As part of my New year's Resolutions, I've decided to complete all of the books I've started that haven't finished. Well, let me amend that. I've decided to finish any book that I'v started and read at least 1/3, but abandoned. This is not because I am part of the "clean your plate" club or that I feel a certain obligation to finish what I start (although both of those things are true). But because the particular set of books I'm referring to are books that I have actually enjoyed. Or at least 1/3 enjoyed. But life got in the way or other quicker reads, or honestly, books were misplaced and only recently found. So I have a list of books that I've started, enjoyed, but have not finished that I intend to finish by the end of 2024.
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas was the first on this list that I've completed. And what a delight. Dumas being one of my favorites, it was nice to revisit one of his lesser-known works. I could not believe how vested I actually became about the theft of a rare flower. It's ending, a bit Shakespearean comedy but satisfying, nonetheless.
Ultimately, it was Dumas' style that made me want to stay for the end. His breaking of the fourth wall that always delights me. And the dry humor that runs throughout. My favorite, of all of the lines, "But to kill a tulip, in the eyes of a true gardener, is such a ghastly crime (while to kill a man - well, perhaps...)." Such an exquisite use of parenthesis. Just enough for a chuckle and not enough for a guffaw. Subtle and pointed, much like the entire book. Truly glad I finished it and look forward to my next postponed read.
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