Reading 1001 discussion

Read for the first time. I am pretty sure I had never read it but probably saw various movies that were based on the book. The story of 4 men, three musketeers and a young man, d'Artagran who is an intern. The setting is France during the 1600s. The novel, while an adventure and romance, has a political setting. It is a time of religious upheaval with Luther and Calvin. Louis XIII is the king of France and Richelieu is cardinal who had control over the government and power over Louis XIII. In this setting, the story is of the three musketeers Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. The musketeers and d'artagran are caught up in a political conspiracy launched by the Cardinal. This is a an enjoyable, entertaining story as an adventure ought to be. Rating 4.8

About 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.
Despite many violent deaths which occur, the style of this novel is lighter than Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo and Queen Margot. A couple of scenes are pretty comedic in fact. There is a good bit of really good writing interspersed with the frequent action. It's a little long, but a rewarding read. It's interesting that the character d'Artagnan was based on a real man of that name.
Near the end, watch for the line, "It was a dark and stormy night", the beginning line with which comic strip hero Snoopy always began his stories.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
3.5 stars rounded to 4

I am listening to the audiobook version narrated by John Lee on my Spotify account, I am enjoying all the French pronunciations.

This is my second book by Dumas, I have read The Count of Monte Cristo which I enjoyed. “First published in 1844, Alexandre Dumas’s swashbuckling epic chronicles the adventures of D’Artagnan, a gallant young nobleman who journeys to Paris in 1625 hoping to join the ranks of musketeers guarding Louis XIII. He soon finds himself fighting alongside three heroic comrades - Athos, Porthos, and Aramis- who seek to uphold the honor of the king by foiling the wicked plots of Cardinal Richelieu and the beautiful spy “Milady.”

I recently bing-watched the TV series Versailles about King Louis XIV, so reading one generation back will be fun and timely.

Like The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers was originally published in installments. “It appeared in serial form in the Parisian newspaper Le Siècle between March and July of 1844. This form of publication was very popular at the time, and it contributed to the novel's immediate success.”

The last third of the book turned into the Milady show and I lost interest a little. I also thought the book a bit too long for me but still overall a nice swashbuckling tale.

“All for one, one for all.” Now time for the movie staring Michael York as the young dashing D’Artagnan.

George P. wrote: "About 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.
Despite many violent deaths which occur, the style of this novel is lighter than Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo and Queen Margot. A couple of scenes are pretty comedic..."

George, thanks for the Snoopy history.

I will just say that this book was not my cup of tea and leave it at that for fear of offending its many fans. It felt very YA, and while there is absolutely nothing wrong with YA literature, I find that I no longer enjoy it. I do enjoy the Snoopy trivia provided by George above.

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I must need some YA in my life. I normally hate reading YA but I rather loved The Three Musketeers although I agree with Jane that it skews young. The moral dilemmas are all spelled out for the reader and there is little complexity in regards good and evil. The plot is a bit bumpy with some large tangents and side stories that don't necessarily contribute but all in all, I just thought it was a great romp.