Alexandre Dumas Books

The Three Musketeers is a unique book. History and political events are woven into the plot of this clever book. I find the characters fasinating and feel like I already know these noble men. The loyalty of them is overwhemling. I am in the middle of Dumas's next book, "Twenty Years Later" and am enjoying it too.I have read many books, and this is one of my personal favorites.

The only reason I picked up the book was because it was one of "those" books in the school library. You wanted to read it for the points, but everybody who picked it up gaze up and put it back down. *I* even tried to read it once and gave up. But I'm always up for a challenge. The next year I checked it out and informed everybody I knew that I was going to be one of the first people in our school to read the book. Then I decided to begin reading.

The first couple pages are basically one long paragraph that doesn't make sense unless you're re-reading it and already know the characters and what's going on. I was tempted to put it down, but I wasn't going to back down. By about page 30, it was easy to read, and I began to get into it.

What I discovered was that this is possibly one of the best pieces of fiction ever written. I couldn't put it down, and spent a whole Saturday reading it. I never expected it to be what it was from what I'd read on the back. But then, the plot is so complex, and there are so many sub-plots that you wonder how anyone can do it justice.

I read once that many people associate the word "classic" with the word "boring". As I've discovered, this is entirely not true. When I thought about it, the reason books become classics aren't because they're old and boring, but because people love them, because they are read by millions. The reason that they lasted for so long is because people kept them alive. I'm sure that in a century from now, only a select few books that we enjoy will still be in print, and those particular books will be the best of our time, just as The Three Musketeers was the best of its time.

I'm sorry if this review didn't suffice, I'm just hoping that maybe somebody will read it and give it a try. So far I haven't talked anyone I know into reading it, but they're not bookworms like me. People are intimidated by its size, but from my experience, the best books are the largest. When an author really has a story to tell, one that you will enjoy, one that has a complex, satisfying plot, then it's going to be long.

Okay, I'm done lecturing anyone who got this far. :)

The best friends you'll ever find in a book! My favorite part was when D'artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Arimis met and insted of dueling each other, ther ended up dueling the Cardinal's Guards! I can never stop reading it! The reason Porthos and D'artagnan were going to duel is a LITTLE funny. This, along with a sad ending and a few sequels, make it a real CLASSIC.

1 When I got this book, the name seemed very familiar. `Three Musketeers' was a phrase used by people to describe any trio of friends indulging in some activity or enterprise. Then I came to know about the movie made on the story of this book with the same name.

2 Initially, this book did not interest me at all. What a funny kind of language it has is what I thought. I wondered as to why it is such a famous classic when I am unable to find first few pages so interesting. But when I convinced my mind that this must be the language of times to which the book belongs (1844) and proceeded, It was evident why it is a classic. Masterly woven story line and plot. Thrill of not knowing what to expect next, the intrigue of the French court, helplessness of the Queen and power of the Cardinal all add to the boiling pot of this book's plot. Rise of its commoner hero D' Artagnan through intelligence, luck, hard work and musketeer friends has been convincingly developed. Even after long time from its release in 1844, `Three Musketeers' holds the readers captive till the very last page. A MUST READ.

This book was my son's (age 7) introduction to the "classics". We read it together, a few pages a night. He really got hooked, and is now eager to read more books like it. I highly recommend it. The content is written in a way that a young bright child can follow it, but is not too babyish for an older child. It has a black and white drawing on the right side of each written page, which helps keep the child interested. We loved it!!!

The Three Musketeers is a great book. It has a lot of action and mystery. The story is about a young man named D'Artagnan who wants to become a Musketeer. He joins up with the Three Musketeers even though he isn't a Musketeer, yet. In the end he becomes a Musketeer. It is a great book!

The Three Musketeers is a unique book. History and political events are woven into the plot of this clever book. I find the characters fasinating and feel like I already know these noble men. The loyalty of them is overwhemling. I am in the middle of Dumas's next book, "Twenty Years Later" and am enjoying it too.I have read many books, and this is one of my personal favorites.

