The story behind the greatest novelist of all time

The Black Count starts off as a marvelous, brave tale describing the way blacks were treated in France the 2 centuries before before Napoleon Bonaparte came into power, and the influence thereafter on the unlikely man who would become Alexander Dumas who would then give us the magnificent Count of Monte Cristo and it's more famous brother, The Three Musketeers.

The author masterfully gives us 2 hours of background in the centuries leading up to the birth of Dumas' father known as "The Black Count" and then the unlikely story of Dumas' rise to fame, not only because he was a genius of a writer. He was a grand character (both men, really) in this snappy rendition of the slightly mysterious Alexander Dumas... a huge celebrity during his time here who left this world at much too young of an age.

I don't like to give away everything in a review, and I'll continue that tradition here, but if you are a lover of Dumas' books as I am (TCOMC is my favorite book of all time), then you will love this well told story of how it came to be that an obese mulatto becomes one of the most cherished authors of all time and a major celebrity during his all too brief life in Paris.

This is a great book for history lovers, biography lovers and really, anyone interested in black culture or in ancient France (and how their policies toward blacks may have shaped our own 200 years ago) and just about anyone else. It is a joyous, intriguing story of how one of how this great, great author came to be and lived his life and how his father's life shaped his own. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It's one of the best books I have listened to in so long. I am giving 5 stars for narration, but it's nothing special, except that it is expertly done. It's a straightforward read, since there are no "characters" to play. It's the story that really shines here.

By all means, treat yourself to this wonderful little known bit of history. You will be a richer person for doing it. And if you haven't read the unabridged The Count of Monte Cristo yet, you won't be able to resist after this. I'll probably have to re-listen to it now. Be sure to look for the one read by John Lee, available on Audible.com, which is so masterfully read and executed.

~~ML

49 people found this helpful

Truth more unbelivable than fiction

This is a true story of Alexander Dumas's father, a General in the French Army during the French Revolution. General Alex Dumas was born in Saint Dominique (Haiti) of a black slave woman and a white French Marquis. The book does discuss some of the history of Haiti. I recently read a book "Island Beneath The Sea" by Isabel Allende that covers the history of the island. If this story of Dumas interest you at all the Allende book will also be informative. I found the information about equality during the revolution interesting, the blacks found freedom in France while the U.S. and England still were slave traders. Dumas goes from commanding 53,000 men to secure the Alps for France to Egypt to being imprisoned in Naples. His story is the bases of all the stories written by his son. I was fascinated by tales of his imprisonment and the medical treatment he received. If you are interested in history you also will find this a must read book. Tome Reiss did a great job documenting the story and Paul Michael did a good job narrating the book.

43 people found this helpful

The Unknown Story of Alexandre Dumas Grandpere

What made the experience of listening to The Black Count the most enjoyable?

Tom Reiss writes extremely well and picks fascinating topics. This story of the son of a French marquis and a San Domaine (now Haiti) slave woman who rises to become a celebrated general in the French revolution during a brief era when all men (and women) were, in fact, considered equal. Because of highest ideals of the revolution, being half black was no longer an obstacle to accomplishing great things. Alas, the revolution was betrayed and the period was brief; racism quickly returned. It's a fascinating story of the man who would father the novelist Alexandre Dumas but who was clearly a remarkable man, a celebrity in his own right and a fascinating figure in French history.

7 people found this helpful

First 1/4 of book is confusing

Once the generations of Dumas are understood the book is quite interesting. Getting past the first quarter of the book is a challenge.

8 people found this helpful

Wonderfully told

This is a fascinating story that is wonderfully told. Tom Reiss's detailed account is amazingly vivid not only of the period but he by giving the whereabouts or outcomes of many places and events today. Paul Michael gives a wonderful performance as the narrator. I cannot remember enjoying a book more!

10 people found this helpful

Interesting material!

This was a great book, and I am sure I would have enjoyed it even if I didn't use the audio version. I love non-fiction, and I am a fan of Alexandre Dumas and "The Count of Monte Cristo", so all of this background information and history was fascinating. The beginning is a bit awkward, when the author sets the stage for how he came upon the material he used to write the book, and I almost gave up, but I am so glad I didn't!

2 people found this helpful

A Necessary Companion to Dumas' Writings

Alex Dumas was a larger than life man, immortalized in Tom Reiss' brilliant book. It's not hard to see why he was both an asset and a threat to Napoleon. I am a fan of Alexandre Dumas' novels and this book gives me great insight on what drove him to write his stories, especially the Count of Monte Cristo. It's seems so hard to believe that even with the success of the son, the life of his impressive father remained in obscurity.

The lasting effect of his imprisonment is so difficult to take in. He was a vital, imposing man wasted down to a shell due to horrific treatment, all of his heroic actions on the battlefield forgotten and his family forced into poverty.

2 people found this helpful

Excellently Narrated Account of an Exciting Life

This book was fantastic.

Paul Michael is an excellent narrator. His voice was very smooth and even through out, and easily held my attention.

The narrative of the story was also fascinating. Revolutionary and Napoleonic France does not receive the attention it deserves for how influential it was, and this book was a great look at the era through the life of a truly interesting man.

1 person found this helpful

Misleading Title

...and misleading description. Despite the title “The Black Count,” Dumas was a bit player in a broad and unfocused history of France. The title character served only to define the time period for a rambling and “pick and choose” history. The unsatisfying information about the Count could be condensed into a few short chapters. The bits and pieces about the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era were incomplete at best and added little to a book supposedly about a particular individual.

Excellent narrator. One of the best.

1 person found this helpful

A Man Who Greatness Caught Up With His Blackness

This story was narrated well with a relaxed story telling kind of feel which made it very enjoyable. In some places I thought less condense descriptions could have painted some scenes more vividly. However, overall it was an excellent story. This is the sort of story I seek out whenever possible. Alexander Dumas was a man born into a world that saw his blackness as the ultimate stain. Although born a slave and black he enjoyed unusual privilege by being the son of a white aristocrat.

Dumas developed in an uncertain period of liberty and terror simultaneously that allowed him to enjoy an incredible level of liberty seen by few black people of the time. Dumas used this opportunity to prove that men are measured by their character and not their color and excelled.

Unfortunately with the rise of Napoleon the French gave up on the liberty an equality they revolted for and consequently as a black man Dumas felt the heavy hand of white supremacy once again. Dumas' life is extraordinary and tragic all at the same time, Dumas' life represents a legacy people of African descent continue to struggle with today.

3 people found this helpful