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 3 Musketeers is one of the best books I have read. I'm an unemployed college student that picked up the book and couldn't put it down. I have read the Count of Monte-Cristo, which is also a great book, and at first thought the 3 Musketeers would be a childish tale, but it turned out to be a great writing style that Dumas uses to take create four characters that I now love. I recommend this book to anybody that likes adventure, action, romance or just great storytelling. I even read Twenty Years Later to see what happens to Aramis, Athos, Porthos, and d'Artagnan.

The Three Musketeers is one of those stories you not only read, but consume. It is not for everyone. The wording is unique, the story action-adventure-romance, with a delicacy of character that reflects the times the author lived. It is, however, so worth the read. If you have never entered the world of Dumas, The Three Musketeers is a wonderful introduction. There is a reason this tale is a classic, re-told again and again. Read it and get acquinted with Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan. I promise you that you will cheer for these four as they face the ever-present-ever-needed-bad guy. Do they win? I can't tell you, but I can say you will laugh, cry, and fall in love, and just maybe return like so many others.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is an exciting book. It's about a man named Edmond Dantes who's wrongly accused being a Bonapartist. He goes to jail and somehow becomes a count. The count he becomes is the ******************. It has a lot of twists and turns. So many, in fact that, an explosion could happen and you wouldn't even notice!
I really enjoyed this book because it was very exciting, even though there wasn't a lot of 'dodging missiles and bullets' action. There was a lot of excitement and suspense. For example Edmond gets in a duel and Edmond is dragged to the bottom of the ocean. One thing I didn't like about the book was that it didn't start out that exciting. It is though, a book you can't put down.
I believe this book has a very good message. The message is: 'help your friends and they will help you'. I think this because: Edmond helped an abbe` and the abbe` helped him, and Edmond saved Morrel's and Valentine's life and they were his eternal friends. I really enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo.

If you've ever thought life was unfair, you need to read this book. Revenge has never been so complete, and the avenger even has a spiritual awakening at the end. There's sword fights for guys and fancy clothes and romances for the girls. I first read the abridged version in the 8th grade, I read the full version a year later, and I'm reading it again right now. It's really that good. Any crime-ring or revenge themed book you will ever read draws references from this Dumas classic. And hey, there's a movie now too!(p.s. this is coming from a now 18-year-old actress with a very short attention span)

Alexandre Dumas, author of "The Three Musketeers" and the "Man In the Iron Mask", has given the literary world the adventure novel, forever bringing it to the level of the classic. The Count of Monte Cristo is mainly a story of revenge. The Romanticism in which the novel is characterized and the Napoleonic France for the setting, sets the mood for this nearly psychologically thrilling story that only a great French master like Dumas could create. Edmund Dantes, wrongly accussed of a crime he did not commit, taken to a prison of which there is no escape by his enemies, his only love taken by his best friend, spends years of suffering and harboring hatred in a rotting prison cell. But he also plans his revenge, how he methodically desires to bring upon the fateful end to his enemies and win back his love. He successfully manages to escape from prison and discovers a vast fortune. Assuming the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, he extracts his revenge. What moral theme does Dumas really want to convey ? In the end, we discover how unfulfilled and how miserable our hero is, even when he has had the satisfaction of punishing his enemies. Dumas should be credited for such a marvelous work. He writes in the highest French Romantic fashion, and should be hailed with as much praise as Gustav Flaubert. The Three Musketeers, the immortal adventure story that made him famous, has been made into numerous films, and even The Count of Monte Cristo has had a terrific film version starring Will Chamberlain. A new release of the novel is set for January 25th of this year. Dumas may have died penniless, and he may not have been considered an excellent voice of the romantic age, but it is 2001 and we are still enthralled with the tales of intrigue, suspense, romance and adventure that this wonderful French writer conceived. Viva Dumas! Five stars for his terrific revenge story the Count of Monte Cristo

This is a must for Dumas fans. Joseph Balsamo is the first book in a series that capture the history of the French revolution in a novel that is truly of epic proportins.
Love, war, fantasy and politics are delicately woven into the fabric of the story. Highly recommended.

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 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.

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.

Alexandre Dumas pere was a master of story telling. If he was still living today he would definitely write some of the most popular television series. This is how this novel reads, as a TV series, and this is also how it was written, since it was first released in 2 page instalements in 19th century french daily newspapers. Every page ends in some sort of dillema or with an item a suspense. There is never a boring moment. Of course, even if this book is based on actual historical events, it cannot be considered a true rendition of what really happened. Nevertheless, Dumas succeeds in making his characters so alive, that you feel you are living through the intrigues with them. You feel what they feel. A true masterpiece of literature, in any language; and by the way, the book is a thousand times better than the movie.

