The Three Musketeers

by Alexandre Dumas

There have been some high fevers and sad babies around here lately. I've spent a lot of time holding my girls and laying in bed watching Little Einsteins (kill me now) episodes over and over. So I had a chance to read most of this book in a few short days.

This story of duels, war, court intrigue, and warped romance didn't loose my attention once in the over 700 pages. That is no small feat. The main characters are multifaceted and richly developed. I love that the characters are for the most part , an interesting mix of good and evil. The narrative is fast paced and draws you into the story. This book is a good example of why some books are classics. It wasn't quite as good as The Count of Monte Cristo but I'm definitely a fan of Dumas.

The protagonist D'Artagnan, a young Gascon, arrives in Paris with the dream of becoming one of the King's musketeers. He quickly finds himself set to duel Athos, Porthos and Aramis, three of the king's regiment. The four become inseparable friends and find themselves sucked into a power struggle between church and state, a war between England and France and other various intrigues and exploits.

The most dangerous of their adventures involves one of the Cardinal's spies, Milady de Winter, one of the most cunning and seductive female villains in literature. She is positively evil, the only character in the book without a mix of good and evil. The four musketeers are constantly trying to outwit and catch her. A long and twisted plot doesn't dissapoint. My one minor complaint is the long story of Milady's imprisonment tends to drag a tiny bit but the book is still wonderful overall.

I wish they would make this book into a movie (not a disney movie) along the lines that they did my favorite novel, also by Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo.