The Three Musketeers

Among the very best. It is the only novel that I read as a child that I still enjoy as much today. The Three Musketeers has all the ingredients of great story-telling: non-stop suspense, action, danger, intrigue, romance, and royal scandal. On top of all this, there are four heroic figures instead of just one. And, many of the minor characters in this novel were real historical figures who actually lived in the seventeeth century, several of whom are ancestors of Prince Charles, his late former wife Diana, and their children Prince William and Prince Harry.

I like Athos and D'Artagnan the best. They are both noblemen, but Athos is a father figure for D'Artagnan, who behaves too rashly when he becomes involved with the wicked, ruthless Lady de Winter, who is actually the former wife of Athos, but who has since become a spy and assassin for the power-hungry Cardinal de Richelieu. Athos realizes that D'Artagnan is no match for such a cunning, cold-blooded creature, who eventually murders D'Artagnan's beloved mistress, the unhappily married Madame Bonacieux.

He makes the novel come to life with his excellent vocal skills and great characterization. This is just as good as watching the 1948 Gene Kelly/Lana Turner classic or the excellent 1974 Michael York/Oliver Reed/Raquel Welch version, the latter of which is now a cult favorite.

Absolutely. Sometimes I fall asleep listening to it, and wake up refreshed wanting to listen to even more.

This audio would have been a success no matter who read it, but I believe Blackstone chose the best person possible. However, I once heard Michael York on the cassette version years ago and he would have been just as wonderful.

This is a fun story of chilvary, honor, courage which is said to have occured in the 1600s. It is kind of an old time literary version of an adventure story. The book is 25 hours long. Thus I see it as the kind of book which was written before people watched tv. It would have made good entertainment for reading and for reading to children. As it is now, it seems too long to make much sense for it to be a book read to children or for children to read.

I enjoyed the story though I was surprised at how different it is from Count of Monte Christo(one of my favorites). The situations are often rediculous but the characters are enjoyable. The recording is well done.