When I started reading this book I thought it would be classic, boring, long story about some french queen - I was wrong. I could not stop reading it before I finishad. In my opinion every one who likes interesting books should read it. I am sure he will not regret it.

Queen Margot is missing nothing. I read it after falling in love with the musketeer series, and was overjoyed to find that it was as good as the others.

This book, like most of Dumas' work is wonderful. His adventure stories still evoke a sense of wonderment and raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Most movies of the same titles do not portray the events as he wrote them, but I have found that most accomodate the tempo or the 'feel' of his novels. I would additionally like to set the record straight on the trilogy argument that I see in most of the reviews in this page. The series was originally published as a trilogy, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and Vicomte de Bragelonne. The Vicomte de Bragelonne is now published by most in three volumes: Vicomte de Bragellone, Louise de la Valliere, and finally The Man in the Iron Mask. I have seen it split into four parts with Ten Years Later being placed in between the Vicomte de Bragellone and Louise de la Valliere. This splitting was done because when the three are combined, or rather not split, the novel is large and cumbersome to read. I hope that all this literary information does not detract one from the greatness of this series however, it is truly a wonderful tale to read about, and the story endures through to modern times with the same ferver in which it was released.

Twenty years after, although not as good as the Three Musketeers, is an excellent novel. In traditional Dumas style it starts of slowly to reach the climax late in the book. Twenty Years after is the second in a series of five novels about Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artangnan. Once again I dare anyone not to get drawn in by these four characters. I recommend that one reads these five book in order (The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, Vicomte of Bragleonne, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask). Please write back with any comments.

Out of all of the Alexandre Dumas novels I have read, this is the only one with an upbeat ending. I say this because I have run into more than one person who claims that s/he would like Dumas novels if only things ended well for the heroes once in a while. If you're that sort of reader, this book is for you. If you do like the other Dumas novels, this book is also for you.

Twenty Years After is the second part of the Musketeer Cycle (after The Three Musketeers and before The Vicomte of Bragelone/Louise de la Valliere/The Man in the Iron Mask). It contains everything that makes Dumas, Dumas: unmatched adventure writing, wonderful prose, and beautifully developed characters.

I can't recomend this story enough.

I just finished this book and I agree with all the positive comments previously posted. Just wanted to add a few thoughts.

This book was originally serialized in a French magazine back in the 1840s. As a consequence, there are repeated cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. Now I don't mind cliffhangers (hey, they move the plot along) but after 116 of these it got a little old. In addition, some of the character transformations seem implausible and Dumas gets some of his facts mixed up from the early part of the novel (I probably would as well).

I could pick bones about some part. What was the purpose of the whole Cucumetto bandit story? Maybe Dumas was saving him for later but he never does. They plot also needs a miraculous set of confluences to happen in say, well, every part of novel. Entertaining, yup, but at times I just said, "Oh come on now!" The character of Monte Cristo is a very interesting one. If he could ever hook up with Hannibel Lector, another guy who has the highest level of expertise in nearly every field and endeavor, the rest of us would be in big trouble.

Buy this book and enjoy it. It's really quite fun and you'll learn a lot about French history and culture.

This book is probably the fastest book I've ever read through. I checked out an old copy with near 1500 pages and read it in six days. I could not leave this book alone. I read straight through some less interesting classes in high school. This book deals with vengeance on so high a level, I had never before imagined anything like it. Dumas has great skill in description, and i enjoyed how he intertwined history into this classic fictional piece of literature. I recommend this book to all adventure seekers. I give this excellent novel five out of five stars! Try it, you'll love it.

A piece of something lost. An elegance and order that is no longer available to this generation. That is what the Count of Monte Cristo takes us back to. As you follow Edmond Dantés, a young and enterprising French fisherman, through a remarkable journey of long and torturous suffering and carefully wrought revenge you will soon gain a new definition of romance and adventure.

The book starts it's story in early 19th century France in a small fishing village called Marseilles, where we first meet youthful Edmond Dantés who is engaged to the most beautiful woman of his village and is soon to be the captain of his own vessel. Though ignorant and naïve, he is beloved by all who know him and has amassed a great deal of friends, however, one with such good fortune also amasses many enemies. Through a series of events plotted by Fernand, who desperately covets Edmond's betrothed, Mercedes, and Danglars, a fellow sailor jealous of Edmond's new promotion to captain, Dantés finds himself in prison for a crime he did not commit. Still ignorant of the scheme that put him in prison, or the plotters who ruined his life, Edmond waits in prison. This changes, however, when he meets his cellmate, Faria, an ancient abbé who is considered mad. This "mad" abbé will reveal an amazing secret to Edmond that will change the course of his fate forever, and hope is finally in his view. Dantés emerges out of prison changed and worn cynical by a long and terrible imprisonment of 16 years. Though he assumes many identities, he gradually adopts the identity as the Count of Monte Cristo, an immensely wealthy and indifferent nobleman as he returns to Marseilles to wreck his much-thought over revenge individually on his plotters. His last words as the former Edmond Dantés after he rewards one of his loyal friends are:

