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    The Three Musketeers
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    The Three Musketeers
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    The Three Musketeers
    Ebook911 pages14 hours

    The Three Musketeers

    By Alexandre Dumas

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    About this ebook

    With its rousing cry of "One for all, and all for one," Alexandre Dumas's thrilling adventure novel has captivated generations of readers since its initial publication in 1844. Action, intrigue, and romance abound in this swashbuckling epic, which traces a country lad's path to the French court of the early 1600s and the glorious fraternity of the king's men, the Musketeers.
    A son of impoverished nobility, D'Artagnan arrives in Paris to find the Musketeers disbanded by the cunning Cardinal Richelieu, who hopes to seize power from the weak-willed Louis XIII. The daring and ambitious youth proves his mettle in the company of the famous Musketeers — Porthos, Athos, and Aramis — and joins them in a heroic struggle to defend the king and his lovely queen, Anne of Austria.
    Dumas transformed the concept of the historical novel by writing in a modern, conversational style. His accessible, fast-paced narratives combine real and fictional characters to recapture the events, manners, and mood of seventeenth-century France. Emerging in the chaotic aftermath of the Revolution, Dumas's novels provided his contemporaries with a welcome sense of identity and national pride. His most popular work, The Three Musketeers, continues to charm modern readers with its timeless tales of romantic valor.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateSep 21, 2012
    ISBN9780486114521
    Author

    Alexandre Dumas

    Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was one of the literary lights of France during the Romantic Revolution, his complete works eventually filling over three hundred volumes. George Bernard Shaw described him as "one of the best storytellers…that ever lived." The Man in the Iron Mask and The Three Musketeers are available from Brilliance Audio.

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    Reviews for The Three Musketeers

    4/5

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    • 2/5
      I almost put it down in the beginning, despite the better translation, when the only thing that happens is d'Artagnan getting into duels with every single person he meets. The story did become interesting after a while, but the characters really weren't (with the exception of Milady).

      And can you use the term "fridging" for a book that takes place prior to the invention of the refrigerator?
    • 4/5
      The plot was more intrigue, perhaps like a political spy novel of a sort, than swashbuckling, but very entertaining, nevertheless.Dumas starts a bit less than the first quarter of the book introducing his characters in humorous fashion. Then, it becomes steadily more serious with each passing page, and from the humorous to the grave and dark, while the characters seem to grow, especially D'Artagnan, from irresponsible seeming like children to men handling the affairs and maintaining their character as men, proud, yet honest men. A character study each person would be quite interesting.The ending was a bit gruesome.Dumas' writing is genius and conveys much of the sense of that is most of all challenged in the story is a man's honor. It inspires one to accept honor as something of value to die for; and, it's anonymous translation, whenever the book is put down, inspires one to speak in proper English.
    • 4/5
      For sure you will think 'hey, why is he reading that old children's book again?', but no, you're wrong. I've read this masterpiece of Alexandre Dumas for the very first time. Of course, everybody knows the story. We all have seen so many movies and remakes of movies, and the musketeers have become a cliché even long ago. But, I had the chance to get a rather old copy. It's an almost 100 years old german translation (of course in old german typesetting). And one thing about the book is, it's language is remarkable and so different compared to today's german. But before I'll go into details, let me rather briefely recapitulate the story (in german....):Wir schreiben das Jahr 1625. D'Artagnan, der arme Sohn eines Landadeligen aus der Gascogne will sein Glück als Musketier in der Garde des Herrn von Treville - also der Leibgarde des Königs Ludwig XIII. - versuchen. Ausgestattet mit einem Empfehlungsschreiben seines Vaters, einem altgedienten Musketier gerät er, der sich wie alle Gasconier (so Dumas) leicht in seiner Ehre gekränkt sieht, in eine Auseinandersetzung mit einem mysteriösen Gardisten des Kardinals Richelieu. Bevor es aber zu einem Duell kommt, wird er vom Küchenpersonal der Landschenke, in der er Rast macht, niedergeschlagen und seines Empfehlungsschreibens beraubt.In Paris angekommen versucht er sich dennoch um eine Audienz bei Herrn von Treville und verstrickt sich im Laufe des Tages - natürlich bedingt durch sein aufbrausendes Temperament ebenso wie durch seine eigene Tollpatschigkeit - in sage und schreibe drei Duelle mit drei Musketieren des Königs, namentlich mit den drei Freunden Athos, Aramis und Portos. Verabredet im Park von Saint Germaine werden alle vier überrascht von einer Patrouille des Kardinals. D'Artagnan bietet den drei Freunden seine Hilfe beim bevorstehenden Degengefecht an, aus dem die Musketiere siegreich hervorgehen.....und das ist der Beginn einer Reihe äußerst spannend zu lesender Abenteuer.....Die eigentliche Handlung ist ja aus diversen Filmen bekannt, allerding ist die Charakterzeichnung Dumas sprachlich natürlich noch wesentlich reizvoller als deren filmische Umsetzung. Für mich wird wohl immer die Verfilmung aus den 70er Jahren mit Michael York als D'Artagnan, Oliver Reed als Athos und Richard Chamberlain als Aramis (wer den Portos gespielt hat fällt mir nicht ein....war aber jemand, den ich sonst nicht weiter kannte) DIE VERFILMUNG überhaupt bleiben. Besonders schön - neben einem beeindruckenden Oliver Reed und unberechenbaren Charlton Heston als Kardinal Richelieu - war wohl die Tatsache, dass sich anscheinend keine der Romanfiguren (außer den Bösewichtern) in dieser Verfilmung wirklich ernst nimmt. Ach und natürlich Racquel Welch als wohlgefomte und unwiderstehliche Constanze, Geraldine Chaplin als porzellanfarbene, zerbrechliche Königin und Faye Dunaway als durchtrieben böse verführerische Mylady deWinter. Der Film (d.h. die Verfilmung des kompletten Romans) kam damals ja in zwei Teilen in die Kinos und es braucht seine Zeit, die über 700 Seiten des Romans in Szene zu setzen. Ach, fast hätte ich den Erzbösewicht Rouchford vergessen, den Mann mit der Narbe, hinter dem D'Artagnan den ganzen Roman über her ist. Der wird in besagter Verfilmung von Christopher Lee (unser aller 60er/70er Jahre Dracula) gespielt.Daneben gabe es zahlreiche weitere Verfilmungen an die ich mich erinnern kann. Angefangen von einer UFA Verfilmung aus den 30er Jahren über einen ersten Farbfilm mit Gene Kelly in der Hauptrolle [to be continued.....] und dann natürlich auch noch diverse Verfilmungen aus den 80er Jahren. Die letzte bemerkenswerte Verfilmung des Musketierstoffes betrifft einen späteren Roman Dumas, nämlich 'Den Mann mit der eisernen Maske' (auch unter dem Titel '10 Jahre danach' oder 'Der Vicomte von Bragelonne' erschienen), der vorallem mit seiner Besetzungsliste der bereits etwas gealterten Haudegen brillierte (Gerard Depardieu, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich....).Mein Fazit: Der Roman hat es in sich! Kein Wunder, das er sich über 150 Jahre internationaler Beliebtheit erfreuen kann. Natürlich darf man keine allzu tiefgründigen Charakterstudien und innere Monologe erwarten, aber Dumas gelingt es, seine Figuren nicht nur in haarsträubend flott erzählte Abenteuer zu verwickeln, sondern ihnen auch noch ziemlich viel Persönlichkeit mit auf den Weg zu geben. Besonders deutlich wird das an der unberechenbaren Gestalt der Lady deWinter und D'artagnans ambiguen Gefühlsaufwallungen ihr gegenüber. So liebt er sie auf der einen Seite (oder ist zumindest immens verliebt..) wie er sie auf der anderen Seite als Geschöpf des Kardinals zutiefst hasst.Also, LESEN! und am besten nicht die aktuellen Übersetzungen, sondern eine ältere (vor 1930), um sich an der mitunter barocken Sprachgewalt zu erfreuen.......
    • 5/5
      This is a re-read of this most famous of Dumas novels, featuring the derring do of the title characters and their young friend and would be fellow musketeer D'Artagnan, one of the most famous characters in French literature. I remembered almost no detail from my first read nearly twenty years ago. While this is light-hearted and quite comical in places, there are also dramatic passages, episodes of cruelty and horror, and a splendid female villain. The illustrations are well done too. This is a splendidly enjoyable novel that can appeal to readers of all ages.
    • 5/5
      I'd been looking for a good modern translation and this is it. The text flows well and I really appreciated the historical references at the back (though I'd have loved them even more if they were footnotes and I didn't have to keep flicking to the back pages).The story races along. The musketeers are far from being the most ethical of men by modern standards, but we love them anyway. (The TV version tones down Porthos's love of expensive clothes, Athos's drinking, everyone's gambling, etc.)
    • 3/5
      Good read for young people.
    • 4/5
