The Three Musketeers (1844)

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The heroes weren’t always easy for me to root for, but the story certainly kept me engaged. ( )

Indeholder kapitlerne "I. D'Artagnan rejser til Paris", "II. D'Artagnan og Musketererne", "III. Duellen og Mødet med Kongen", "IV. Hofintriger", "V. En farlig Ekspedition", "VI. Festen", "VII. D'Artagnan opsøger sine Venner", "VIII. Mylady og Kardinalen", "IX. Felttoget", "X. En natlig Udflugt", "XI. Frokost paa Bastionen", "XII. Der lægges Planer", "XIII. Myladys Englandsrejse", "XIV. Hvad der imens skete ved La Rochelle", "XV. Myladys rænker", "XVI. Den sidste Forbrydelse", "XVII. Hævn", "XVIII. Løjnants-Patentet".

??? ( )

Glad I re-read it in the original translation of 1946. There were lots of words I had to look up. I enjoyed the pace of the writing - the musketeers, and others, tearing around, always in a hurry, whether to find their next meal, or chasing a villain - and the short chapters complimented that perfectly. As a teenager I mostly missed the casual violence - enjoying the daring-do and romance - but I've certainly had to revise my opinions of what was my top favourite character Athos, I can't condone his treatment of his young wife no matter how wicked the lady becomes later. And I appreciate far more both Lady De Winter and the cardinal. Still it is a wonderful romp through Paris, France and London, and a heartfelt celebration of brotherhood and loyalty. ( )

** WARNING this review contains (mild) spoilers, read at your own risk ;) **

The first part is quite humorous, laugh-out-loud funny at times, but then the narrative starts to drag, and towards the end it spirals into a dark tale.
I'm not sure I like the progression of the 4 musketeers's character, towards the end they turn into rather unpleasant people.

Also, I found Dumas's portrayal of Milady... annoying (for lack of a better word). On the one hand, he describes her as a villainous mastermind, cunning and devious, and the next moment he turns her into a feeble woman, paralized by her emotions. The way he writes it, she just doesn't add up as a character, there are too many contradictions (unless she's schizofrenic?)
The other female characters are just there to sit around, be pretty and be the motive behind the heroes' actions (and I use the term 'hero' loosely, because some of the actions of the musketeers are anything but heroic).

The only few chapters that attempt to bring a bit of depth to Milady are those where whe's imprisoned by Lord de Winter, and she schemes and manipulates to facilitate her escape.

All in all, after like the first third of the book, I became rather disenchanted by it. With all the repetitions and unnecessary elaborations, the book could easily have been about 200 pages shorter and the story not suffer from it. ( )