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thephdivabooks's review against another edition
4.0
”We all know history was written by men, and they so often get things wrong.”
I always love a good reversal of classic stories, where the villain becomes the central character, and the hero's faults are exposed. A story that makes you think about why the villain acted the way they did. Maybe not forgiving them, but sympathizing.
In Laura L Sullivan’s Milady, we see the story of Clarice (aka Milady de Winter), a spy, villainess, and antagonist of the classic book, The Three Musketeers. I have read Dumas’s The Three Musketeers, and if I’m honest (though it has admittedly been a long time since I read it), I always found Milady de Winter to be an interesting character, and one who was treated poorly by D’Artagnan in the first place.
Lest we forget when he tricked her into meeting him for a romantic liaison by pretending to be her lover, and then had sex with her under the cloak of darkness, letting her think he was someone else. Then later when she actually did agree to have sex with him, he told her they’d actually had sex before (I’m paraphrasing). Dirt bag.
That type of behavior would not be tolerated in 2019, but of course it was a different time back then.
Side note: I had a friend growing up who had a bunch of cats named after D’Artagnan, the three musketeers, and Milady. True to the book, Milady the cat was a stunning creature. But I digress…
Early in the book, Milady is a bit naïve. Growing up with her mother, only to then be taken by her father to the royal palace, Milady soon sheds her naivety. Betrayal has a way of forcing a young woman to harden, afterall. I found it incredibly fascinating to see Milady shed the innocence of a sheltered upbringing. Through a series of events in the book, Milady becomes the spy and assassin we know from The Three Musketeers.
Sullivan’s Milady is a wonderfully complex character. Still flawed, still cunning, still a bit vengeful. But I hope readers also sympathize with her. It is hard to imagine the life this woman led and at the time. Women certainly were used and seen as less than, so I cheered her on when her cleverness and boldness allowed the men to finally understand that she is stronger than they believed. That a woman is capable of getting on over one them is an important lesson, despite her ultimate fate.
I found the focus on Milady’s life prior to the events in The Three Musketeers to be wonderful. Sullivan rounded out her character and fantasized how this brave, flawed, and diabolical woman became the person she was. At times the writing was so elegant that I had to reread the sentences.
It is also apparent that Sullivan spent considerable time researching and plotting this book, and to great effect. I thought it was brilliant that Sullivan didn’t change who Milady was, but she did tell you more about her. Milady wasn’t necessarily a nice character, but she was sympathetic. And she’s also fascinating! Much more so than the four males it took to bring The Three Musketeers to notoriety. (I’m exaggerating, I actually do love the original story as well, but I’m making a point here about the male-female dynamic and characterizations)
Fans of this reimagining of a classic story will enjoy this one! It’s a fascinating historical fiction novel, filled with all sorts of scandal, spies, treason, murder, and secrets. And Milady de Winter is certainly a woman who can carry a book!
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
I always love a good reversal of classic stories, where the villain becomes the central character, and the hero's faults are exposed. A story that makes you think about why the villain acted the way they did. Maybe not forgiving them, but sympathizing.
In Laura L Sullivan’s Milady, we see the story of Clarice (aka Milady de Winter), a spy, villainess, and antagonist of the classic book, The Three Musketeers. I have read Dumas’s The Three Musketeers, and if I’m honest (though it has admittedly been a long time since I read it), I always found Milady de Winter to be an interesting character, and one who was treated poorly by D’Artagnan in the first place.
Lest we forget when he tricked her into meeting him for a romantic liaison by pretending to be her lover, and then had sex with her under the cloak of darkness, letting her think he was someone else. Then later when she actually did agree to have sex with him, he told her they’d actually had sex before (I’m paraphrasing). Dirt bag.
That type of behavior would not be tolerated in 2019, but of course it was a different time back then.
Side note: I had a friend growing up who had a bunch of cats named after D’Artagnan, the three musketeers, and Milady. True to the book, Milady the cat was a stunning creature. But I digress…
Early in the book, Milady is a bit naïve. Growing up with her mother, only to then be taken by her father to the royal palace, Milady soon sheds her naivety. Betrayal has a way of forcing a young woman to harden, afterall. I found it incredibly fascinating to see Milady shed the innocence of a sheltered upbringing. Through a series of events in the book, Milady becomes the spy and assassin we know from The Three Musketeers.
