I probably know the first 100 pages of The Three Musketeers as well as the author, Alexandre Dumas.
Over the past few years, I have started the book multiple times, only to get distracted from it for a variety of reasons. Every time I went to start reading it again, I would have to start over since I couldn’t remember where I had left off or any of the details.
Each time I read it, the details would come back to me, but there was often such a significant delay between readings that I had to start from scratch, otherwise, I’d feel like I’d be forgetting some key parts of the story.
I decided to give the book another try starting a couple of weeks ago (probably about my eighth attempt), and I’m happy to say that I just finished it yesterday.
It was an enjoyable read, and for the last couple of hundred pages, I couldn’t put it down.
I don’t think I’ve ever come across a more despicable fictional character than Milady, and since she figures prominently in the last part of the book, I kept reading to see if she would finally get her comeuppance (no spoiler here; you’re going to have to read the book to find out what happens to her).
There were other characters in the story I grew to like and became upset when things didn’t always turn out the best for such characters.
There were also some funny scenes in the book, along with a good dose of history.
What more could you want from a book – a good storyline, heroes and villains, you laugh a little, and you learn a little.
I’d have to say I didn’t think The Three Musketeers was as good as The Count of Monte Cristo, but that’s a high bar. I consider The Count one of the five best books I’ve ever read. To write either book would have been the pinnacle of any author’s career; the fact that Dumas wrote both of them is astonishing.
I am a little confused as to the choice for the title of The Three Musketeers since it really does not reference the main character of the story at all.
That being said, if you’re looking for some great summer reading, you can’t go wrong with either book.
*image from Tyron Eagle Eye News
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