_Beau Geste_ represents some of the finest pulp fiction of the eighteenth century. The story is tightly told and compelling; the mystery is fun. Some of the social attitudes of the character might seem old-fashioned to modern readers, but the tale told is still a great one.

After you read the book, check out the film versions of 1926 and 1939 (the latter with Gary Cooper).

I first saw the 1966 (starring Telly Savalas as the evil Sergeant Major) remake of Beau Geste in my early teens. It was not the best version of the story, with only 2 brothers in the story, and no mention of the stolen jewel, but it was action packed and the uniforms were awesome to a young teenage boy. Since then I have seen the 1939 (far superior) movie version, read the boooks and then read anything else I could get my hands on about the Legion in the early 20th century.

This book is the epitome of grand adventure stories, rivalled only by two others: The Prisoner of Zenda and Kind Solomon's Mines. It's a book that appeals to your imagination and sense of adventure when you are young, and then you never outgrow it. I won't rehash the story here, but I suggest you get a copy, turn off all your modern, grown-up cycnicism and enjoy escapist literature at its very best.

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!