Sullivan’s Milady is a wonderfully complex character. Still flawed, still cunning, still a bit vengeful. But I hope readers also sympathize with her. It is hard to imagine the life this woman led and at the time. Women certainly were used and seen as less than, so I cheered her on when her cleverness and boldness allowed the men to finally understand that she is stronger than they believed. That a woman is capable of getting on over one them is an important lesson, despite her ultimate fate.
I found the focus on Milady’s life prior to the events in The Three Musketeers to be wonderful. Sullivan rounded out her character and fantasized how this brave, flawed, and diabolical woman became the person she was. At times the writing was so elegant that I had to reread the sentences.
It is also apparent that Sullivan spent considerable time researching and plotting this book, and to great effect. I thought it was brilliant that Sullivan didn’t change who Milady was, but she did tell you more about her. Milady wasn’t necessarily a nice character, but she was sympathetic. And she’s also fascinating! Much more so than the four males it took to bring The Three Musketeers to notoriety. (I’m exaggerating, I actually do love the original story as well, but I’m making a point here about the male-female dynamic and characterizations)
Fans of this reimagining of a classic story will enjoy this one! It’s a fascinating historical fiction novel, filled with all sorts of scandal, spies, treason, murder, and secrets. And Milady de Winter is certainly a woman who can carry a book!
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
jmbq_reads's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a loooooong time since I read The Three Musketeers, so I don't remember if Dumas's original depiction of Milady was as one-dimensionally villainous as in a recent theatre production. Certainly she wasn't nearly as interesting as Sullivan has portrayed her: not entirely likeable, innocent in more ways than she would like, but eventually able to overcome her inability to see more than a couple steps ahead in her plots in order to become the spy version of a grand chessmaster. Beautifully written with enough suspense to keep me guessing up to the last twist.
adenise47's review against another edition
4.0
I felt like this book was a little slow. It had parts that were good and read fast, then it would get slow again. Good story line. I am not sure if I would recommend this book.
pixie_hallows's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun backstory to Milady de Winter, the villain of The Three Musketeers by Dumas. I enjoyed the story of how the country girl turned spy/assassin and loved the perspective of reading the “other side” of the story.
zombeesknees's review against another edition
5.0
Full review can be found here: https://www.criminalelement.com/book-review-milday-by-laura-l-sullivan/
adventureinlit's review against another edition
5.0
"I will be strong, and fearless, and wise. I will never be helpless again, nor ashamed of the choices I've made. No man will own me, nor my body or my heart. No man will bind me so that I cannot escape."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is the heart-breaking and emotional story of Milady d'Winter. Raised in a wealthy, power-hungry family, her father has her trained as a spy and then discarded to a convent when he no longer has use of her.
Rescued and escaped from the convent, she is now on the run while carrying the burdens of actions he had to take to survive. Life continues to become a further tangled mess of lies and deceit. Who can she trust, who are her real friends?
Grown up version of Milady is the most well-known, and feared assassin. The three musketeers are out for her blood for current and past transgressions against the people.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Her story is one of strength. The resilience of women during a time when men reigned. Finding a way to continue feeling like a woman, while having to behave like a man. I cried several times during this story as she experiences some very troubling scenes. if you like adventures and strong female characters, then definitely give it a read!
alexiachantel's review against another edition
5.0
There's two sides to every story—and Milady shows that a villain can be a hero depending on how you look at it.
If you've read Dumas' The Three Musketeers, or seen one of the many movie adaptations, you'll know of the lady spy, Milady de Winters, one of the villains. She's a cunning seductress, dangerous and powerful. And she started out as a girl from the countryside.
Sullivan's take on Milady's POV was gripping. I couldn't put it down. The sheer cleverness of this woman is masterful! I highly recommend this if you're in the mood for a 17th century historical fiction.
If you've read Dumas' The Three Musketeers, or seen one of the many movie adaptations, you'll know of the lady spy, Milady de Winters, one of the villains. She's a cunning seductress, dangerous and powerful. And she started out as a girl from the countryside.
Sullivan's take on Milady's POV was gripping. I couldn't put it down. The sheer cleverness of this woman is masterful! I highly recommend this if you're in the mood for a 17th century historical fiction.
disneydamsel1's review against another edition
3.0
I went between 3 and 4 stars for this one. Full disclosure, I havent read the Three Musketeers, and since this is an orgin story for Milady, that matters. That being said. I enjoyed the story especially the beginning of the book. Later when it mixes more with the original novel by Dumas, it lost some of my interest.