kathrynwilliams's review against another edition
4.0
A dramatic, light hearted romp. I have seen many controversial reviews of this classic. Some champion the book for the focus on camaraderie, team work, and loyalty. Others bash the book for the misogyny and violence. This book reminded me of The Last of the Mohicans for its action and adventure-heavy plot. Milady's character arc was a trip. I was definitely entertained.
megawhoppingcosmicbookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jessln23's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
arenkhach's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
chloewakham's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcohol and Vomit
Minor: Infidelity
tete1030's review against another edition
5.0
This is my favourite book of all time. And as such, it is hugely difficult for me to review it. It's become imbued with such memories and feelings that it's very hard to talk about it in an objective way. I first read it when I was about 9 years old, in an (not very much) abridged edition that belonged to my dad, with beautiful illustrations that still come to my mind when I imagine D'Artagnan and his fellow comrades. It's become one of those books I reread once every few years, and I always feel like I'm coming back home once I start, but also like I always get something new out of it. The Three Musketeers was also the first classic I read and it it opened me up to 19th century literature and to to 17th century France, and shaped my taste in books and History in many different ways.
The Three Musketeers is a fun book and a fun read. Really fun. It's got everything you need to make a good story. It's got romance and friendship, it's got action, wit and adventure, drama and tragedy, history (but do not expect it to be very accurate history, Dumas is known for being "creative" with how he deals with historical characters and events) and even a bit of social commentary and satyre. There's a lot of action and fun dialogues that move the plot forward pretty quickly and make you read more and more every time you pick it up. Once you start, you get swept by the intrigue, as things get more and more intense and the stakes grow higher. And, if you are afraid of big books, I'm telling you, It doesn't feel big at all.
It also has one of the best characters in literature: D'Artagnan.
Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the titular three musketeers, are also great, mind you, and I love them dearly, but 18 year old D'Artagnan, humble farmboy, full of youthful pride, who wants nothing more than to become one of those musketeers he so admires, is certainly the best. He is so real, so smart and cunning, so passionate, so full of life and ilusions of nobility, loyalty, greatness and courage. From the beginning, through a mix of of the most hilarious situations, he gets entangled in the Musketeers' lives and in their business, quite by accident. Thanks to his wits and courage, though, he becomes one of the group and gets praised by king Louis XIII, whom he'll serve in the war against the calvinists. Through a certain lady he falls in love with, he also gets a chance to serve the queen and cross the Channel to "jolly old England". However, that puts him at odds with the real power behind the monarchy, the maquiavelian cardinal Richelieu, and with his agents, namely, the infamous Milady, who is one of the best villains in literature.
Throught the book, D'Artagnan knows the joys and pain of young romance, becomes a bit of a leader to his friends, serves the great, only to, seemingly, be forgotten by them, has many heroic moments, but also makes some very questionable decisions that come to bite him, and his friends, in the ass later on... As a reader, nowadays, you'll probably find yourself frowning at some parts. The musketeer's pasts, for instance, are shady, to say the least... They're painted as so big and brave, they're the elite soldiers of the day, nothing seemingly can touch them, but are they really as heroic as they are said to be? They're constantly drunk and getting in brawls, even though they're forbidden, they easily lose their money in bets, to the point they can't even afford to buy their own uniforms or horses to serve the king, they get tangled up in love affairs, ruin some people's lives, beat their servants quite violently... There's a sense of youthful irresponsability in all of it, like they're young and their mistakes can be easily glossed over and forgiven, or like that was how it was then, but sometimes you get a feeling Dumas is being a bit cheeky about it, almost as if he was satyrizing, to some extent, what he seems to so vehemently applaud.
D'Artagnan goes through quite a journey as the story progresses, in a way, this is also a coming of age story for him. And as the book approaches its end, you get a feeling he starts to become sort of disenchanted with the whole thing, with the monarchy, with the values he so passionately followed (or thought he did), with what he lost to get what he wanted. The ending is quite gloomy for a book with such a fun beginning, but also quite satisfactory. That innocent youth has been lost and nothing will be the same again.
