A review by jhbandcats
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

adventurous funny informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Three Musketeers is full of adventure and swagger, and it’s quite funny, but it’s also tragic. Love, honor, and death form the lives of our heroes. 

The Musketeers and their newfound friend who joins the King’s Guard are fondly delineated - Dumas clearly loved Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan. Their word is their bond - they truly believe in death before dishonor. They will always fight for one another. 

As expected, the callow D’Artagnan goes through the change from unsophisticated rube to gallant Musketeer. The growth that is more illuminating, though, is that Athos goes from a self-destructive drunk to a man with a firm hold on his future. Instead of spending his time and money in foolish pursuits he matures to have a more serious outlook. The scene of him locked in a wine cellar for a week, drinking everything within, is really funny but the Athos at the end of the book wouldn’t behave as irresponsibly. 

I’ve loved these characters for years and and am happy I again chose to go through 800 pages of their adventures. 
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