What do you think?
Rate this book
La comtesse de Charny #2/3
غرش طوفان
Alexandre Dumas (also known as Dumas pere) (1802-1870) was one of the most famous French writers of the 19th century. Dumas is best known for the historical novels The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both written within the space of two years, 1844-45, and which belong to the foundation works of popular culture. Dumas' works are fast-paced adventure tales that blend history and fiction."
Hardcover
About the author
Alexandre Dumas
6,222 books12.8k 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 1, 2026
Heimvorteil für das stärkere politische Profil in der englischen Übersetzung, zumal im Finale der Revolutionstrilogie wenig Spielraum für im Deutschen getreulich überlieferte Freizügigkeiten bleibt. Gerade Billets Rachefeldzug gegen alle Instanzen des Ancien Régime wirkt nicht nur besser motiviert, gerade die Galligkeit gegen den König war in Deutschland Anno 1850 wohl Majestätsbeleidigung.
May 23, 2026
Another filler entry in the series. The sections surrounding the royal family’s attempted flight were genuinely thrilling and suspenseful, but the experience was again weighed down by dense, convoluted writing that often made it difficult to follow what was happening. The queen’s character was especially irritating, particularly in her interactions with men, most notably Viscount Charny.
At least the resolution between Charny and Andrea was deeply satisfying and ultimately the emotional payoff I had been waiting for, though I spent much of the book fearing Dumas would deny Andrea any happiness given her long history of suffering. Overall, an average read and far below the standard I usually associate with Dumas. At times, it genuinely made me wonder how much of it he actually wrote himself.
At least the resolution between Charny and Andrea was deeply satisfying and ultimately the emotional payoff I had been waiting for, though I spent much of the book fearing Dumas would deny Andrea any happiness given her long history of suffering. Overall, an average read and far below the standard I usually associate with Dumas. At times, it genuinely made me wonder how much of it he actually wrote himself.
August 13, 2019
The Royal Life Guards or, The Flight of the Royal Family seems to come under the same Goodreads book as The Taking of the Bastille. Although, they are both completely different books, further apart within the same series. Here we see the plight of the French Royal Family – Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette worsen. We (albeit) briefly see the growth of the characters – Agne Pitou, Dr Gilberts and Billet. Despite the initial novel in this set of The Taking of the Bastille, we see Dumas return to his usual style of writing, very French, very romantic, very Royal. His initial flirtation with a more socialist style of writing has come to an end in these works.
From reading between the lines within this book and previous works on the same subject, King Louis XVI is really seen as the accommodating “King of the People” the one willing to change, the man who cares for his subjects and wants to listen. However, less can be said for Marie Antoinette. She is really seen as the sole instigator and perhaps downfall of the Royal Family, the refusal to change, who initially speaks on behalf of the King. Signs the warrants without his knowledge. Now, she refuses to buckle, change, admit defeat, admit that she is wrong and needs to change, even if it were to save herself and the Royal Family itself.
A good book to read, a great writing style, but, would have been nicer to have had a different change of tact, especially considering the subject matter and historical events that were unfolding in France and the world at the time.
It was interesting to note the links and references with what was happening in America at the same period, the idea that revolution was sweeping the world, the notion of not only the down fall of Royalty, but, the notion of Republicanism and the Republic. Although we do have references to the Guillotine and death in the streets in the book. Dumas is very notably himself in his style, for the subject matter, perhaps to ‘romantic’. Looking at Dickens and a Tale of Two Cities, we do have a stark contrast in styles and viewpoints. Dickens is very dark, real, depressing. Dumas seems to continue with showing more of a Royal Romantic view of everything. Perhaps this is what he is synonymous with and doesn’t want to change from it.
From reading between the lines within this book and previous works on the same subject, King Louis XVI is really seen as the accommodating “King of the People” the one willing to change, the man who cares for his subjects and wants to listen. However, less can be said for Marie Antoinette. She is really seen as the sole instigator and perhaps downfall of the Royal Family, the refusal to change, who initially speaks on behalf of the King. Signs the warrants without his knowledge. Now, she refuses to buckle, change, admit defeat, admit that she is wrong and needs to change, even if it were to save herself and the Royal Family itself.
A good book to read, a great writing style, but, would have been nicer to have had a different change of tact, especially considering the subject matter and historical events that were unfolding in France and the world at the time.
It was interesting to note the links and references with what was happening in America at the same period, the idea that revolution was sweeping the world, the notion of not only the down fall of Royalty, but, the notion of Republicanism and the Republic. Although we do have references to the Guillotine and death in the streets in the book. Dumas is very notably himself in his style, for the subject matter, perhaps to ‘romantic’. Looking at Dickens and a Tale of Two Cities, we do have a stark contrast in styles and viewpoints. Dickens is very dark, real, depressing. Dumas seems to continue with showing more of a Royal Romantic view of everything. Perhaps this is what he is synonymous with and doesn’t want to change from it.
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.
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.
January 19, 2021
Historical fiction based on the almost successful escape of King louis xvi of france and the queen Marie Antoinette, when they were later found out they were guillotined during the French Revolution. According to Queen Marie Antoinette's biography written by Stefan Zweig, the escape plan was inspired and planned by her lover a count of Sweden, whom with she had an affair. Zweig's biography that I read was in Spanish, translated from the French, he was an Swiss biographer.
September 21, 2019
Excellent
June 3, 2021
کتابی تاریخی با داستان های به شدت جذاب و پر از شخصیت و فضاسازی های عالی.
در جنگ ها خودمون رو وسط جنگ حس میکنیم و با قهرمان های قصه همه جا میریم.
در جنگ ها خودمون رو وسط جنگ حس میکنیم و با قهرمان های قصه همه جا میریم.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews