I finally finished it. Over seven hundred pages. And I finished it.
It was fantastic. Plots and schemes. Duels. Men thrown in prisons. Gambling. Sword play. Admirable women and treacherous women. Friendships among men. Loyalty. Struggles for power.
My favorite read of the year. Not sure anything else could even come close.
To be honest, that really surprises me. I never dreamed I would love The Three Musketeers like I do.
Ever read something you'd expected to hate but found yourself loving?
And tonight we hope to watch the 1948 movie version. Here's a clip:
Two awards this week:
Lovely and Versatile! Thank you, my lovely and versatile fellow bloggers.
What is the Sunday Salon?
Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake.... That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book. Join the Salon.
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI have my grandfather's old copy of The Three Musketeers on my TBR pile, but I don't know when I can get to it. How great to hear that it really stands up over time, though! I'm afraid that the Disney Studios movie is corrupting my associations, which is why I was really surprised to hear that the original novel is so good.
As for a book I expected to hate and ended up loving . . . That would be E.M. Forster's Howards End. I had to read it in uni and didn't think it could possibly be good (having been prejudiced by his other novel A Passage to India, which is also "good" but which I didn't like much). I ended up enjoying it most of all the novels I read that year. =)
You've convinced me, Readerbuzz - I've really got to read this now! Obviously it is a classic with good reason.
ReplyDeleteThere've been quite a few books I've ended up loving after hating the start - one that comes to mind is Conrad's Heart of Darkness. I read that, and only realised after I'd finished that it was a truly great book.
I like just about every movie version of that book. Now you need to read The Count of Monte Christo.
ReplyDeleteI always love the movie! And it's so great to hear how much you enjoyed the book! It's actually encouraging me to read it!
ReplyDeleteHmm, books I ended up loving that I thought I would hate... I'd have to say I absolutely LOVED Anna Karenina, when I thought I would maybe "like" it. Just hearing the name Tolstoy sent shivers down my back! :-)
Thanks for sharing!
Oh, yes, I love The Three Musketeers, too. And I second the recommendation fro The Count of Monte Cristo.
ReplyDeleteI'm sometimes surprised by classics the other way around. I think since so many people before me have loved them, I will, too. But sometimes I'm just not up to it.
I think the one that surprised me was Crime and Punishment. I thought for sure that I wouldn't get into it, but I remember reading it as a teenager and loving it.
ReplyDeleteAs for The Three Musketeers, I don't know if I'll get to it any time soon. My "task" for the next couple of months is Dickens' Bleak House. Ugh. ;)
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I've read The Three Musketeers last year and loved it as well.
ReplyDeleteI can't recall if there was ever a book I didn't expect to like, but liked. If I don't think I'll like it, I usually don't even pick it up. The other way around, now that's another story. I can vividly recall thinking I would like The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom, but I hated it. I also thought I would like Stardust by Neil Gaiman, after having seen the movie. But once again, the book disappointed me greatly.
Oh, I just love The Three Musketeers! It's such a fun novel!!! I've read it twice now--the latest being the Richard Pevear translation, which was just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteAnd the 1948 movie was great fun too!!!
I know absolutely nothing about Count of Monte Cristo. If Three Musketeers had little appeal for me initially, I must say that Monte Cristo doesn't even intrigue me enough to want to pick up a copy and start chapter one. But I place my reading life in your hands, my fellow bloggers, and I will give it a try.
ReplyDeleteSuch a good read! Everything else I've read by Dumas has been fabulous as well. So suprising for books that are 500+ pages-- they never get boring!
ReplyDeleteGood job in finishing The Three Musketeers. That is one that I haven't even tried to tackle yet!
ReplyDeleteI give you a lot of credit for the Three Musketeers accomplishment. I heard it was good, but just never took the plunge.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Congratulations on finishing The Three Musketeers! You've convinced me to add it to my classics that I need to read list. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThe Three Musketeers is one of my favorites too, and I understand what you mean about it being such a surprise. I had to work hard to read the book at first, but in the end I loved the plot and the wit of Dumas. Lately I find myself wanting to set aside more time for classics that I haven't read before.
ReplyDeleteI thought I would hate The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells because I'm not a sci fi fan...but I loved it :)
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely add this one to my must read pile. I've been trying to dig into more "classics" lately and to answer your question, I didn't think I would enjoy Gone With the Wind very much but it swept me away and I absolutely adored it!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read The Three Musketeers but you're making me excited to do so. I read Moby Dick last year and I didn't expect to like it but I really did.Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI have the whole musketeers cycle on my TBR. I don't know when I will get around to reading all of them, but I guess it's a matter of beginning with The Three Musketeers and continuing on from there.
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