Book notes | The Black Tulip
Although not as well-known as the author’s earlier novels The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas père (1802–70) is a beautifully crafted novel, rich in its telling with themes of love, courage, honesty, politics, and the destructive capacity of jealousy.
Published in 1850, it is a work of historical fiction that mixes 17th century events in The Netherlands with fictional characters. There is an interesting interweaving of Dutch politics and culture, and the phenomenon of the so-called tulip mania that gripped 17th century Holland, a financial bubble that eventually led to heavy economic damage.
The story unfolds with an actual historical event: the 1672 mob lynching by the Orangists of the de Witt brothers, accused of treason. Dumas spares nothing in the gruesome details.
A very worthy read
The main fictional character, Dr. Cornelius Van Baerle, is a man of faith, science, and devotion to the cultivation of the black tulip. Central to the story is a widely regarded competition to cultivate the flower, which may appear mundane. At stake, however, was not only money but also considerable fame and honor.
When members of UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club met on Friday (when else?) May 28 to discuss the book, we agreed that it is a very worthy read; the author is an acclaimed storyteller, and The Black Tulip does not disappoint.
Upcoming Fourth Friday Book Club selections are:
June 25. The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald
July 23. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré
August 27. Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter
September 24. The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
October 22. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
November 26. Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie
New members are welcome!
Please contact Dorothy Marden or Margaret Catambay to learn more.
—Dorothy Marden, Fourth Friday Book Club member
Book Club II to meet May 28
Fri, May 28 2021, 2pm
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club will meet at 2 p.m. Central Time on Friday, May 28, via Zoom to discuss The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas père.
The book is a work of historical fiction that mixes actual 17th century events in The Netherlands with fictional characters. There is an interesting interweaving of politics and culture, and the phenomenon of the so-called “tulip mania” during the Dutch Golden Age—an economic bubble that eventually led to heavy economic damage.
Our selections for the coming months are:
June 25. The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald
July 23. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré
August 27. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
September 24. Burnt Shadows by Kamala Shamsie
New members are welcome to the Fourth Friday Book Club! Contact Dorothy Marden at [email protected] to learn more.
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.