The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

I just finished Book 2 in the TBR Challenge. Spoilers abound so if you don't want me to ruin the plot don't read beyond this line.

This was a pretty good read. There were definitely some cliches and blatant sexism but when you read a book that was originally published in 1844, you sort of have to look past that.

The book mainly follows the story of d'Artagnan, a young man from the Gascon region of France who wants to become a musketeer more than anything else. For a while, I was afraid his character was at risk of becoming Lorna Doomed, aka, a character that's too good to be true. My reason for this was because he was younger than Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the other main characters who had been in the Musketeers for some time and yet they deferred to him. He was described as handsome, fearless and intelligent with no flaws whatsoever.

But then, he falls in love with a married woman, Madame Bonacieux who seems to return his affection because she didn't marry out of love. He's also tempted by Milady, an evil woman who leaves death everywhere she goes. His feelings for her are definitely more carnal than for Madame Bonacieux.

But the plot is definitely more drawn out than what I thought the story would be. For all the action that takes place, it doesn't feel like a lot is accomplished. But again, I did like the story. I laughed out loud when I got to chapter 65 because it begins with "It was a dark and stormy night." It made me wonder if the beginning of this horrible cliche started with this book. Anyway, I would recommed the book and now I can't wait to read The Count of Monte Cristo.

This book was part of my Classic Reading Challenge.

Rating:3/5