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Reader discussion: The three musketeers
Public reader discussion about The three musketeers in the WeRead Catalog by Alexandre Dumas.
[SPOILERS] I'm reading 'The Three Musketeers' Right now. I'm not familiar with the history surrounding the characters or the writing of the book. Am I missing something that makes the Cardinal the 'Bad Guy'?
By carefulmouse983760
I’m only on chapter 18, so please don’t spoil anything that happens later.
That said, the Cardinal is basically painted as the villain, even though he’s a real historical figure. Meanwhile the Musketeers and D’Artagnan are treated like the good guys, but they come off more like troublemakers—constantly messing with and getting into fights with the Cardinal’s guards (who, from what I can tell, have the authority) and generally annoying him.
The thing is, the Cardinal doesn’t seem totally off-base. He’s trying to do his job, advise the king, and expose the queen for cheating. Even Madame Bonacieux calling her husband an imbecile for working with the Cardinal feels unfair, since the Cardinal was acting pretty reasonable and even generous toward him.
So yeah, at least so far, the Cardinal seems like the least selfish/least incompetent person in the book, but he’s still the “bad” one. Am I missing some context, or is the author just letting his own feelings about him steer the story?
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
By BenLovesBooks
If you’re grabbing free ebooks on Amazon, don’t click the “Read for Free” thing. Use “Buy Now” when the price shows up as $0.00. I think “Read for Free” is tied to Kindle Unlimited, which you have to pay for.
For me The Three Muskateers by Alexander Dumas is easily the most entertaining book I've ever read
By trail-pale
It’s hard for me to believe this came out in the mid-1800s. The humor still feels really current, and the way the musketeers banter with each other is just plain fun to read. I’ve read plenty of books, and honestly I didn’t know literature could be this entertaining, like a really good comedy show.
Just finished reading The Three Musketeers.....
By brisk-porch
Honestly, it feels like it should’ve been called “Four Total Douchebags.”
Three Musketeers frustration
By yemenPaperback
I loved Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo, so I picked up The Three Musketeers (Penguin) expecting something similar.
I honestly really liked most of it—the first couple thirds were great for me. But once I got to the end, I was pretty let down. The ending felt off.
My biggest issue is Constance Bonacieux. At the start, she comes off as sharp, quick, and capable—like she actually knows what she’s doing. She helps the Duke get in, sets up secret meetings, helps with the whole plan to grab the diamond pendants, and even realizes her husband is a traitor. So it’s hard to watch her just… lose all of that when she ends up at the convent.
After that, she feels like a total doormat. Like, she gets under Milady’s influence way too easily, falls for what Milady is saying almost immediately, drinks wine without a second thought, and then she just dies. I know not every story has to be happy, but the way it plays out still feels like bad handling to me.
It doesn’t seem consistent with her earlier characterization, and I can’t really reconcile it. Did anyone else feel the same way?
The Three Musketeers: Chapter 38 Discussion
By Superuser
I was pretty thrown by Grimaud’s whole reaction to d’Artagnan showing up in drag at Athos’ place. Also, do we ever actually learn why Grimaud won’t talk out loud?
And when d’Artagnan finally fills Athos in on everything, it feels like Athos hasn’t really had to deal with Milady being genuinely mad before. Does that hanging situation end up being a close call for Athos, or am I reading it wrong? I honestly can’t tell how I feel about it now.
Kitty getting away for the moment—do you think she’s safe, or is Milady’s crew going to catch up with her soon?
Then it seems like Athos is the one catching feelings for Mme Bonacieux, not d’Artagnan anymore. Did d’Artagnan manage to convince Kitty of that, or is Kitty just not even that bothered because she’s more focused on d’Art? And where does d’Art end up—does he actually get Constance or Kitty, or is it going to be neither somehow?
Also, the ring thing: Athos pawns it, sells it, and they split the money so they can get uniforms and horses. Is that the smart move, or kinda sad to give up a family keepsake like that? If I were in Athos’ spot, I don’t know what I’d do.
always wanted to read The Three Musketeers. thoughts on beginning w the audiobook if you’ve never read it before?
By cosmicChair98
Can I just do the audiobook, or is it way too big of a commitment?
The three musketeers and the non-idealization of the characters
By trail-pale
I really like The Three Musketeers, and I appreciated that Dumas didn’t make the guys into perfect, shiny heroes. In Romanticism, the hero is usually all pure and good, but here it feels more real.
I also liked that Dumas didn’t give us some “morally flawless” hero who’s clean of everything. If you look at history, you can’t really miss the abuse and cruelty, and Dumas didn’t just dodge all of that to turn everyone into an ideal.
Like, in 1572 there was the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre—the whole chain of assassinations and then the Catholic mob violence aimed at the Huguenots.
The Musketeers were living in a pretty brutal society. Were they really supposed to act any differently?
My copy of The Three Musketeers from Wordsworth Classics was censored
By Lilac
Hey everyone, I just wrapped up The Three Musketeers for my book club and I’m kind of wondering if anyone else’s copy had stuff left out. I’m going to keep it spoiler-light and just describe the parts at the end.
Mine is Wordsworth Classics, and it says “Complete and Unabridged” right on the back, which honestly makes it even more confusing.
The two sections I noticed are: first, when D’Artagnan hooks up with Kitty after he finds out Lady de Winter wasn’t actually into him; and second, the late-night moment where he shows up as Count de Wardes and basically forces the situation with Lady de Winter.
Has anyone else who’s read the Wordsworth Classics version run into the same gaps?
Old copy of The Three Musketeers I found
By openspepper
Hey all,
I came across this book in the storage area at work and it seems pretty old. There doesn’t seem to be any date or edition info on it, and I haven’t had much luck with Google either. Does anyone happen to know anything about it? I’ve included a few pictures.
The Three Musketeers: Eplilogue discussion
By cafeDog1995
Hey everyone, welcome in! The mod team will drop another post this weekend to welcome new folks and cover the time between the Three Musketeers wrap-up (Saturday) and the start of the Preface for Dorian Grey (Monday).
A couple prompts to kick things off:
- Well, that was a short little add-on to the story—did you see how everything turned out for the Inseparables and their people?
- I’ll post a bigger wrap-up/discussion tomorrow, so we can talk about the last (almost) ten weeks of swashbuckling adventure.
Links:
- Librivox Audiobook
- Standard ebook
- Gutenberg ebook
The Three Musketeers: Chapter 2 discussion
By Superuser
There are a bunch of flairs you can use to show which version you’re on. If your translation isn’t listed, just leave a comment here.
Discussion prompts:
- We get some history on Treville, plus Richelieu and Louis XIII. Did anyone else find the open tension between them kind of surprising? (I was also a bit lost at first, in case anyone else was too — he’s Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu.)
- The king’s musketeers definitely don’t act all proper — they show off, get into duels, and then end up getting arrested. What did you think about Treville and using his house as their base? Any modern equivalent?
- We’re introduced to two musketeers, Aramis and Porthos, who seem pretty different, and then Athos gets mentioned too. First impressions? And what did you think of their argument?
- Anything else you want to bring up from these first two chapters?
Version links
Librivox Audiobook
Standard ebook
Gutenberg ebook
Last line:
... congratulating himself with all his heart at having so narrowly escaped the end of this strange quarrel.
The Three Musketeers: Chapter 24 discussion
By Superuser
The whole bit with them riding through the woods was pretty engaging, and I’m still not sure if my thoughts on Planchet have really changed or not. Also, the language in this chapter surprised me—in a good way. The description felt way stronger than I expected. And now Mme. Bonacieux’s been kidnapped, and d’Artagnan somehow manages to get the whole story just because he talks to the old man. So yeah, I guess it’s time to wildly guess what all of it is going to mean.
TIL Alexandre Dumas worked with a uncredited collaborator who was responsible for much of The Three Musketeers books, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other novels. Auguste Maquet did all the research, created the plot and characters, wrote the first draft, and then Dumas then rewrote the dialogue.
By trail-pale
So that’s where James Patterson picked up his whole shtick… seems like he borrowed it.
The Three Musketeers and Fantasy
By silverkettle
I took a break from my usual fantasy stuff and finally read *The Three Musketeers* for the first time last week. I honestly kept putting it off because I thought I’d already “seen” too much of it from all the movies and cartoons, so I figured the plot would be spoiled for me. Turns out that was totally wrong—reading it kind of blew my mind, and it made me rethink a bunch of tropes I always assumed newer fantasy invented.
What surprised me most was how much the plot and characters still feel super modern, even though it’s this old book (published forever ago). The main guys are basically straight-up fantasy adventure material, and they come off more like anti-heroes than clean-cut heroes. And the villains? They’re the kind that steal the whole show and feel timeless. Like, Richelieu and Milady de Winter could totally drop into something like *ASoIF* or one of Robin Hobb’s novels.
Now I’m sitting here thinking a lot of modern fantasy could really take cues from Dumas—his pacing and plotting just work really well for exciting adventure stories. Has anyone else read it? What did you think? And are there other classics you’d bet would fit right into modern fantasy with just a little extra “magic” added? I feel like it could be shelved next to the books people usually talk about here.
I posted a longer review on my blog too, but I’m mostly curious if anyone else is into older novels that match the vibe of their favorite fantasy books.
The Three Muskateers by Alexander Dumas is easily the most entertaining book I've ever read
By looksbridge
It’s hard to believe this came out in the mid-1800s. The humor still feels really current, and the way the musketeers bounce off each other is just a lot of fun to read. I’ve read a ton of books, and honestly I didn’t think literature could be this entertaining, almost like a really good comedy show.
Has anyone else read it, or know anything similar? I really like spending time with these four guys. I’m just hoping Dumas’s other books can measure up to this one.
Opinions on the sequels to "The Three Musketeers", and should I bother reading them? (After thoroughly enjoying the first in the series)
By TinyChapter
Honestly the title says it all—thanks in advance for any help!
Milady de winter - the real heroine in The Three Musketeers
By PBee26
I always kind of liked Milady in The Three Musketeers. To me, she’s actually doing what she’s supposed to—loyal to her country—while the musketeers are out here acting like traitors. Her whole trial feels like a total set-up, and the reason isn’t even subtle. She keeps going on missions for her country, and the big one at the end is getting Buckingham assassinated. Because of what she does, France wins the siege of La Rochelle and the enemy can’t send reinforcements anymore.
And then the musketeers are teaming up with the queen, and yes, with Buckingham too. That just seems like helping the enemy to me. There’s even that part where they find a letter from the queen to the Spanish king, asking him to invade France—like, the French queen is literally calling on a foreign ruler to invade. If that isn’t treason, I don’t know what is, even for that time period. The musketeers still go along with it, siding with their enemy more or less.
graphic novel version of The Three Musketeers
By creek-page
My 8-and-a-half-year-old just started fencing lessons, and he’s recently gotten into The Three Musketeers because of an old Animaniacs DVD. He likes being read to a lot (Boxcar Children has been a big hit), but when he’s reading on his own he usually goes for graphic novels—part of me thinks it’s ADHD, or something similar going on.
I feel like the full Dumas might be asking too much, and I’m honestly not sure how good the abridged stuff is. I did a quick look and it seems like there are a bunch of graphic novel adaptations. Has anyone actually read any of them and can tell me which one is worth it? Also open to other suggestions.
TL;DR: What’s a good graphic novel version of The Three Musketeers?
Did you know the author of 'The Three Musketeers', 'The Count of Monte Cristo' & 'The Iron Mask' was a black writer called Alexander Dumas.
By JDusty1982
I didn’t! But thank you so much for this—now I’m off to look it up 🥰