      Good fun. I feel after nearly 900 pages I should have something more to say about this, but it's really one of those books where Story and Event is everything and literary quality is secondary. It held my interest the whole way, though, with plenty of dashing cavaliers, heaving bosoms, secret lovers, dastardly plots, coded messages, mistaken identities, and the rest of the ingredients for an early-Romantic pot-boiler. Make no mistake, derring will be done and swashes will be buckled!Our scene is the mid-seventeenth century, as France is trying to repair the wounds of the Wars of Religion, and building up to the famous Siege of La Rochelle, the last stronghold of French Protestantism. King Louis XIII is somewhat estranged from his young, beautiful wife, who is suspected of having an affair with an English nobleman; and behind the king is the original eminence grise, his first minister Cardinal Richelieu, whose network of spies covers all of Europe.Don't expect too much historical accuracy here – Dumas changes dates and invents characters pretty much whenever he feels like it, and the text is so full of historical anachronisms (references to Botany Bay for instance) that I gave up keeping track of them all. Anyway, who cares about historical accuracy when you're having this much fun? Our titular musketeers, as well as wannabe musketeer and hotheaded provincial d'Artagnan, blunder through this world, tangling themselves up in political intrigues, romantic liaisons, and generally causing or resolving international incidents.Their values are not our own. ‘Bad guys’ are killed left and right without a second thought, and d'Artagnan's great love interest is a married woman. His behaviour during the seduction of poor chambermaid Ketty would probably have been described as ‘masterful’ once; nowadays, ‘rapey’ seems like a better word. But these sorts of WTF moments are all part of the fun of this kind of novel.As everyone I think acknowledges, the greatest character in the book, stealing every scene she appears in, is Milady, one of the cardinal's chief agents and a thoroughly bad-ass femme fatale. She has been poorly served by film adaptations – as has the book in general, for that matter. It would make a great TV series. The action is naturally episodic anyway, with two distinct story arcs – the second building to the siege of La Rochelle, and the first centring on the theft of the Queen's ferrets de diamants (which I imagine must have given translators a bit of trouble – I would say ‘diamond aiguillettes’ but I'm curious as to how published English versions render this).If you grew up in the time and place I did, it's impossible to read this without a certain theme tune going through your head—One of all and all for one!Muskahounds are always ready,One for all and all for one!Helping everybody…and honestly, the book was just as much fun for me as a grown-up as Dogtanian was when I was a kid.
    • 3/5
      I'm glad to have read this classic, but I ended a bit disappointed following Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo" which is one of my all time favorites. Typical of the time period, perhaps, this novel tended to be a bit slow in development and overly dramatic, with characters taking personal affront at the slightest indecency and taking matters into their own hands for revenge. A swashbuckling adventure, to be sure and a classic in the world of literature, it nevertheless seemed a bit over the top to me and lacked the subtlety and restraint and latent hostility of Dumas' other work. The ending is clever with an economy of characters but I didn't feel the novel worthy of the 700 pages devoted to the story.
    • 1/5
      I really wanted to like this book, but didn't, in that I am disappointed. The men in this story are revolting - they use people, bribe people, ridicule people and love to kill people - there was not a lot to like here!
    • 5/5
      One of my favorites! Milady is a fascinating character study. She deserves her own story. Yes, the evil, man-destroying succubus was stereotypical even by the time this was written, but Milady is so brilliantly written, I can happily look past that.
    • 4/5
      So based on my experience with half a dozen movie versions of this book, I assumed the Cardinal was the big baddie and the story was mainly about the three musketeers. Reading it proved it to be a very different book. The Cardinal is certainly not the hero, but his role is more ambiguous than I expected. The true villain is actually the Lady DiWinter and oh my gosh, she is fantastic! I wish this book was called Don’t Mess with DiWinter. I have never encountered a more manipulative genius in literature! She’s a deadly version of Scarlett O’Hara. Everything she does is perfectly calculated. The book didn’t really click for me until she took center stage. Honestly, I could have done without about half of the scenes with D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. They are all great swashbuckling scenes, but their silliness is a bit exhausting. Aramis wants to be a priest, but he doesn’t really because he’s in love with a woman. Porthos is a preening fool who uses different women to fund his extravagant lifestyle. Athos, also known as emo boy, is moody and dramatic. Sure we soon learn why he is the way he is and it’s a great reason, but still the emo tendencies get a bit old. D'Artagnan is the biggest goof of them all. When he isn’t challenging every man he meets to a duel, he’s falling in love with every woman he meets. Ironically the woman who he first falls for and who continues to love him is named Constance; her love is constant, while his certainly is not. The book begins as D'Artagnan heads to Paris to join the king’s guard and become a musketeer. He meets three musketeers along the way, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, and after a few misunderstandings the four become inseparable. The cocky quartet is constantly getting into trouble because of the unnecessary risks they take. At the same time they are pretty great at what they do and it’s fun to watch them duel their way out of every situation. “I foresee plainly that if we don’t kill each other, I shall hereafter have much pleasure in your conversation.” BOTTOM LINE: The Three Musketeers doesn’t have the same complexity and depth as The Count of Monte Cristo and so it’s not quite as satisfying. It is a really fun read and gives us some wonderful characters. Lady DiWinter is certainly one that I’ll never forget. I’m looking forward to reading some of the other books in the D'Artagnan series. “It was one of those events which decide the life of a man; it was a choice between the king and the cardinal.” “He gave a sigh for that unaccountable destiny which leads men to destroy each other for the interests of people who are strangers to them and who often do not even know that they exist.” 
    • 3/5
      Brilliant read...Alexandre Dumas literally plays for the screen... you can imagine the entire story coming alive... with all the twists and turns in the story
    • 4/5
      I read this because I wanted to read Man in the Iron Mask, but wanted to know how the stories were tied together first. It was much drier than I expected. Still, interesting for the historical perspective.
    • 5/5
      This is truely a great read. The three Musketeers plus d'Artangan, hotheaded, fickle, jovial and ruthless at the same time, but very lovable characters pit themselves against the menacing interfering Cardinal Richelieu and the unparralleled villain of M'lady de Winter as they fight for love & honour amidst some dangerous intrigues of the French Royal court.
    • 4/5
      As swashbuckling as I remember, even though it's been several decades since I'd read this classic. Did find myself skimming through the chapters with Milady's verbal seduction of her jailer; brilliantly done, but it went on for too long, IMO. The ending's perfect. One star down for the skimming.
    • 5/5
      I tried reading this when I was younger. I suspect my failure was partly due to lack of interest, and partly due to a bad translator. I've found the Penguin "Read Red" series, so far as I've read them, to be pretty well translated and easy to read. Including this one.

