Beau Geste

If you have a young man in your house who's not keen on reading, get him this book. That said, it's not a juvenile book. With one of the all-time great opening chapters, it draws you into a thrilling story of adventure and, above all, honor. A French force speeding to relieve an embattled fortress finds its occupants all dead at their posts and fort's the commanding officer murdered, yet somehow the outpost remains unconquered. From this beginning, PC Wren weaves the story of how these strange events transpired, and their connection to the theft of a priceless Indian Sapphire. At the center of the tale are the Geste brothers, three heroes from another time--brave, tough, intelligent, funny, bound by duty and honor--and they are still worthy of our admiration. There is no glorification of violence here, nor any adolescent fantasies about indestructibility. The Geste brothers understand danger, yet they also understand the virtue and occasional necessity of maintaining a stiff upper lip (or even laughing) in the face of death. They are utterly devoted to each other and to upholding their gentlemanly honor--indeed, honor is at the center of the story. PC Wren writes with great verve, humor and humanity (excepting a few then-acceptable racial stereotypes). I was genuinely sorry to see it end. A note on the Kindle Edition: I read the Thomas C. Breuer version, which as far as I can tell is the only version currently available for the Kindle. The formatting is excellent, with an active table of contents. Books like this--out of print in hard copy or unavailable in affordable editions--make the Kindle worthwhile. For $3.99 you'll be hard-pressed to find a good hard copy.

I read BEAU GESTE as a young lad wet behind the ears. The only part of the story that stayed with me through all the subsequent years was the Fort Zinderneuf under-siege sequence, which is a marvelous tale in its own right. So I had forgotten what a fun and entertaining read P.C. Wren's novel is--a tale of the three Brothers Geste (Beau, Digby, John) and a missing sapphire (the "Blue Water"), set in the Sahara desert at remote Fort Zinderneuf, manned by the French Foreign Legion and under the command of the evil and cunning Adjutant, Lejaune. This is such a riveting read, not only for the story, but it's a time capsule of the 1920s, when it was first published. Accordingly it very much has its own vocabulary, borrowing extensively from French, and three young upper class Brits in those days exchanged dialogue in a jolly delightful way. Courage. Devotion. Mystery. Intrigue. Heartbreak. Action. BEAU GESTE contains all of these elements, and the story is weaved seamlessly from (primarily) John's point of view. But do be prepared: Again, because this was written in a different age, many of the words, jargon, and slogans are jarring, and very politically incorrect. One star off due to this absolutely revolting Munsey's edtion. The type setting is an eyesore and the margins literally go right into the binding. Very tricky to read. If you get the chance to obtain a different edition I very much recommend doing so; otherwise get ready for one grand adventure. --D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning

It seems that quite a few people read this book as youngsters and then went back to it as adults. I am well past my middle years, but had never read this book. I found it to be complex, well-written, riveting in its plot. As has been mentioned, it is not politically correct in some areas, to the point of being really distasteful in the description of the "Hebraic" pawnbroker. But that said, it's a terrific book. Characters are well-drawn, and you surely do care about them. An exciting and intellectually interesting book. It is far more than just an adventure novel.

What a great story. The combat scenes in the desert are excellent. I really liked how the author developed all the characters, including the villain.....who is a villain...but also a very good soldier. So it's a nice nuanced story. The twist at the end is amazing. Great book. I highly recommend.

A little too much narrative, but still a good read.

Seems like every few years I sit down and read this book again. There is enough adventure to keep me interested in each re-reading and each time I pick up more little clues in "the mystery" that I missed in the last reading. The first time I read it (some years ago) I thought the characters were a little too stereotyped--the americans for example, spoke with too many expressions like "you shore said a mouthful Bo." The British, too, are always correct and formal. Yet the story is so delightful that, on subsequent readings, one notices that the americans, with all their cowboy talk, are the ones who can be trusted and have the know-how to save the day. The British, for all their coolness, stick to their honour and their duty. The book assumes some recognition of French, as it includes lots of expressions and phrases in French without translation. Some like "Monsieur l'Adjutant" one can figure out. Some like "medaille militaire" take a second's thought. There are several others, though, sprinkled throughout the book that one has to infer from the context or look up. A great many are fairly clear from the context and really did not detract from the story. I had to hunt the used book stores to find my own copy, but I thought it was worth it!

Great reading in the traditional English literature style.

molto bello,ma essento in lingua straniera per leggerlo ho faticato nel tradurlo volta per volta se sai l'inglese...top,davvero bello ,ma lingua non italiana grosso handicap

la novela de aventuras por excelencia y en una edicion muy cuidada aunque casi nadie lee la trilogia entera y solo este primer tomo

What a good read these three books are. You need to read all three to get the overall story. Yes the coincidences are a bit far fetched but just run with it and you're in for a great time.

Such good yarns. Thoroughly enjoyed.