Scan barcode
halfbloodprinces's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
iamessagarcia's review against another edition
3.0
having read and liked "The Count of Monte Cristo", I was expecting something of the similar genre when I picked this book. The cover is creepy enough and the summary should have warned me that what I am about to read is a compilation of horror stories.
The story telling is dark enough. I could imagined myself, in an unlit room, with the rest of the characters who are in deep exchange of story telling to backed their belief towards death, guillotine, severing one's head, and life. Two particular stories stand out for me and all the while, while reading it, i cannot help but tell myself that if ever the book is adapted into comic books, it will still remain equally or even more creepy.
The story telling is dark enough. I could imagined myself, in an unlit room, with the rest of the characters who are in deep exchange of story telling to backed their belief towards death, guillotine, severing one's head, and life. Two particular stories stand out for me and all the while, while reading it, i cannot help but tell myself that if ever the book is adapted into comic books, it will still remain equally or even more creepy.
laura975's review against another edition
3.0
These stories aren’t so very scary more creepy, but I found them rather unputdownable. Dumas is one of my all time favourite authors & finding this was like a new blanket to curl up with.
giantarms's review against another edition
3.0
The moral of the story:
If you love someone, they will die a grisly death.
If you love someone, they will die a grisly death.
melbsreads's review
4.0
Trigger warnings: death, murder, blood, ghosts.
This was a slightly bizarre book that's essentially a series of monologues from various characters telling ghost stories to an assembled group. The fun part is that Dumas wrote himself into the story, stating that as a 27 year old man, he was called to be a witness in a murder investigation. It was an interesting way to get the story started and on the whole I really enjoyed the different stories. They were full of twists and turns, and there were several endings I didn't see coming. My one small gripe would be that it felt very much like the characters telling a story rather than being immersed in the ghost story itself. If that makes sense???
Anyway, it was a good time and I was pleasantly surprised by it.
This was a slightly bizarre book that's essentially a series of monologues from various characters telling ghost stories to an assembled group. The fun part is that Dumas wrote himself into the story, stating that as a 27 year old man, he was called to be a witness in a murder investigation. It was an interesting way to get the story started and on the whole I really enjoyed the different stories. They were full of twists and turns, and there were several endings I didn't see coming. My one small gripe would be that it felt very much like the characters telling a story rather than being immersed in the ghost story itself. If that makes sense???
Anyway, it was a good time and I was pleasantly surprised by it.
msand3's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. An entertaining collection of ghost stories in the style of the Thousand and One Nights or The Decameron. The frame narrative involves a man who beheads his wife and claims to have seen the head speaking to him. This inspires the local investigating authorities and onlookers (including a fictionalized version of Dumas, who narrates) to tell each other stories of their own first-hand accounts of ghosts and reanimated corpses. However, these are more than merely ghost stories, as an underlying thread throughout the book is the ghoulish and barbaric practice of the death penalty, extending from the use of the guillotine in France’s recent revolutionary past. The tales include a doctor making an examination of whether decapitated heads retain some awareness and sense of pain after execution, a priest relating a story of demonic possession in a hanged criminal, and various other characters telling of aristocratic ghosts, defiled corpses, and vampires. Although not exactly a classic on the level of Dumas’ other works, it certainly makes for a fun couple evenings of reading in the dark, blustery autumn months.
epictetsocrate's review against another edition
3.0
Scumpul meu prieten, mi-ați spus adesea, în timpul acelor seri, prea rare din păcate, când fiecare flecărește după poftă sau își spune visul inimii, fie urmându-și capriciul, fie risipind comoara amintirilor, mi-ați spus adesea că, de la Șeherazada încoace și după Nodier, eu aș fi unul din cei mai amuzanți povestitori din câți ați auzit.
Iată că astăzi îmi scrieți că așteptând un lung roman de la mine, știți, unul din acele romane interminabile cum scriu de obicei și care fac să încapă un secol întreg, ați dori câteva povestiri, două, patru sau cel mult șase volume, sărmane flori din grădina mea, pe care socotiți să le aruncați în mijlocul preocupărilor politice ale clipei de faţă, între procesul de la Bourges, de exemplu, și alegerile din luna mai.
Vai prietene, timpurile sunt triste și povestirile mele, vă previn, nu vor fi vesele. Îmi veți îngădui numai ca, obosit de ceea ce văd petrecându-se zilnic în lumea reală, să-mi caut povestirile în lumea închipuirii. Vai! Mi-e teamă că toate spiritele puțin cultivate, puțin politice, puțin visătoare, să nu fie la această oră acolo unde este și al meu, adică în căutarea idealului, singurul refugiu pe care ni-l lasă Dumnezeu împotriva realității.
Iacă, am aci, în jurul meu, cincizeci de volume deschise pentru o povestire din timpul Regenței pe care am terminat-o și vă rog, dacă veți înțelege de ce, să atrageți atenția mamelor să nu-și lase fiicele s-o citească. Ei bine! Cu asta mă ocup, după cum vă spuneam și, în timp ce vă scriu, iată că privirile îmi cad asupra unei pagini din Memoriile marchizului d’Argenson, unde, dedesubtul cuvintelor: Despre conversația de altădată și despre aceea de astăzi, citesc:
„Sunt convins că pe timpul când palatul Rambouillet dădea tonul societății bune, se asculta bine și se judeca și mai bine. Fiecare își cultiva gustul și spiritul și am văzut modele ale acestui fel de conversație la bătrânii curții pe care i-am frecventat. Aveau cuvântul potrivit, energie și finețe, câteva antiteze, epitete care limpezeau sensul celor spuse, adâncime fără pedanterie, voie bună fără răutate”.
Iată că astăzi îmi scrieți că așteptând un lung roman de la mine, știți, unul din acele romane interminabile cum scriu de obicei și care fac să încapă un secol întreg, ați dori câteva povestiri, două, patru sau cel mult șase volume, sărmane flori din grădina mea, pe care socotiți să le aruncați în mijlocul preocupărilor politice ale clipei de faţă, între procesul de la Bourges, de exemplu, și alegerile din luna mai.
Vai prietene, timpurile sunt triste și povestirile mele, vă previn, nu vor fi vesele. Îmi veți îngădui numai ca, obosit de ceea ce văd petrecându-se zilnic în lumea reală, să-mi caut povestirile în lumea închipuirii. Vai! Mi-e teamă că toate spiritele puțin cultivate, puțin politice, puțin visătoare, să nu fie la această oră acolo unde este și al meu, adică în căutarea idealului, singurul refugiu pe care ni-l lasă Dumnezeu împotriva realității.
Iacă, am aci, în jurul meu, cincizeci de volume deschise pentru o povestire din timpul Regenței pe care am terminat-o și vă rog, dacă veți înțelege de ce, să atrageți atenția mamelor să nu-și lase fiicele s-o citească. Ei bine! Cu asta mă ocup, după cum vă spuneam și, în timp ce vă scriu, iată că privirile îmi cad asupra unei pagini din Memoriile marchizului d’Argenson, unde, dedesubtul cuvintelor: Despre conversația de altădată și despre aceea de astăzi, citesc:
„Sunt convins că pe timpul când palatul Rambouillet dădea tonul societății bune, se asculta bine și se judeca și mai bine. Fiecare își cultiva gustul și spiritul și am văzut modele ale acestui fel de conversație la bătrânii curții pe care i-am frecventat. Aveau cuvântul potrivit, energie și finețe, câteva antiteze, epitete care limpezeau sensul celor spuse, adâncime fără pedanterie, voie bună fără răutate”.
duanur's review against another edition
4.0
I can't believe I haven't heard about this book before. It has my two favourite things: Alexandre Dumas and ghost/supernatural stories.
This was the best "short story collection" I have ever read. The reason why I'm using quotation marks is because it is not really a short story collection. We have 5 characters who are all inspired from real people, our main character being Alexandre Dumas himself. Basically throughout this book each of these characters (except Alexandre Dumas) tell a ghost or a supernatural story they heard or actually encountered themselves. So unlike real short story collections you actually get to know the characters and I even loved some of them.
Before starting the book, it actually has a letter from Alexandre Dumas to -I believe- his editor. And that was such an interesting thing to read as well. It is only a few pages long but I felt like I actually talked to Alexandre Dumas and got to know him better. And since Alexandre Dumas is one of my favourite authors, that was a dream come true for me.
He always combines history, action, mystery, romance so well together. And this book had all of these and more.
I don't know who to recommend this book specifically but I think it is one of those books that everyone can read and enjoy. If you haven't read anything by Alexandre Dumas and you are intimidated by the sizes of his books, this may be a good book to start with.
This was the best "short story collection" I have ever read. The reason why I'm using quotation marks is because it is not really a short story collection. We have 5 characters who are all inspired from real people, our main character being Alexandre Dumas himself. Basically throughout this book each of these characters (except Alexandre Dumas) tell a ghost or a supernatural story they heard or actually encountered themselves. So unlike real short story collections you actually get to know the characters and I even loved some of them.
Before starting the book, it actually has a letter from Alexandre Dumas to -I believe- his editor. And that was such an interesting thing to read as well. It is only a few pages long but I felt like I actually talked to Alexandre Dumas and got to know him better. And since Alexandre Dumas is one of my favourite authors, that was a dream come true for me.
He always combines history, action, mystery, romance so well together. And this book had all of these and more.
I don't know who to recommend this book specifically but I think it is one of those books that everyone can read and enjoy. If you haven't read anything by Alexandre Dumas and you are intimidated by the sizes of his books, this may be a good book to start with.
esttorhe's review against another edition
Libro regular, no muy imaginativo
Tema un poco cliché con matices algo trillados
Sin embargo utiliza uno que otro factor que evidencia imaginación
5/10
Tema un poco cliché con matices algo trillados
Sin embargo utiliza uno que otro factor que evidencia imaginación
5/10
More...