Quicklet on The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

ABOUT THE BOOK All for one, and one for all! Who doesn't know this famous phrase, and the three brave soldiers who uttered it in the court of King Louis XIII? There can be no doubt about the significance of Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel. After all, it's one of the most adapted novels in film history. The work reflects the social climate of the convoluted XVII century, when struggles for power among the European kingdoms were often resolved through court intrigues, betrayals, and assassinations – in addition to battles, of course. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK D'Artagnan joins a company of guards less prestigious than the Musketeers, where he'll have to spend a two-year trial period. He soon finds himself involved in the intrigues of the court. Cardinal Richelieu wants to start a war between France and England with a clever plot. He knows the Queen Consort, Anne, is having an affair with the Duke of Buckingham, who has received from her the diamonds that King Louis XIII presented her as a gift. Richelieu organises an event to which the Queen will be expected to wear the diamonds, and their absence will uncover her affair with Buckingham. Queen Anne's assistant, Constance, is also d'Artagnan's landlord's wife, and d'Artagnan has fallen in love with her. Through her, he learns of the Queen's troubles, and he decides rally his three Musketeer friends to help her out. They must travel at desperate speed to England in order to recover the set of diamonds, facing the Cardinal's men numerous times along the way. They also have to face the ploys of Milady de Winter, one of Richelieu's main allies, and are able to succeed only at the last minute. From that point on, d'Artagnan is subject to multiple assassination attempts by Milady. Constance hides in a convent, knowing that the Cardinal is after her. The Duke of Buckingham's life is also in peril, since he's still the main political enemy of Richelieu... Buy a copy to keep reading!