kalwriteswords 's review for:

Les Trois Mousquetaires | The Three Musketeers by Sylvie Thorel-Cailleteau, Michael York, Alexandre Dumas, Alexandre Dumas, Pierre Toutain-Dorbec, Giorgio Manganelli, S.M. Sheley, Philip Bates, S.N. Rizvi, Brett Helquist, Walter Covell

3.0

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While this classic tale certainly has some wonderful intrigue and adventure, it is a slog to get through. There were plenty of times I was excited to come back and keep reading. But other times it felt like a chore, and unfortunately, much of this was in the last quarter of the book. The intrigues and adventures of the first half slow way down by the second and it becomes tedious at times to continue. As soon as Dumas focuses on the Siege of La Rochelle, the fast-paced adventures become mired in the political dealings of the time. The heroes spend too much time waiting around which grows tiresome (even if this was the reality for the soldiers at La Rochelle). And while Milady is an intriguing character, I did not like the focus on her chapter after chapter. I quickly lost interest, wishing we could get back to the Musketeers. Overall I think it was a good book for those who can get through the archaic phrasing and mannerisms (there are some troubling points if it were judged by today's standards), but it does slow down to the point where it becomes hard to pick up if you have a fairly short attention span like me.