personaje brillante y que le da a sus peripecias un aire de novela picaresca. Incluso la trama de intrigas dentro de la familia real gana bastante interés al combinarse con las otras dos.

[Jan-Joost Bouwman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe not as good as the first part, but still an entertaining read. Bit confusing that the Duc d'Alencon was now called the Duc of Anjou and the previous Duc of Anjou was now King Henri. But I guess that's because they moved up one step on the ladder. Still a lot of plotting, and plenty of swashbuclinkg (if that is a word). Bit sad that again one of the main characters was killed off, just like in the Queen Margot happened. At least Chicot survived. Although he may get killed in the next volume...

[Djrmel]

One too many intriques for me, I'm afraid. I know that's what Dumas does best, but when the scheming overtakes the characters, I'm out. I did like this version of Henry III, though, and might have hung in there longer if he played a larger part throughout the first 1/3 of the book.

[Gracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you are going to read one dumas in your life, this is the one.

[Helen Azar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how this one slipped through the cracks for me until recently but now it is one of my favorite Dumas novels, definitely up there with The Three Musketeers!

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this books and I loved Chicot!

[Krasimira Stoykova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Една от любимите ми книги на Дюма!

[Chris Purser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. Can't wait to read the next volume in the series.

[Vika · Rating 3 out of 5]

unfortunately, this was the weakest novel by dumas that i've read so far - in part, because he failed to integrate the two almost entirely separate plotlines into a cohesive story. ngl chicot - the king's jester by day, a spy by night - was pretty iconic. reminded me of lymond in his court jester era. chicot & king henri were a fun comedic duo and i was rooting for them. makes sense to me why some of the english editions of this book are called "chicot the jester". by contrast, the titular lady monsoreau has no character traits whatsoever besides being a tragic woman in a love triangle. i mean, on the one hand i never expect much from classics written by men in regards to female characters, but on the other dumas had been known to write some very memorable women, so wtf. finally, her love interest bussy is supposed to be this d'artagnan-esque figure but i just can't take a man whose name is Bussy seriously, i'm sorry.

to some it up, i feel like i should be proud of myself for reading this 1000+ pages tome (in french no less!) and yet i've already forgotten almost everything that happens in it :(

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made the partial proofing of this book and Project Gutenberg will publish it.

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Обожаю элементы плутовского романа у Дюма.

[Chloé · Rating 5 out of 5]

La Dame de Monsoreau reprend l'histoire après les événement de La Reine Margot , mais pas exactement à sa fin non plus. En effet, Henri III est déjà bien installé, le Béarnais et sa femme Marguerite sont exilés en Navarre, et l'on comprend que la cour est bien différente de l'époque de Charles IX. Toutefois, le roi attire des jaloux qui voudraient s'emparer de son trône, notamment son frère le Duc d'Anjou. Au milieu de ces affaires d'héritage et de trahison, se trouve également l'intrigue de la Dame de Monsoreau qui donne son titre au livre. Cette femme au terrible destin est aimé de Bussy, un gentilhomme prêt à tout pour la délivrer de son sort.

Il peut arriver que l'on soit déçu d'une suite lorsque le premier tome plaçait la barre déjà haute. Cependant, Dumas n'en est pas à son premier coup d'essai, et c'est un plaisir de voir qu'une fois de plus, il parvient à nous offrir un second tome aussi excellent que le précédent.

La Dame de Monsoreau se déroule sur une période assez courte, mais dont le contenu est si riche que cela explique la taille du livre. Le roman possède plusieurs intrigues se mêlant et s'entremêlant dans un canevas si bien ficelé qu'il serait impossible d'en retirer une partie sans gâcher le tableau complet.
Si La Reine Margot nous proposait de suivre les complots de la Reine Mère contre Henri de Navarre, La Dame de Monsoreau nous invite à observer les manigances de François contre son frère Henri. Pourtant, point de réchauffé dans cette histoire puisque le Duc d'Anjou n'a pas l'intelligence de sa mère et se fait lui-même manipuler par d'autres personnes. L'auteur a donc établi un véritable jeu de poupées russes où chacun croit manier un pantin sans savoir qu'il est celui de l'autre.
Comme évoqué plus tôt, les attentats envers la couronne ne sont pas les seuls éléments présents dans cette œuvre. L'histoire de la femme éponyme s'avère également fascinante, d'autant plus qu'elle apporte le dernier ingrédient essentiel à toute fiction historique de Dumas : l'amour interdit. Celui-ci débouchant d'ailleurs sur des combats plutôt épiques.

Néanmoins, il est impossible de parler de l'histoire sans évoquer les personnages qui l'animent. Si l'on peut regretter de ne pas retrouver les personnages du premier tome, les remplaçants n'ont pas à rougir tant ils sont intéressants. La plupart d'entre eux sont attachants, comme par exemple Bussy, Saint-Luc ou encore Diane ; d'autres sont amusants comme le pauvre Gorenflot ; mais ceux que l'on n'apprécie pas forcément remplissent parfaitement leur rôle, comme Monsieur de Monsoreau.
Une mention spéciale doit être notée pour le bouffon du roi, Chicot, qui est certainement le personnage le plus complexe du roman. Serviteur du roi, mais également de ses propres intérêts, il n'a pas la langue dans sa poche et nous offre des dialogues particulièrement savoureux. Sans compter que ses aventures, en plus d'être liées à l'histoire principale, sont très divertissantes.

