The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers was a lot of fun, and a good book to read on vacation. But it was also completely absurd. Everyone in this book is a ridiculous idiot. They fight duels at the drop of a hat or a handkerchief. They share everything, but they also keep crucial parts of their lives secret. They honestly seem to cause at least half of their own problems and fix everything with either swords or guns. And no matter how fast they come into money, they seem to spend it faster and spend large chunks of the book destitute.

The plot was certainly fun and entertaining, once it kicked in. But I just barely cared about any of these characters. The only one I came close to rooting for was Milady, because she tended to have the clearest motivations and the most direct plans to achieve her goals. But she was also doomed from the start, because of the genre of the book, so it was hard to get attached to even her.

I would have had a harder time sticking with this book under different circumstances. I felt like I was laughing at it as much as with it. But I am glad I stuck with it. Mostly. The ending wasn't what I would have hoped for, but it's how these things usually go. At least I can say I read it now. And perhaps I can enjoy the miniseries that's coming to BBC next month. Much like the book, it should at least make for some good mindless entertainment.

Seriously, though, everyone in this book is a fool.

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