The Three Musketeers
By: Alexandre Dumas, et al
Reviewed by: E. Kim
Period: 2

The book is about that a young cadet, D'Artagnan, goes to Paris to be trained as a King's musketeer, who teams up with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Cardinal Richelieu and his spy, Milady de Winter, are trying to thwart the evil schemes to save the Queen's honor. Milady de Winter has poinsoned D'Artagnan's true love and gets revenge on Richelieu and Milady de Winter. There, an another spy of Richelieu, Count Rochefort, was part of this evil scheme. There D'Artagnan was having a sword battle with Rochefort and there Rochefort got stabbed by D'Artagnan's sword. Then Athos, Porthos, and Aramis called upon an executioner to execute Milady de Winter. Then D'Artagnan was called upon Cardinal Richelieu and promotes him lieutenant of the King's musketeers.

I liked the book because it is an action/adventure book that all children and adults would really enjoy. I really loved that quote,"One for all, and all for one!" because that quote saids that we must work together as a group or with a friend. In this book, it saids that they say this quote every time they fight or they did it beacause they are fighing as a team. I think that if everyone did this book as their project, they would get As or Bs. Then they will be very happy.

There will be no people rejecting this book, because they think that this is the best action/adventure book published by Alexandre Dumas. The people should get this book, it tells about the medieval period, help on your history homework about what it is like during the medieval period, this chapter book can help you with your comprehension skills.

My favorite part of this book is when that D'Artagnan and Rochefort are fighing at the church, because the sword fighing has the same technique has the medieval period. The least favorite part of this story is at the beginning of the book, because, it tells the boring stuff, no conflict, etc. The middle and the ending part is okay, but the beginning is verry dull and it doesn't tell you what happens next. So, I really enjoy this book and you might enjoy it too.

IT MAY SOUND LIKE A LOT BUT THE READER OF THE BOOK HAS SO MUCH EMOTION AND REALLY CAPTURES THE MOMENT!

I first read this book at the urging of my brother when I had just finished college and learned that the common misconception of _The Three Musketeers_ as a children's book is deeply misplaced. Yes, children might enjoy the adventure, but this book is so much more than mere fighting. We follow the historical twists and turns of the French court, the control certain characters exercise over others, and the passions of love and betrayal. And in the midst of this, we get to know D'Artenian, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis like they were our own friends. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read, whether historical fiction, adventure, romance, or drama.

The characters of D'Artagnan, Aramis, Athos, and Porthos are so beautifully described in the book, it was one real joy of reading the story overall. Cardinal Richelieu, too, took on so much more than the typical two-dimensional "evil villain" character; we see much more to his personality than a review of his schemes. I found him to be more interesting than the character of Milady, who could be counted upon to be nasty and deceitful in any circumstances. The plot is simple (revolving around the illicit romance of the queen and the Duke of Buckingham), relying upon the details to add the rich colors to the tapestry of the story. It is a wonderfully fun story to read, full of adventure, intrigue, comedy, romance, and plenty of swishing swords. It does not end tidily or even happily, and was more poignant to me for that reason.

I heartily recommend it!

Simply put, I love this book. What a great book to introduce to students interested in historical adventures, and this one is spot on. It's one of the great adventure novels, with lots of action, well-written characters, important issues, and can be read quickly because of its compelling storyline. Also, there is the deception factor,which makes for great storytelling, but in this case the deception is of good in the eternal struggle that is good versus evil. Scott A. Reighard, author: Jamestown: Journey Back in Time

This is a good edition in English of a wonderful reading experience, which I looked over in a store. Is there anything new in it? No. But it is inexpensive and fairly well translated, tho nothing compares to Dumas pere's astonishing detail and clarity in the original language. Alas, it is abridged, which is dumbing it down in my opinion.

This massive book has all the hallmarks of what you would expect in a classic: intriguing characters with great psychological depth as they evolve over a long period of time, an extraordinarily intricate plot of adventure and transformation, and moral lessons along with rich ironies. So long as you embrace the complexity and can live in another world, the full version is utterly rivetting to read.

