The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas (translated by Richard Pevear)

On the first Monday of the month of April 1625, the village of Meung, where the author of the Romance of the Rose was born, seemed to be in as total an upheaval as if the Huguenots had come to make a second La Rochelle. Many of the townsmen, seeing women fleeing along the main street, hearing children crying on the doorsills, hastened to put on their breastplates and, backing up their somewhat uncertain countenances with a musket or a partisan, headed for the Jolly Miller Inn, before which jostled a compact group, noisy, full of curiosity, and growing every minute.


The Three Musketeers is a famous classic of adventure and intrigue that has been made into countless movies. (And no, it is not a graphic novel, though it may look  like it from this particular cover.) The three musketeers of the title are named Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. They, along with their friend D'Artagnan (the hero of the book) loyally serve the king and oppose the Cardinal. The Three Musketeers started off a bit slowly, as some lengthy classics are apt to do, but soon it went at a much faster pace, and I was eager to keep reading. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but they all play a role in the novel. I have a really beautiful old copy of The Three Musketeers, but then I discovered that it was abridged! So I'm glad I decided to read the library's copy.

Anyway, the world described in The Three Musketeers is fascinating, and I would highly to recommend it if you're looking for a challenging but rewarding read.

Read The Three Musketeers:

• if you have seen one of the various movie versions and want to read the actual book
• if you like French classics
• if you are looking for a lengthy book to read (though The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas is even longer)

673 pages.

Very Good! I would recommend this book!