      The Three Musketeers is an unrepentant adventure story, with some politics and romance thrown in. It's exciting to read -- it only took me so long because I got distracted: shame on me -- and fun. It isn't that heavy on characterisation, I suppose. For the most part we don't learn much about the musketeers, only what they are doing at the immediate time. Possibly Milady gets the most character building, since she's so evil and we see so much of her during the last part of the book.

      Not all of it is happy fun adventure, I suppose: there are some bits that drag. Possibly if you found a good abridgement, that'd be worthwhile. But I liked the way it all came together. I'm a little sad that I don't actually own it, and it's going back to the library, but that's easily remedied. Once I'm allowed to buy books again, anyway...
    • 1/5
      I think I do not like classics
    • 4/5
      What a fun adventure story! The four friends -- d'Artagnon, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis -- who have been a mainstaty of popular culture are a delight to read on the page. They don't necessarily have much depth of character, being more like delightful fools than grown adult men, but they are quite funny and they present their own definition of honor. D'Artagnon is interesting, because he's the youngest of the group, fresh from his home village in the city of Paris and desiring to be a Musketeer. Despite being a total hot-head about some things, in some ways is hte most mature character of the group, kind of steering the others like wayward children. The one exception is Athos, who becomes a kind of father figure to d'Artagnon and helps guide him to the right course, when the situation gets over d'Artagnon's head. I really like their friendship.The intrigues and adventures are great and keep you reading to find how how our heroes make it through. Though I was surprised to find that the Cardinal was not the supreme villain in the story. He is a dangerous foil for our characters, but it also sometimes their friend. No, the major villain in the story is Milady de Winter, who has to be one of the original femme fatales. Seductive and dangerous, she lures men into traps, often having them enact her revenge for her. She's a really great villain and fun to read, even if she is a characture of evil womanhood (as most femme fatales are). Anyway, superfun, if long read. And I'm totally interested in reading more of the d'Artagnon romances, especially The Man in the Iron Mask.
    • 4/5
      This is an admirable adventure story with which most everyone is familiar; however, if you’ve never read the book, you’re not really familiar with the story. The plot is intricate with numerous twists and turns. Although Dumas spends time developing characters, it feels like the story never slows down.

      Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan possessed more honor and morality than I had expected after seeing their depictions on the silver screen. There are several characters that never made it to the film versions, including the Musketeers’ servants. The four servants play critical roles in the success of the Musketeers. I recommend this recent edition with its highly readable translation.
    • 5/5
      My number one thought upon completing The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas is that I had more fun reading this book than I’ve had in a long time. Chock full of drama, humor, political schemes, romance, and, oh yes, swordplay. This is a delightful swashbuckler and wonderful historical adventure.As Dumas uses historical references and events as a framework to build his story on, I was curious as to how close his interpretation were and upon a little research, the actual facts meld very well with his version. His well developed, strong characters and the fast pace at which the story unfolds has the reader engrossed and turning pages avidly. Dumas is skilful at evoking emotions as events play across the pages, and I felt many, ranging from sympathy to scorn, hatred to respect, humor to pathos.When I mention strong characters, one in particular springs to mind. Lady de Winter is one of the best villains I have ever read about. She can be very nasty, both cruel and vindictive, yet she masks her psychotic ways with her beauty, an angelic looking yet deadly blonde temptress that created most of the best edge of your seat moments in the book. And although d’Artagnan tried my patience any number of times, I could understand his young impatient ways. My admiration went mostly in the direction of Athos, the strong, silent type, hiding his true identity and a dark past.The Three Musketeers is a well known story and many movie adaptations have been made, but this was my first actual read and I was surprised at how different the book is from the Hollywood versions which usually play strongly upon the humor and less upon the story. Dumas delivers a kick-ass action adventure with strong undertones of his favorite themes of vengeance and intrigue. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      Ok but hard to follow.
    • 5/5
      What fun! This books just jumps right out and keeps moving along (except for a couple of slow spots -- but needed to develop the character's past, etc.) The cameraderie between the Musketeers is awesome and they are incredibly wonderful scamps. D'artagnon was adorable, as were Athos, Aramis and Porthos. The evil Milady was truly EVIL and WICKED. The dialogue was awesome, it just crackled right along. I think we all know the basic story and how it ended, but reading the book was much more enjoyable than the movie, as they always are. It did bring back many memories of that wonderful version from the 70's, with Michael York and Raquel Welch. I will have to revisit that, and am looking forward to reading the sequels. Dumas is truly a brilliant author
    • 5/5
      Accessible, witty translation of a classic, and a quick, enjoyable read for all its bulk! Milady de Winter is now one of my favourite literary heroines: smart, beautiful, glamorous and active, she is always scheming, ever alluring, and the most vivid character in the book. Painted as a serpent and a devil, it seems her only 'crime' is to have been smarter than the many men in her life, most of whom, used up and spat out, come seeking vengeance. I am firmly in Milady's corner, however, as she is as much wronged as wrong-doer, and at least has the strength to move on and enjoy her life. An evocative tale of seventeenth century France, with a smattering of history amidst the camaraderie, desire, honour and fighting.
    • 5/5
      The Michael York films of the 70's capture the spirit of this book, but there are surprises in store for some of the characters!
    • 5/5
      I'm sure most people are familiar with the story line of The Three Musketeers from hollywood movies, but what you don't get in the movies is Dumas' wonderful dry wit. This book is an excellent read, and if you are willing to push through some of the dry parts you will be amply rewarded with an exciting tale.
    • 5/5
      2006 translation done in a more modern style. Still a wonderful book. Some of the scenes seemed to flow easier since the translator didn't have to dance around the sex parts. It is a great work of plot and dialogue. One of my all time favorite novels.
    • 5/5
      Wonderfully compelling and thoroughly entertaining. Read it for the thrilling adventure or the romantic interest or even for the insights into the politics of the time. A book that makes me feel warm inside.
    • 5/5
      Athos: Well, D'Artagnan, if he doesn't come, it will be because of some delay. He may have tumbled off his horse or fallen on some slippery deck or ridden so fast against the wind that he is ill with a fever. Let us allow for the unforseen, gentlemen, since all is a gamble and life is a chaplet of minor miseries which, bead by bead, your philosopher tells with a smile. Be philosophers as I am, friends; sit down here and let us drink. (p. 451)
    • 5/5
      My favorite book of all time! D'artagnan is just bad. The pain of Athos, the conflict of Aramis, and the rowdiness of Porthos, these characters just leap off the stage. Courage, duty, romance, and honor. What more can you want from litearture?
    • 5/5
      Justly loved as one of the most enjoyable adventure novels ever written