Everyone knows the plot in outline. A gifted and yet simple sailor, Dantes, is the victim of a conspiracy involving thwarted love, greed, and unbridled ambition. By eliminating him, three men get what they want and move brilliantly into the rapidly changing and corrupt French society of the Restoration. They forget Dantes, who is isolated in despair in a notorious political dungeon, the Chateau d'If. While in prison, he meets an Italian savant who tunnels into his room and who teaches him the entire pantheon of classical knowledge, which he memorised as a tutor to princes; he also harbors a secret about an immense treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. Dantes escapes, finds the treasaure, and sets about creating an elaborate series of traps to wreak vengence on the three men who condemned him. This occurs in about the 1st 250 pages of the book (unabridged version). At this point, after doing some good for a family that had tried to help him, Dantes' interior dialogue - so vivid as he figures out who betrayed him and learns to hate them while learning the love the Italian savant as a 2nd father - becomes silent to the reader. What Dantes then does is insinuate himelf into French high society, creating relationships with the 3 men and their families with a cunning that can only be called genius. This takes place over about 700 pages and is an indictment of the society that Dumas despised. Though the Count is falling in love, his hatred is so implacable and cold as to render him an automaton of vengence. Then, in the last 3rd of the book as the train of destruction he created is set in motion, Dantes is again reborn as a man who can feel and reflect on what he has done. It is a moving apotheosis of redemption and regret.

What is so amazing about the story is that, as outlandish as some of the plot twists and coincidences are, the reader is (or at least I was) swept into a fast-moving narrative that is irresistably readable. In doing so, Dumas helped to spawn an entirely new genre of novel: the psychological thriller, or adventure that provokes reflection and awe. Its depth and ambition are beyond the simple swashbuckler. Its world is complete in sumptuous and realistic detail while remaining too fantastic to believe. Its characters are so complex and yet such romantic ideals as they evolve. Moreover, there are also a number of symbols throughout the book, evoking Christian and pagan themes, so that the book can be interpreted on a number of levels if that isyour bag.

This is one of the best novels I ever read and certainly Dumas' best. Though it took me an entire summer to get through it in the original, I will never forget it. For those of you who read French, Dumas' language is stunningly clear and graceful, while using a vocabulary that is easily accessible, so why domb it down?

Highest recommendation.

I, too, have only ever seen this produced, and never found it in print... but it's just brilliant. And FUNNY. How do you build a farce around the idea that "bad faith makes the world go 'round?" Well, Sartre manages it... I'll stop before this turns into an essay, and just recommend that anyone who has a chance to see this performed by a cast of any distinction at all should jump at it.

My first trip to England in the early 70's was the highpoint of my theater-going experiences. I was lucky enough to see Alec Guiness in "Voyage Round My Father," the Peter Brook production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and a young Ian McClellan playing the lead in "Kean." All were unforgettable, but this play still sticks in my mind as being among the negelected masterpieces of 20th century playwrighting. Sartre understood theater history and he understood role-playing, appearance vs. reality and all the other critical saws that are discussed in high-school English classes. Yet in this play these tired themes are perfectly expressed and therefor renewed and made infinitely interesting by the manner in which the playwright unfolds them. There is a gradual peeling away of pretense and bravado on the part of the protagonist (the play might as well be a monologue), and the audience comes to understand that behind all the masks, what Sartre finally wants to show us is humanity stripped of its skin. He exposes the viscera, the protruding bones, the raw psychic flesh that we are all heir to. Kean, by play's conclusion, has degenerated into a knd of erstwhile Truman Capote, having sacrificed his soul in the process of gaining notoriety. He also shares Capote's substance abuse weaknesses, though his alcoholism is merely a symptom of his inner malaise. Sartre is saying a great deal about art, about the effect of fame and about the human condition in this work. It is a play that should be revived every fifth year either on the West End or on Broadway, in my opinion. It is apparently hard to come by. I can't even swear that it reads as well as it plays (I've seen two productions, but haven't been able to find it in print myself). If you ever have the opportunity to see the play, by all means avail yourself of a rare theatrical treat.

