Reviews

The first third was great fun for me, the second third was okay, and the final third meandered a bit and culminated in tragedy that seemed incommensurate with what preceded. But Dumas's characters are alive and his writing always kept me coming back.

trin's review against another edition

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3.0

More than its action, this book's strengths are its liveliness and its humor. That humor is sometimes a little too broad for my tastes, yet it remains remarkably modern.

These characters have become such an intrinsic part of popular culture, so it is somewhat surprising to finally read the original novel and discover that, on the whole, they're a bunch of useless doofuses. (Though they do have their moments.) Milady de Winter is by far the most interesting of the bunch -- I don't say this to make some kind of radical feminist statement; she is definitely a murderer and an awful person, but she leaps off the page in ways that no other character manages.

Also, murderer or not, Athos comes off as a real asshole in his previous dealings with her. Yikes, dude. You're supposed to be the "reasonable" one!

erinalbion's review against another edition

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5.0

Another re-read in 2023, and I am happy to recommend the Ellsworth translation. It was superb and seems to be a complete edition. I am unhappy to say that I think most of the versions I have previously read have been abridged even when not marked as such. This felt complete in a way I've never experienced with the Musketeers before. Strongly recommended as an English translation.

With this recent re-read, I am happy to report that even after 35 years this remains one of my favorite novels of all time. It is certainly one of the most entertaining, action packed classics with enough humor, swashbuckling, espionage, murder and romance for several books.

forever_fantasy's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lillianareads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

jennymwoo's review against another edition

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5.0

One of the more lively classics I've read. The translation by Richard Pevear was excellent and very accessible, minus an overreliance on the word "physiognomy." It's easy to see why this fun book remains popular today.

emzapk's review against another edition

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2.0

I went into this thinking the three musketeers were gonna be honorable gentlemen doing good but it turns out they're just men who do whatever the heck they want and call it honor. The story was fun and well-written but I felt sooooo disappointed - they kept taking advantage of people and challenging random folks to duels over the stupidest things. I prefer the Barbie version

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