The Three Musketeers (Classic Literature with Classical Music)

Rating:
Summary: Not Quite What I'd Expected
Review: Although I'm a lover of historical fiction, especially the 19th century historical romances (read "historical adventures"), I'd never read this one. So I figured I had to finally attempt such a classic of the genre. Well, it was enjoyable but not really first class, I'm sorry to say. Not up there with IVANHOE or THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (which, itself, is somewhat flawed) or H. Rider Haggard's ERIC BRIGHTEYES, to name a few. Dumas' famous classic is a tale of a young country bumpkin of the lower Gascon nobility come to the big city (Paris) to make his fortune (by joining the king's elite guard, known as the Musketeers). He quickly stumbles into trouble, even before reaching Paris, and never manages to get clear of it again as one thing leads to another. He hooks up early on with three Musketeers of the guard whom he inadvertently offends and then, rather than dueling each to the death as they demand and he agrees to, he ends up, purely by circumstance (and his naive loyalty to the king), on their side. This all leads to further intrigue and mayhem including a somewhat episodic adventure taking D'Artagnan (our hero) to England on the Queen's urgent business, to foil the Cardinal who is the king's highest and most relied-on minister, and the Queen's enemy at the same time. And the king's sporting competitor in matters of state and the military to boot! There is a sub-plot as well with a scheming and avaricious lady who works for the Cardinal and who has her own fish to fry, and lots of kidnappings and sword fights in the mix. But the characters never really come to life. D'Artagnan and his three friends in the Musketeers are cleverly written and bigger than life but hardly full-blooded or anything but one-dimensional. And D'Artagnan, himself, seems oddly simple and yet, inevitably is described as the cleverest of the four companions who are all a good deal older and more experienced than he is. More strange is D'Artagnan's skill with the sword. From the first he is described as being awkward and somewhat untutored, even in weaponry. Yet, from his initial crossing of swords, he inevitably bests all comers, no matter how much more experienced or skilled they are described as being. In fact, he seems to be the equal of, or superior to, his three Musketeer companions, surpassing them in this skill as he surpasses them in intelligence and cleverness. And yet he is an utter dolt in his dealings with women, a veritable mooning adolescent in the face of the the women he falls for. Nor do the women get treated particularly well by the writer, for their part. I suppose it was the convention of the times but they are all either beautiful and helpless (downright simple, actually) or they are beautiful and deadly. But never do they seem particularly real, from the Queen to Milady to D'Artagnan's objet d'amour, to the lovely servant girl who hankers after D'Artagnan, nearly as moon-eyed as he is about his fancied mistresses. All very strange indeed. I suppose the book broke ground in its time and it is somewhat fun to read, especially after the first third which takes rather a long time to set up all the plot dynamics. But I must say I was frustrated no end by the mindless meanderings and utterly frivolous actions of the four companions as they proceed through their adventures. I mean why would trained soldiers gamble away perfectly good, indeed outstanding, English mounts which they had been gifted, knowing how dear these were and how necessary to men like them? My favorite part of the tale, however, was the four friends' picnic under the Huguenot guns so perhaps this was just in character for them. But what characters! -- SWM

Rating:
Summary: Best book ever written
Review: Being only an eigth grader and a thirteen year old, you may think I don't have very much experience with books. However, I have read The Three Musketeers, and I can easily say, it is the best book ever written. It is witty with 18th century humor. It has fencing, fighting, romance, betrayl, action, seduction, death, hatred, true love, and so much more. It is filled with creativity, and Alexandre Dumas has a wonderful style of writing that really lets him connect to the reader.

D'Artagan is a young Gason boy who wants to become a Musketeer. It follows him and his adventures with his three friends and fellow musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. The journeys that the four of them take together are unforgettable. This book is a must read. It is hard to get into at first, but once you start reading, at least twenty pages, you have to finish.

Rating:
Summary: Wouldn't you like to be there?
Review: I bet everyone who has read this book has lamented not having been born in France, in the 17th century. The plot is well known: a young man from southwestern France, of rather humble origin, travels to Paris, to try to get admitted at the Musketeers corps, the personal guard of king Louis XIII. He achieves his aim partially, as he is accepted by another corps, as a first step towards becoming a Musketeer. D'Artagnan, which is his name, is a courageous, provincial, and impulsive man, with a knack for getting in trouble with powerful and aggressive people. D'Artagnan becomes close friend of three musketeers, each one having a very specific (and superbly created by Dumas) personality. Athos is of noble origin, a very silent and grave man, with an intriguing, mysteryous and tragic past. Porthos is a flamboyant character, an ambitious, pompous, talkative and opinionated guy who likes to party and to womanize, although he's always out of money. Aramis is a strange and, I would say, rather unlikable guy, of refined manners and enigmatic past. Even the valets of each musketeer have a full personality, and they play important and funny roles in all the adventures. These are simply extraordinary, magnificently written. They happen against the background of historical events, and play joyfully with History. The action takes place in 17th century France. Louis XIII was not a very able statesman, he was not a bad person, but he was a frivolous and somehow irresponsible man, not very interested in politics or public affairs. So he has a prime minister, one of the most fascinating historical characters of all time: Armand Duplessis, Cardinal Richelieu. He was, in reality, one of the most important protagonists of the creation of the Nation-state, just at the time where the novel takes place. Richelieu is a first-rate enemy for our heroes. He is an extremely intelligent, astute, and clever person. In this novel he plays bad guy, because the musketeers are always on the other side of problems. But they respect him a lot, knowing he is a formidable mind, without the least trace of cowardice or foolishness. Another important character is Queen Anne of Austria, a beautiful -and unfaithful- woman, who has a secret romance with the English Duke of Buckingham, an enemy of her husband. Amid the perpetual intrigues, back-stabbing, bribes, seductions and general decadence of the Court, the musketeers have incredible and perfectly-written adventures. Adventure pure. The cast of characters is long and fascinating. One important thing other reviewers have correctly noted is that the reader really comes to identify with the characters, and to feel something for them, either friendship or distaste. It is a real classic of literature, even if it is relegated to the "books for children" shelf. It is not jus that. In fact, I have read it several times and I think I have enjoyed it even more at an older age, beacuse now I have a much better knowledge and understanding of the historical aspects of it. But you don't really need that to enojy this novel, since it is one of the quickiest and easiest reading. It's simply fantastic.

Rating:
Summary: A very good classic
Review: The Three Musketeers is really a pretty good book and worth reading. The musketeers are Athos, Porthos and Aramis, but there is also another character which is almost more the focus of the novel. This is D'artagnan, a young man who first comes to blows with each of the Musketeers, but then becomes good friends with each of them.

I'd say the first half of this novel seems a little less focused than the first. I don't know if it was just me, but I found I kept getting confused about what exactly what was happening and how various events were related. The second half seems much more clear and is certainly very entertaining.

Dumas gives each of the characters a distinct personality and although the musketeers often seem mysterious, there's still a sense of understanding their motivation and concerns. Each is a brave gentleman in service of their country, enjoying their adventures and journeys.

I'd say this is really a good book and definitely worth reading if you're interested.

Rating:
Summary: A well aged trashy novel.
Review: There is a reason Alexandre Dumas' classic is still read and reread today. It is just plain fun to read, supposing you are not forced to do so for some sort of literature class. Gallant heroes, fair damsels, magnificent settings, war, love, duels, honorable gentlemen, nefarious villains, kings, queens, princes, French, English and Cardinal Richelieu, this book has everything.

Based mostly around the character of D'Artagnan, a young man trying to enter the Musketeers, the personal bodyguard of the King of France. Befitting a King, his bodyguard contingent is very large, but D'Artagnan befriends three of the company: Athos, Porthos and Aramis, in addition to their captain, whose name I cannot recall as I am writing this review. Befitting the central character, this book is written with the exuberance of youth in such intoxicating measure that the reader cannot help but feel genuine affection for the loyal, heroic, though occasionally hotheaded D'Artagnan and his well-matched friends.

The book slows down near the end for some rather unexciting, though very important, character development which itself leads to a vital development in the story. However, despite the fact the plot does tend to drag a bit in this section, it is, indeed, very important and, more importantly, the slowdown in that portion allows the frightful pace of the next few chapters to feel that much more urgent.

All in all, this book is just a rollicking good time. For people who want to read a well written book with an intense plot, characters for whom one can feel genuine affection and a vivid sense of setting: this is a book that belongs in one's personal library.

Rating:
Summary: better than all the films
Review: THere is a reason that classics are regarded as classics: they are timeless and very fun to read, often more fun than you would imagine. THis is a long book, 900 pages in the French version, but I sliced through so fast that I was sorry when it ended.

The plot outline is simple. The four musketeers - for there really are four - want to help the queen in her love for Lord Buckingham of England. All the rest is intrigue and adventure related to that. But the episodes are so funny, the chemistry between the characters so subtle and realistic, that it makes for a truly great read. Indeed, the characters of the musketeers are so well drawn, their inter-relations so complex, that a film or even a miniseries simply cannot do it justice. The glimpses at historical personnages is also fascinating, from Richelieu to Louis XIII. Finally, you get a flavor for the Paris of that epoch, just after the religious wars.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting But Repetitive
Review: This is an exciting book that unfortunately feels formulamatic at times. Maybe that is because it was produced as a serialized novel originally. It can have that "find out what our heros are up to next issue" feel.

Overall it is fast paced, but long. I liked the action sequences and the author's creation of distinct personalities for his heros. While I had to read this over a long period of time, I found I enjoyed it most when I could put in a couple of hours at a time and fully submerge myself in the author's world. I would recommend picking this up for a vacation book or if you know you'll be able to keep at it night after night.

The author uses a convincing historical and period backdrop for his tale. It feels real which aids the story. The romantic nature of his heros leads to a wonderful story of comradship and loyalty, good versus evil, etc. Many things to like, but I did not find it deserves quite as lofty a pedestal as most of these other reviewers do.