Maybe part of this feeling is caused by the fact that I've read the sequels, [b:Twenty Years After|7184|Twenty Years After (The D'Artagnan Romances #2)|Alexandre Dumas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1165607713l/7184._SY75_.jpg|666376] and [b:The Vicomte de Bragelonne|369042|The Vicomte de Bragelonne (The D'Artagnan Romances, #3.1)|Alexandre Dumas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1174184067l/369042._SY75_.jpg|21838371], which are quite different in tone. There you get a much more grown up, serious and disenchanted D'Artagnan, still noble, loyal, and brave, but more cynical. And his friendship with the musketeers is never as it was here, divided as they are by their own interests and by the simple fact that time passes and hardly ever leaves anything unscathed. You don't have to read them to enjoy The Three Musketeers. They are not as easy a reading as this one and this book is, by far, the best. But if you liked meeting D'Artagnan and his friends, maybe give them a try, at least once, and then come back to the first one. You gain another appreciation for it.
The Three Musketeers is a fun book and a fun read. Really fun. It's got everything you need to make a good story. It's got romance and friendship, it's got action, wit and adventure, drama and tragedy, history (but do not expect it to be very accurate history, Dumas is known for being "creative" with how he deals with historical characters and events) and even a bit of social commentary and satyre. There's a lot of action and fun dialogues that move the plot forward pretty quickly and make you read more and more every time you pick it up. Once you start, you get swept by the intrigue, as things get more and more intense and the stakes grow higher. And, if you are afraid of big books, I'm telling you, It doesn't feel big at all.
It also has one of the best characters in literature: D'Artagnan.
Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the titular three musketeers, are also great, mind you, and I love them dearly, but 18 year old D'Artagnan, humble farmboy, full of youthful pride, who wants nothing more than to become one of those musketeers he so admires, is certainly the best. He is so real, so smart and cunning, so passionate, so full of life and ilusions of nobility, loyalty, greatness and courage. From the beginning, through a mix of of the most hilarious situations, he gets entangled in the Musketeers' lives and in their business, quite by accident. Thanks to his wits and courage, though, he becomes one of the group and gets praised by king Louis XIII, whom he'll serve in the war against the calvinists. Through a certain lady he falls in love with, he also gets a chance to serve the queen and cross the Channel to "jolly old England". However, that puts him at odds with the real power behind the monarchy, the maquiavelian cardinal Richelieu, and with his agents, namely, the infamous Milady, who is one of the best villains in literature.
Throught the book, D'Artagnan knows the joys and pain of young romance, becomes a bit of a leader to his friends, serves the great, only to, seemingly, be forgotten by them, has many heroic moments, but also makes some very questionable decisions that come to bite him, and his friends, in the ass later on... As a reader, nowadays, you'll probably find yourself frowning at some parts. The musketeer's pasts, for instance, are shady, to say the least... They're painted as so big and brave, they're the elite soldiers of the day, nothing seemingly can touch them, but are they really as heroic as they are said to be? They're constantly drunk and getting in brawls, even though they're forbidden, they easily lose their money in bets, to the point they can't even afford to buy their own uniforms or horses to serve the king, they get tangled up in love affairs, ruin some people's lives, beat their servants quite violently... There's a sense of youthful irresponsability in all of it, like they're young and their mistakes can be easily glossed over and forgiven, or like that was how it was then, but sometimes you get a feeling Dumas is being a bit cheeky about it, almost as if he was satyrizing, to some extent, what he seems to so vehemently applaud.
D'Artagnan goes through quite a journey as the story progresses, in a way, this is also a coming of age story for him. And as the book approaches its end, you get a feeling he starts to become sort of disenchanted with the whole thing, with the monarchy, with the values he so passionately followed (or thought he did), with what he lost to get what he wanted. The ending is quite gloomy for a book with such a fun beginning, but also quite satisfactory. That innocent youth has been lost and nothing will be the same again.
Maybe part of this feeling is caused by the fact that I've read the sequels, [b:Twenty Years After|7184|Twenty Years After (The D'Artagnan Romances #2)|Alexandre Dumas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1165607713l/7184._SY75_.jpg|666376] and [b:The Vicomte de Bragelonne|369042|The Vicomte de Bragelonne (The D'Artagnan Romances, #3.1)|Alexandre Dumas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1174184067l/369042._SY75_.jpg|21838371], which are quite different in tone. There you get a much more grown up, serious and disenchanted D'Artagnan, still noble, loyal, and brave, but more cynical. And his friendship with the musketeers is never as it was here, divided as they are by their own interests and by the simple fact that time passes and hardly ever leaves anything unscathed. You don't have to read them to enjoy The Three Musketeers. They are not as easy a reading as this one and this book is, by far, the best. But if you liked meeting D'Artagnan and his friends, maybe give them a try, at least once, and then come back to the first one. You gain another appreciation for it.
mrgtpvl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
omegarob's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5