Concernant le style, il n'y a rien à redire. L'écriture de Dumas demeure fidèle à elle-même, fluide, sachant nous décrire toute l'intensité d'un combat ou toute la tension d'une scène, le tout parsemé d'un humour bien à lui. Le seul reproche que l'on pourrait formuler, est la fin qui conclut le roman de façon un peu brutale, mais l'auteur nous promet de le retrouver avec Les Quarante-cinq.

Finalement, La Dame de Monsoreau est un excellent livre et une excellente suite. Dumas parvient encore à nous captiver grâce à son mélange de réalité et de fiction, si bien que les pages se tournent toutes seules une fois l'histoire commencée.

[Hailey Senior · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/4 stars. Can't wait to read the sequel.

[Jennifer Booth · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was not like three musketeers

I grew up and loved Alexandre Dumas works including the three musketeers, but this book doesn't hold a candle to his other work. I found this book as dull as a dry drawing room drama.

[Майя Ставитская · Rating 5 out of 5]

If audiobooks are still a terrible unknown beast for you, then here's a reason for you to overcome skepticism about them: the opportunity to find lost time without sacrificing real time - to listen to the novels of your childhood. It is considered that great works like "War and Peace" can be re-read every two years, and each time they will be revealed from a new side. Another popular opinion is that there are age-related books that can give readers pleasure only up to a certain level of maturity, after they become shallow, boring, the problems seem insignificant, the characters and situations are stilted, the language is deliberate, in general - "never go back to the old places." Alexander Dumas-father, as a rule, is attributed to the second.

My friends and I read it from about ten to twelve years old. It started with "The Three Musketeers", then there were "Twenty Years Later" and the three-volume "Vicomte de Bragelonne", aka Ten years later. I remember that I passionately wanted to get "Queen Margot", about which everyone who happened to read it spoke with delight, but for some reason it was not reissued by coupons, but in the same design as the Musketeer saga, in the same canvas bindings with an embossed pattern, the second and third books of the Dumas-peer trilogy appeared about the Huguenot wars.

So "The Countess de Montsoreau" became our second acquaintance with the literary serials of the great Frenchman. Interestingly, I really read Queen Margot after her and Forty-Five much later, and I consider the first novel the best of the three. But for some reason I didn't want to listen to him again, Margot happened already at the end of dumamania, and Diana and Bussy were my heroes and not only mine - after five minutes of acquaintance with a new friend, having found out that both of us were reading, we agreed to say the name of our favorite hero at Dumas for "one-two-three". and what a joint happiness it was when they synchronously pronounced the syllables "de-Bus-si!"

Once, about twenty years ago, I tried to reread Dumas with my eyes and postponed from the very first chapter. Then I thought that I had finally outgrown the idol of my childhood. Trying to listen to the "Comtesse de Montsoreau" in audio was partly an adventure, part of "is it weak for you?"

Of course, the sorrows of Diana and the valor of Bussy do not evoke the response that they had at the age of eleven. You already perceive all this with a very large degree of skepticism. While the relations of Henry the Third with the minions acquire a somewhat scandalous shade, which was not felt in the chaste Soviet childhood. And Chicot - I didn't understand before when I was told that the real hero of the last two books was a buffoon, but now I appreciated his adventures in full measure, although the exaggerated romanticism of his omniscience and omnipresence from the point of view of narrative authenticity and modern requirements for plot construction is complete nonsense. However, just yesterday I was talking about a completely new novel with about the same level of truth in life. therefore, everything is relative.

The overall impression of this micro-adventure is more than good. Moreover, I continued it by listening to "Forty-five" - a novel that I frankly did not like at first acquaintance and generally considered the worst of what I read at Dumas. When you are doing your own business, and people are reading to you, it's not at all like overcoming fifteen hundred pages in a circle with your eyes.

Дамы и кавалеры
Пускай всё чаще угрожают мне расправой,
Но я и в драке хорош собой! Хорош собой!
Как, голова, ты горяча!
Не стань трофеем палача!
"КиШ"
Если аудиокниги для вас все еще страшный неведомый зверь, то вот вам причина преодолеть уже-таки скепсис в их отношении: возможность обрести потерянное время, не жертвуя временем настоящим - переслушать романы своего детства. Принято считать, что великие произведения, вроде "Войны и мира" можно перечитывать каждые два года, и всякий раз они будут раскрываться с новой стороны. Другое расхожее мнение состоит в том, что есть возрастные книги, способные дарить читательское удовольствие лишь до определенного уровня зрелости, после они мелеют, скучнеют, проблематика кажется незначительной, герои и ситуации ходульными, язык нарочитым, в общем - "никогда не возвращайся в прежние места". Александра Дюма-отца, как правило, относят ко вторым.

