Bookaholic-ness: Book Review: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.

The Three Musketeers: An Abridgement by Lord Sudley

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.
Book Summary: When hot-blooded young d'Artagnan comes to Paris to seek his fortune, he finds himself challenged to a duel with not one, but three of the King's Musketeers. But Athos, Porthos and Aramis are to become his greatest friends, and companions in dangerous adventure when he becomes embroiled in the intrigues of the Court and the beautiful, evil Lady de Winter. *This edition has been specially abridged for Puffin Classics.

Liana's Summary: D'Artagnan's dream is to become a musketeer. But when he actually comes to Paris, he realizes that it's not so easy. He meets Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, immediately upsetting them and setting himself in a position to duel with three of the king's greatest musketeers. What d'Artagnan doesn't expect, though, is to be spared and to make friends with those three and to set out on a dangerous mission and task meanwhile escaping the wrath of the evil Lady de Winter.

Rate(1-10): 9

Ermagerd, yeah. This was such a good book.

To be honest, the only reason I picked it up was because of my requirement to read classics in my high school years. And I thought I was going to be yawning in boredom, but might as well give it a try anyways. I think that teens, such as myself, aren't really interested in reading Classics but instead like to read YA fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi, etc. (If they like to read at all.) Because. Well. Classics aren't exactly the easiest thing in the world to understand, are they? There's a lot of interpretation involved, and don't forget the VOCABULARY. I always find the most vocab in the classical novels to research.

And when I finally read this I realized that classics aren't half-bad as I thought they were, lol. As I said, I actually liked this book a lot.

The author does a pretty good job with description. I could picture all the people he described. Although it sort of annoyed me that all classics have more narrating than dialogue. And I love dialogue. In my own writing I get excited whenever I get to the dialogue parts.

Also, the author, like most classical writers, are really good irony writers and so much things are freaking ironic you almost fall out of your chair every single time.
He's also very good with humor. I found myself cracking up at ridiculous times in which I wasn't really supposed to laugh because of the scene but I laughed anyways because some things in the book aren't really what you see in your everyday YA novel.

So of course there's a barbie movie version of it. (Yeah I watched it, duh) And there are several similarities except the barbie one was altered a little for the sake of little girls. There isn't any killing (there's a lot of killing, and lots of action to go along with it) or really awkward love-scenes (quite a few of those, I'm just glad classical authors don't describe them in depth. Don't want this to be a 50 Shades of Grey here) in the barbie movie. In the movie, there isn't any romance at all. And the main character is a girl. But the similarities, even small, are still there because the main characters both have the same ambitions and they're both pretty insistent on doing what they want to do. (The qualities of a musketeer!)

So, the main character in this novel, d'Artagnan, an ambitious young man in his twenties, is actually pretty likable but his actions are ridiculous and forward and he has to pay dearly for it afterwards. And he's cocky too. LOL. He's often referred to in this book as 'our hero'. He is, pretty much, I guess.

Okay so a note on the romance. It is so freaking sad because, well, first of all, it was love at first sight, which isn't sad, but annoying still, and the lady was already married and then they fall for each other? Then what's the point of marrying her old fart of a husband besides for money. And at the end. I literally screamed out loud because of the flipping tragicness of it.

This is actually a really good example of the good guys prevailing (not to mention giving a few sacrifices) and the bad guys getting their deserved punishment.

There are a lot of deaths and I'm sad to say that not all of them were bad guys.

Out of the musketeers I like Aramis the best because I just do. LOL.

Honestly, I don't think the ending was a sad/happy one at all but was just a 'as a matter of fact the end'. We went through an adventure with our heroes, the end.

Yeah, as I have mentioned before, this is a really good book. Give it a try!

Quotes!

"Hi there!"

"He therefore noticed at once that the woman was young and beautiful."

That has to be the first thing he notices?

"Give it back or, by God, I'll run you all through like larks on a spit!"

I LOVE HOW WHENEVER A CHARACTER GETS SOMETHING TAKEN FROM THEM THEY SAY 'GIVE IT BACK' LIKE IT'S GONNA HELP AHAH THAT'S HILARIOUS

"They're afraid of smallpox, Sir," said Porthos. "It would be a shame if it were, because it would quite spoil his looks."

That's not awkward at all how a guy said that

"What a silly, hare-brained ass I am!"

Yah. Glad you noticed.

"..I like my head; I don't think it looks too bad on my shoulders. I mean to kill you all right."

"Don't try to find your wife!"

"I'm going to jump down from the window," cried d'Artagnan. "It's quicker that way."

This so reminds me of the scene in Cinderella III where the prince jumped down from the window when the father was like "I forbid you from going down any of these stairs!"

"He was thinking of Madame Bonacieux."

Love at first sight annoys me so much.

"..she may be pretty, too. How exciting!"

"You're altogether adorable."

"..Monsieur Athos has been arrested."

"Take it and remove your odious presence from my sight."

This is so hilarious #BrbDying

"Are you mad?"

U MAD BRO?

"..You've never been in love!"

That's so mean.

"You're right."

"And he kissed her, at which the poor girl blushed a cherry red."

This is in every way wrong because he's taking advantage of her little crush on him as his key to finding things out.

"..finished her toilet for the night."

Is this really what it sounds like or was the 'toilet' something else back then. LOL ERMAGERD

"The love-making of.."

Oh my goodness whyyyyyyy.

"I'm sure you're very nice, but you'd be even nicer if you went away."

"Oh, Sir, near or far, I shall love you always,"

I can't take this seriously because my sister made up a rhyme about farts and she had to use 'near or far' in it.

"And I'll always love you, Kitty."

LIES! HE SPEAKS LIES!

"Where are you? Why aren't you here to support me?"

"..and abjectedly kissed his rescuer's feet."

Is that what they did back then as a sign of gratitude omg

"Madame Bonacieux mechanically drank down the wine."

"D'Artagnan, d'Artagnan!" she called. "Is it you? I'm here!"
"Constance, Constance!" called the young man in reply. "In Heaven's name, where are you?"

HURRY D'ARTAGNAN UGH