About this audiobook
Cornelius van Baerle devotes himself to growing a black tulip in the politically unsettled Netherlands. His horticultural ambition becomes entangled with jealousy and an accusation that threatens the life he has known. Rosa's involvement gives the pursuit of an extraordinary flower a human relationship on which its future may depend.
Alexandre Dumas connects the suspense of a threatened project with the wider instability surrounding the characters. Private envy can take advantage of public suspicion, while an innocent interest may be interpreted through circumstances beyond its owner's control. Trust develops under constraints that make ordinary communication and practical help unusually difficult.
The novel explores perseverance, affection and the difference between a desire to create something and a desire to possess another person's achievement. Its mixture of historical atmosphere and adventure invites readers to follow how an apparently delicate ambition can become a test of loyalty, patience and the capacity to act for someone else's sake.
