Memoirs of a Physician [Paperback]

Alexandre Dumas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2007

An unexpected detour from the standard novel of intrigue, Memoirs of a Physician is the first in a series of Marie Antoinette romances, which reveal the sinister events that led to the French Revolution. Memoirs of a Physician exudes suspense, humor, romance, longing to be, and the becoming itself--all of the qualities that place Dumas' novels among the greatest works of all time. This publication from Boomer Books is specially designed and typeset for comfortable reading.

Product Details

• Paperback: 590 pages
• Publisher: Boomer Books (February 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600969585
• ISBN-13: 978-1600969584
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,581,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Careful..., November 2, 2006

By 

book guy - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Memoirs of a Physician (Paperback)

For some odd reason there is a general confusion in the publishing world between Dumas's "Joseph Balsamo" and "Memoirs of a Physican." "Balsamo" is the first in the series of Marie Antoinette novels, "Memoirs" being the second, followed by "The Queen's Necklace", "Taking the Bastille", "The Countess de Charny", "The Chevalier de Maison Rouge", and "The Whites and the Blues". However, "Balsamo" and "Memoirs" are often confused. For instance, if one were to look on Google Books, the book that comes up for "Memoirs" is actually only the first half of "Balsamo". For quick reference then, "Balsamo" starts with the chapter titled -Introductory-, and "Memoirs" with -The Field of the Dead-, which is exactly where the former lets off. My advice - don't read the second in the series unless you've read the first, as they actually form one continuous story in two parts.

As far as a review goes, I would unflinchingly recommend any Dumas book. If you have already read "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" then I would suggest finishing the Musketeers series first. But, if hungry for more, take this series on. It has all the romance and intrigue typical of Dumas's novels, though lacks in some measure that one illimitable character which make his more popular books so well loved, a la D'Artagnan or Dantes. In return, however, it rewards you with some fun little history lessons (and, of course, that oh so wonderful elitist feeling of having read a Dumas novel most people don't even know exists).

Buy it - you'll like it.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth the Read, April 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Memoirs of a Physician (Paperback)

After reading Alexandre Dumas' popular works "The Three Musketeers", "Twenty Years After", "The Vicomte de Bragellone", and "The Count of Monte Cristo", continued reading to delve into his more obscure novels is a rewarding experience. "Memoirs of a Physician" proves to be an unexpected detour from the standard type of intrigue in Dumas' most noted writings. After reading "Memoirs" one would almost find it appropriate to label the twists and turns in the aforementioned works as "shallow". In this book, the first in the series of the Marie Antoinette Romances, the reader experiences a look into darker and more sinister events which ultimately led to the French Revolution. "Memoirs of a Physician" exudes suspense, alliances and betrayals, humor, romance, longing to be and the becoming itself - all of the qualities that place Dumas' novels among the greatest works of all time.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Here is the deal, August 12, 2009

By 

Hepcat "hipster" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs of a Physician (Paperback)

I have done a bit of research and the news is not good. This review refers to the version of the book whose cover just has a picture of a guy with a beard. No idea who he is, but he is not the physician (Joseph Balsamo) nor is he Dumas. Anyway be careful. I rated three stars, because it's a good book even if it has a misleading title. Some people will tell you that the proper order is Joseph Balsamo then Memoirs of a Physician. That is not always something you can count on. I bought a version of Joseph Balsamo, then I bought this thing only to find that it is the same text. The closest thing you can get in English to the full version in paper back is to make sure that the second book begins with the chapter "The Field of the Dead". Even this may not take you all the way to The Queen's Necklace. I settled on reading the second book online. After reading Joseph Balsamo, I went to [...] and started reading Memoirs of a Physician vol. 2. It started in the right place but even that stopped short. So I switched to reading the version in The Works of Alexandre Dumas Vol. 7. This is about the best you can do these days. Even reading this one left a huge hole in the story. So I did more research, and I found that only one English translation has the whole story. That translator was J.M. Dent in the early 1900's published by Little Brown. It has 30 chapters that are missing from every single other English translation. You can get this from rare book shops and look for it on Ebay, but good luck. No modern version seems to have these missing chapters. These missing chapters cause a bit of confusion when readers get to later parts of the story as the missing events are referred to, and you find yourself thinking "Why is this guy an adult now?". None of the Project Gutenberg sites have them. None of the scanned versions at [...] has them. Apparently these chapters contain a rape, and not just any rape but a rape of a girl in a hypnotic trance. One day a clever on demand publisher will get hip to this deficiency and will corner the market by publishing the restored text in its entirety. Hope this helps.

So here is your best bet order wise--

1.Joseph Balsamo (ends with "the fireworks")

2.Memoirs of a Physician (Begins with "The field of the dead" ends with Epilogue--and still missing 30 chapters from the middle) online version here--[...]

3. The Queen's Necklace

4. Ange Pitou Vol 1

5. Ange Pitou Vol 2

6. The Countess De Charny

7. The Chevalier de Maison Rouge

Now to Amazon's credit, Numbers 1, and 3-7 are all available from Amazon in fairly readable versions. But it sure would be nice to get part 2 sorted out properly!!!

Enjoy