Un libro clasico de aventuras sin Igual, Esta gran Obra publicada en La francia del Siglo XIX por Alexandre Dumas fue originalmente vendida en fasciculos al publico parisense e inmediatamente logro ser un total exito.
Hoy en dia hemos oido mucho sobre los tres mosqueteros tanto en el Cine como en T.V pero ninguna obra sera tan buena como el libro, esos pequeños detalles que ningun director a podido plasmar en la pantalla grande y que solo podran ser recreados en la mente del lector.
Hacer un resumen o comentario de esta novela es muy dificil pero desde mi humilde opinion creo que es una de las mejores novelas de aventuras historicas que resaltan el Honor y el valor como ninguna otra, la imagen del Cardenal Richeliu que para muchos despues de leer la novela lo creo un Villano como ningun otro pero en la realidad los Franceses le deben mucho, este es solo un pequeño ejemplo como la novela influye muchas veces mas que un buen libro de historia.
Nuestra aventura comiensa cuando un joven valiente provinciano decide entregarse al servicio del Rey Luis XIII y poco a poco se ve entrelasado con tres mosqueteros de la guardia personal del Rey que con gran valor y con algunos buenos lanses de espada lograr descubrir un complot contra la Reina por el mismo Cardenal Richeliu.
Es un libro que vale la pena leer y una de las mejores inversiones sino lo han leido,influyo al escritor español Arturo Perez Reverte para escribir su famosa serie tambien ambientada en la Europa del Siglo XVII "Las aventuras del El Capitan Alatriste" el cual les recomiendo si les gusta la novela de Dumas.

Un libro excelente. La narrativa definitivamente es rica y se disfruta por su sencillez durante toda la lectura. Compañerismo, lealtad y ética son valores que durante toda su obra menciona. Vale la pena tenerlo.

Aptly translated into English by Frank J. Morlock, The Man In The Iron Mask: A Drama In Five Acts by the combined and collaborate efforts of Alexandre Dumas, Narcisse Fournier, and Auguste Arnould is an impressive stage play based upon historical records of a mysterious masked prisoner. Author Alexandre Dumas was so fascinated by speculations of the prisoner's identity that he transformed the enigma first into a stage play, and later into the final novel of his Musketeers series. Exciting and involving, The Man In The Iron Mask is an absolute "must" for fans of Dumas and his work!

Dumas doesn't pull any punches with this (recently discovered) play. This story is bleak, and has many elements of Greek tragedy. This is tragedy in the classic sense -- circumstances occur that do not cause an immediate problem (the birth of twin Princes to the Queen) -- but which clearly will lead to some sort of anguish (potential civil war, one child potentially losing his freedom, etc) -- and the reader/audience is watches this tragedy play itself out. The (first ever) translation is direct, and dramatic. The volume also includes an essay Dumas wrote, exploring the many theories about the real identity of the masked prisoner from the Bastille -- powerfull and fascinating stuff.

"A Masked Ball" contains five short stories, all of which are unique. They range from a tale related by "The Cabriolet Driver" to a heart-breaking story of a Russian duel titled "Marianna". Perhaps the best of the five stories is the one for which the book is titled, "A Masked Ball". At only six pages long, it is an incredibly gripping story. As soon as you finish it, you will want to read it again.

Some people may have heard that Alexandre Dumas had a tendancy to be long-winded with some of his books (The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, etc.). Those people should be sure to check out "A Masked Ball". They will find out what many of us already know: When it comes to great books, Alexandre Dumas was in a class by himself.

A Masked Ball is a very very short story, but a GREAT story! Right from the second paragraph it got me so interested and caught-up I swore I'll never do anything else before I finish it. Well! It's short, so I finished it in 5 minutes, but I read it again, and again and again for 3 times, THEN I put it down! Dumas definately have his way to capture the reader's attention, even with only 5 pages of story he can make you breath-less, caught-up, and totally amazed! Just try this work and you'll never be disappointed!!!!!!

This book is a brilliant read. It is full of tales of Murder, Money & Power at the fall of the Turkish Empire. I recommend this highly. Dumas is a amazing writer.

Dry wit and masterful storytelling walk hand in hand to make for an exceptionally entertaining read in "Black: The Story of a Dog". In an unexpected twist on the traditional historical romance, Dumas chronicles the life of a bungling "anti-hero", the Chevalier de la Graverie through the many seasons of his life. It is a study of a life of caprice and impulse lived within a rigidly guarded exterior that will leave you considering the "why's" behind the way you think and act. Dumas deftly manages the trick of tilting our heads back with laughter in order to slit our throats with greater ease. "Black" has quickly jumped into the forefront as one of my favorite works by Alexandre Dumas.