The Three Musketeers

Time for a CLASSC!  I love this author, Alexandre Dumas, and the book is The Three Musketeers.  I loved The Count of Monte Cristo and this one is in the same class of great books.  The story has the backdrop of the real life character but a different story from real life happenings utilizing the royalty of France and England, such as, Cardinal Richelieu, King Louis XIII, and the Duke of Buckingham.  A young man of humble background, d’Artagnan, leaves his rural home in Gascony to travel to Paris with the hopes of joining the royal Musketeers of the Guard. The trip is interrupted by an encounter with an “agent” of the Cardinal, who steals his letter of introduction to meet the leader of the Musketeers.  Without the letter of introduction to de Treville, who oversees the Musketeers, it hurts his application to the group and he later offends the actual three Musketeers and is called to duel them, a battle is interrupted when they are all to be arrested for illegal dueling by the Cardinal’s men. This bonds the four together in a fight against the Cardinal’ men, which they win, this begin the long relationship of the new group, and after wounding one of the Cardinal’s guards, Jussac, the King appoints d’Artagnan to the company of guards.   This is the first step of d’Artagnan joining the team, but first lots more adventures.  D’Artagnan gets involved in many love triangles, and uncovers the evil doing of Milady de Winter, an evil woman, who has multiple affairs and the ability to tempt men to do things they wouldn’t do because of her seductive ways. Milady is connected to the Duke of Buckingham (from England) and the Cardinal, and one of the Three Musketeers in separate “relationships” that bring all of these men, and the woman around them to the brink of death, and some actually die in the process.  As the story unfolds, d’Artagnan is in search of Milady as his own love interest, Constance Bonacieux, the Queen’s confidante, who is killed drinking potion filled with poison that she has her drink moments before d’Artagnan finds her.  The story has numerous subplots and exciting journeys between Paris and London where war is always right around the corner.  This is a good old fashioned, love, lost love, and intrigue of good vs. evil, where good finally reigns!  Dumas is absolutely the best at developing mystery and complicated connections among his characters.  While it is a long read, I couldn’t help myself and finished it in four days!  The translation was excellent as well.  If you haven’t read this one and you saw the movie, go pick up the book and imagine the 1600 of Paris.