"And now," said the unknown (Edmond) "farewell kindness, humanity, and gratitude! Farewell to all the feelings that expand the heart! I have been Heaven's substitute to recompense the good -now the God of Vengeance yields to me his power to punish the wicked!" At these words he gave a signal, and, as if only awaiting this signal, the yacht instantly put out to sea.
-The Count of Monte Cristo

However, Edmond cannot remain under the cover of the illustrious Count of Monte Cristo forever, and he will soon find that a heart even so indifferent and cold as his own cannot remain lifeless for long. This is an amazing novel of suspense, romance and betrayal. Alexandre Dumas weaves many stories into one enthrallingly suspenseful and complex story of love, hate, betrayal and loyalty. This book has no equal and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates classic and elegant, while exciting and adventurous, literature.

Sorry to disappoint the previous reviewer, but when Dumas wrote this book, the ideas and plot were not new, not fresh, and certainly not original. Robert Wilson clearly outlines the history in his introduction to the book. "In 1838 a police archivist named Jacques Peuchet published six volumes of crime stories taken from the files of the Paris police. In one file was the story of a young shoemaker from Nimes who in 1807 became engaged to marry a rich and beautiful orphan, but because of a despicable practical joke played by four jealous friends was falsely arrested as a spy for the English against Napoleon and imprisoned until the empire fell in 1814. While in prison he had met a dying Italian priest who told him where a great treasure was buried. Upon his release he found the treasure and, using various disguises, cold-bloodedly wreaked his vengeance on those responsible for his misfortune, one of whom had married his fiancee. When Dumas read the story, he knew he wanted to retell it. That real-life melodrama is, pretty nearly, The Count of Monte Cristo in outline." There is also an island named Montecristo that Dumas found enchanting, so very little of this novel is "original" or "creative" material. On the other hand, this should not deter anyone from reading the book because the story itself is fascinating, easily holding the reader's attention. A movie of this tale was made several years ago, starring Richard Chamberlain, and complements the book nicely. I enjoyed both the book and the movie and happily recommend both.

It would be a futile effort to try to express in words just how excellent this story is. Stories that have been called "classics" have been labeled as such for a very good reason. I think anybody who has read and liked Tolstoy, Renault, Shakespeare, Leroux, Homer and R.L. Stevenson will enjoy this outstanding tale.

I highly recommend that the reader keep a couple of sticky notes and a pencil handy. Be sure to compile a list of names and a brief description for EVERY character introduced...you'll need this reference as events unfold.

The book cover/binding itself is rugged and can take a serious beating. For any story that's this compelling and 1400+ pages, the quality of the book itself becomes important since you don't finish such a long story overnight. My book survived the London subways, streets of Paris, German autobahn and my luggage to/from Ukraine--all without any problems. The font is larger than any paperback (or hardcover for that matter) and is easy on the eyes. As with any Modern Library production, the quality of this book is exceptionally top notch.

After watching the movie and then finding myself compelled to read the book, I wrote a review for the DVD version of this great classic by Alexandre Dumas. I did give the adulterated movie 3 stars, even with its deviation from the far superior storyline of the novel (this story does not lend itself to being told in a 2-hour movie). But rather than 3 stars, the book is well deserving of 5, and then some. The tale of the Count is one of heavy, dark intrigue. This is not light reading, and the story will tax your patience and demand of you significant time and concentration if you are to mine its riches. Those with an attention span of a six-year-old need not apply, although any person, young or old, who yields to the lessons being lived out will come away from this book with impressive knowledge regarding the pitfalls of willful ignorance, deceit, and pride; and hopefully a better appreciation for justice, compassion, and love. As for the story itself, Edmond Dantes, a young man of considerable good character, finds himself wrongly imprisoned under dreadful circumstances. He eventually is tutored in prison by a man with extraordinary wisdom-just as the reader is tutored without realizing it as he reads the unfolding chapters. Edmond loses all, gains eternal wisdom and insight, and then begins his true journey into lands where friends and foes experience his heavy influence. The story is one of desperation and deliverance, defeat and despair, and ultimately of triumph at an awful cost. Spiritual applications abound throughout as learned from within dungeons to palaces, and our notions of justice and mercy are sorely tested as a wronged man loses all and then begins to execute what he considers to be, and may well be, God's judgment. If you dedicate the time and attention that this book deserves, you will not be disappointed. If you want to speed-read and add another title to your library card, save your efforts and do not insult the worthwhile messages that this book can bring to the soul. I say soul, but for those with spiritual understanding, the better term is spirit, for this is above all a spiritual book if you have that kind of understanding. The movie alludes to it; the book embodies it. Having now read the book and carefully endured the more tedious portions to ensure that I missed little, I can only say that we do ourselves much disservice by not committing the time to study works such as this. Love, hate, revenge, mercy, justice, and forgiveness are explored in detail in the lives of Edmond Dantes (the Count) and his friends and foes. This complicated novel is unbelievably rich in its timeless spiritual lessons.

