The Three Musketeers
by Alexandre Dumas
translated by Lowell Bair
|
Bantam: July 1984 (first French edition, 1844). Paperback: 545 pages. ISBN-10: 0-553-21337-7 Suggested retail price: $5.95 (US) Tags: Action; cardinals; Catholic church; France; London; made into movie; Paris; swords Tactical strength: [7/10] |
Compare prices on The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas at Book Cost
I had seen several film versions of The Three Musketeers, but until now I had not read the novel. The movies captured the essential personalities of the characters and followed the basic plot, but most left out or changed some details for convenience. In all the movies I have seen, d'Artagnan gets his promotion to the Musketeers as part of the concluding scene, validating his bravery and service to the King. In the book, d'Artagnan becomes a musketeer about two-thirds into the story. At the end of the book, d'Artagnan gets promoted (by the Cardinal) to a lieutenant in the Musketeers.
Most movies also seem to skip some other interesting details. For example, d'Artagnan's love, Constance, has a husband, d'Artagnan's landlord. Also, neither the Cardinal nor Rochefort die in Dumas text, and the Epilogue explains that d'Artagnan and Rochefort become great friends. On the other hand, Dumas has Constance die at the hand of Lady de Winter, so d'Artagnan cannot win the girl in the end.
Bair's translation reads easily. Occasionally, I would get bored with the descriptions of Paris geography, which seemed accurate, but I never looked for a period map to follow the action around town. But for the most part, Dumas weaves action and intrigue (and almost no character development) into a classic story that still fascinates.
