The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

The Black Tulip - Week 3 (Chapters 17 - 24)

A lot of excitement in this week's reading.

"Jacob" makes an appearance but we all know who he really is even before we're told, yes? It surprised me how quickly and easily Gryphus accepted this new friend and allowed him unfettered access to him and the jail.

Rosa's reaction to Cornelius' passion over the black tulip took me by surprise. She seemed to be on board and right there with him, which I think is evidenced by the fact that she planted the bulb based on his instructions even when she wasn't speaking to him. Do you follow her line of reasoning?

Jacob/Boxtel is back to his old tricks of spying, this time on Rosa. His stealing the flower certainly was not a surprise to me. However, since Rosa sent word to the President of the Horticultural Society about the black tulip and now that Boxtel is in possession of it, any ideas on how this is going to play out?

Yes, it was pretty clear right away who "Jacob" was. I thought Rosa's reaction was pretty natural. She wants to help, and she knows if the tulip is to grow it has to be planted at a certain time and in a certain way, but of course she'd be jealous at Cornelius's passion for it. And then it made her question whether she'd actually be someone Cornelius would be interested in if he wasn't stuck in jail.

Things started moving pretty fast near the end of this section, and I did read on to finish the book (in one sitting - I wanted to see what happened!), so I won't add more.

I am reading the book in French and am amused that the word for tulip bulb is the same as the word for onion "oignon" - I assume that botanically speaking they are related. The word for the part of the bulb is "cailleu" - what does it say for that in the English translation?

It was kind of amusing how Rosa became jealous of the tulip. Cornelius is a bit like anyone with a fascination for a sports team or hobby. He wants to talk about it nonstop. In his case, it always seemed like the money prize wasn't as important to him as the fact of creating something new and naming it.

I suspected Jacob of being Boxtell from the moment he was introduced (based on past experience with Dumas novels, mostly). The timing of this new acquaintance was too convenient to be anyone else.

Lori wrote: "Things started moving pretty fast near the end of this section, and I did read on to finish the book (in one sitting - I wanted to see what happened!), so I won't add more."

I am tempted to read ahead also. For a book supposedly about tulips, there's plenty of suspense and action.

Robin wrote: "The word for the part of the bulb is "cailleu" - what does it say for that in the English translation?"

I don't know French, and I am not exactly certain what it could be referring to without the context. There are three offsets that can be planted as bulbs and grow into a tulip. Onions actually are related to tulips. They are both part of the Liliaceae family, which also includes lilies, garlic, and asparagus. (I don't know much about plants, but you made me curious enough to look it up.)

Robin wrote: "It was kind of amusing how Rosa became jealous of the tulip. Cornelius is a bit like anyone with a fascination for a sports team or hobby. He wants to talk about it nonstop. In his case, it always seemed like the money prize wasn't as important to him as the fact of creating something new and naming it.."

I thought that was amusing too. I've known some men in real life who seemed to love their truck or favorite team more than their wife or children. I do think Cornelius did care more about the act of creating something new than money. He seemed to live comfortably before being imprisoned, so he didn't need the money. He really enjoys the science behind altering tulips.

"Offset" must be the term I was looking for. Thanks for researching the other info!

We seem to be reaching a point where the devious and devilish Boxtel will be pitted against Rosa’s intelligence and fortitude in the fight for recognition of who actually grew the tulip. Rosa has been the most active in these chapters with her father being a continuing thorn in their sides.

I don’t think Cornelius’ passion for his tulips was too obsessive. If you consider anyone who reaches the top in their particular field, they have to be fully committed, avoiding all distractions. Rosa, after her initial jealousy, gradually comes to realise this and begins to believe that Cornelius’ feelings for her are also genuine. This is borne out by the way she teases him about marrying someone aged 26/27 as stipulated in his will. I am looking forward to finding out how successful she might be in her mission to thwart Boxtel’s plans of claiming glory (and the money) for the black tulip.