Мы с подругами читали его примерно с десяти до двенадцати лет. Началось с "Трех мушкетеров", потом были "Двадцать лет спустя" и трехтомник "Виконта де Бражелона",, он же Десять лет спустя. Помню, что страстно хотела достать "Королеву Марго", о которой все, кому повело прочесть,говорили с восторгом, но ее почему-то не переиздали по талонам, зато в том же дизайне, что мушкетерская сага, в тех же холщовых переплетах с тисненным рисунком появились вторая и третья книга трилогии Дюма-пэра о гугенотских войнах.

Так "Графиня де Монсоро" стала нашим вторым знакомством с литературными сериалами великого француза. Интересно, что "Королеву Марго"я действительно прочла после нее и "Сорока пяти" много позже, и считаю первый роман лучшим из трех. Но переслушать его почему-то не захотелось, Марго случилась уже на исходе дюмамании, а Диана и Бюсси были моими героями и не только моими - после пяти минут знакомства с новой подругой, выяснив, что обе мы читаем, договорились на "раз-два-три" сказать имя своего самого любимого героя у Дюма, и какое это было совместное счастье, когда синхронно выговорили по слогам "де-Бюс-си!"

Как-то, лет двадцать назад, попробовала было перечитывать Дюма глазами и отложила с первой же главы. Тогда подумала, что окончательно переросла кумира своего детства. Попытка слушать "Графиню де Монсоро" в аудио была отчасти авантюрой, частью "а слабо тебе?" Я не ждала, что получу столько удовольствия, но с исполнением Ильи Акинтьева это случилось. Не могу назвать его безупречным, меня все время ставило в тупик междометие "пордьё" - очевидно какой-то аналог восклицания "ради Бога", которое в антиклерикальном переводе моего детство заменяли фразы "какого черта" и "тысяча чертей", то и дело срывавшиеся с уст героев. Но в целом мне понравилось.

Еще одно дополнительное удовольствие - возможность понимать отсылки к мифологическим и историческим анекдотам. В детстве за этим приходилось нырять в примечания после основного текста, сегодня, когда о персонаже говорится, что он был воспитан в традициях тех лаконских граждан, что закаляли характер, скармливая свою печенку лисам - тотчас вспоминается спартанский мальчик с лисенком и так, понимающе, хмыкаешь. Подобного рода мемов по книге разбросано множество.

Конечно, горести Дианы и доблести Бюсси не вызывают того отклика, какой был в одиннадцать лет. Все это уже воспринимаешь, с очень большой долей скепсиса. В то время, как отношения Генриха третьего с миньонами приобретают несколько скандальный оттенок, которого не ощущалось в целомудренном советском детстве. И Шико - прежде не понимала, когда мне говорили, что подлинный герой двух последних книг шут, но сейчас оценила его похождения полной мерой, хотя утрированная романность его всеведения и вездесущести с точки зрения повествовательной достоверности и современных требований к построению сюжета совершенный нонсенс. А впрочем, не далее как вчера я рассказывала о совсем новом романе с примерно тем же уровнем жизненной правды. потому все относительно.

Общее впечатление от этой микро-авантюры более, чем хорошее. Больше того, я продолжила ее прослушиванием "Сорока пяти" - романа, которого откровенно не полюбила в первое знакомство и вообще считала самым скверным из прочитанного у Дюма. Когда занимаешься своими делами, а тебе читают - это совсем не то, что одолеть полторы тысячи страниц на круг глазами.

[Hotaru · Rating 3 out of 5]

La peste soit de cette préface et de ces notes de bas de page !!
Si vous avez comme moi la version folio classique préfacée par Janine Garrisson et que vous avez envie de conserver un minimum de suspense dans votre lecture, NE LES LISEZ PAS ! La préface commence sournoisement par une explication fort utile du contexte historique de l'époque (mes connaissances sur le contexte politique de la France en 1578 étaient un peu poussiéreuses). Puis, ayant endormi la méfiance du lecteur naïf, Janine enchaîne sans transition sur l'analyse du roman en lui-même, en précisant tout de go de quelle manière finit l'histoire... Les notes de bas de page (qui sont répertoriées à la fin du livre de 1000 pages et forcent à des allers-retours fort peu commodes) sont du même acabit. Mention spéciale pour une note de bas de page placée au début d'un duel sous haute tension, qui précise cette information indispensable pour le lecteur : "Dumas anticipe d'un an la mort de X, qui n'interviendra qu'en 1579". A s'arracher les cheveux !!

Sur le fond du roman, malgré la longueur, on retrouve la facilité de lecture et le rythme enlevé des romans d'aventure de Dumas, qui combine complots politiques, duels à morts entre valeureux, histoires d'amours et de jalousies... J'ai eu cependant beaucoup de mal avec le personnage principal, sans défaut, sans peur et sans reproche. L'auteur était tellement dithyrambique que j'avais l'impression de lire du Bob Morane. Un jeu à boire obligeant à vider un shot à chaque mention "du beau, du brave Bussy" aurait rendu l'assistance ivre morte avant le chapitre 3. C'était l'esprit des romans de cape et d'épée de l'époque j'imagine, mais j'ai trop grincé des dents à la lecture pour accorder une 4e étoile.