Last year my grandfather recommended this book to me. I snorted, thinking, yeah right, I highly doubt I'm gonna read a book like The Count of Monte Cristo any time soon. But after I picked up the novel and actually started to read it, I slowly became more and more fascinated with the plot. As a 12 year old reader I struggled with parts of the book, finding them dull and tedious, but the struggle is worth it in the end!
Alexandre Dumas creates a fabolous tale of revenge and hate in which Edmond Dantes, a young sailor in love, is betrayed by three men of power. Edmond wastes 13 years of his life in the Chateau d'If, a terrible prison in which Edmond loses faith and all chances of ever being with his love again. While there, Edmond learns of a treasure buried on the island of Monte Cristo, and creates a master plan to seek revenge on his enemies, if and when he escapes.
I highly recommend this book, and if you're too lazy to actually pick it up and read it, at least go and see the movie!

My AP English teacher recommended this book for me to read over the monthly required reading list, and I thought, "Oh great, what a great idea....". But it was for two months because of its length, so I took it.

Each chapter includes a specific idea to the plot that keeps you wanting to read more. I would bring this book to work and read a chapter a day during my 15 minute break and would go overboard reading two chapters because it just keeps getting better and better! Each new idea came as a surprise for me, and so much is in it that I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good book.

Alexandre Dumas sure knew what he was doing when he read this, so I definitely recommend this.

This book is so wonderfully written. I read it every year, and every year I feel like I am reading it for the first time because it is so thick and so full of life. The characters are so real--I can breathe their breaths and hear their words and smell their clothes. It is the most amazing book!

This is an exciting book that unfortunately feels formulamatic at times. Maybe that is because it was produced as a serialized novel originally. It can have that "find out what our heros are up to next issue" feel.

Overall it is fast paced, but long. I liked the action sequences and the author's creation of distinct personalities for his heros. While I had to read this over a long period of time, I found I enjoyed it most when I could put in a couple of hours at a time and fully submerge myself in the author's world. I would recommend picking this up for a vacation book or if you know you'll be able to keep at it night after night.

The author uses a convincing historical and period backdrop for his tale. It feels real which aids the story. The romantic nature of his heros leads to a wonderful story of comradship and loyalty, good versus evil, etc. Many things to like, but I did not find it deserves quite as lofty a pedestal as most of these other reviewers do.

For those trying to read The Musketeers Saga:
In the original French, there are only three (3) books - 1. The Three Musketeers 2. Twenty Years After and 3. Ten Years Later. But when translated, most English editions split the behemoth Ten Years Later into a Trilogy (and some four - which make it all the more confusing!).

The reading list should be 1. The Three Musketeers 2. Twenty Years After and 3a. The Vicomte de Bragelonne 3b. Louise de la Valliere and 3c. The Man in the Iron Mask. Five books - that's the total series!

I highly recommend this series from Oxford University Press containing the complete unabridged and annotated versions of all of these books. The notes are located in the back of each book so as not to slow down the flow of the text. Most of the notes give additional info on historic characters and places. And a few point out that Dumas was a better storyteller than historian, as keeping dates seems to be such a nuisance!

There is a reason Alexandre Dumas' classic is still read and reread today. It is just plain fun to read, supposing you are not forced to do so for some sort of literature class. Gallant heroes, fair damsels, magnificent settings, war, love, duels, honorable gentlemen, nefarious villains, kings, queens, princes, French, English and Cardinal Richelieu, this book has everything.

Based mostly around the character of D'Artagnan, a young man trying to enter the Musketeers, the personal bodyguard of the King of France. Befitting a King, his bodyguard contingent is very large, but D'Artagnan befriends three of the company: Athos, Porthos and Aramis, in addition to their captain, whose name I cannot recall as I am writing this review. Befitting the central character, this book is written with the exuberance of youth in such intoxicating measure that the reader cannot help but feel genuine affection for the loyal, heroic, though occasionally hotheaded D'Artagnan and his well-matched friends.

The book slows down near the end for some rather unexciting, though very important, character development which itself leads to a vital development in the story. However, despite the fact the plot does tend to drag a bit in this section, it is, indeed, very important and, more importantly, the slowdown in that portion allows the frightful pace of the next few chapters to feel that much more urgent.

All in all, this book is just a rollicking good time. For people who want to read a well written book with an intense plot, characters for whom one can feel genuine affection and a vivid sense of setting: this is a book that belongs in one's personal library.