Review ´ PDF, DOC, TXT or eBook Ï Alexandre Dumas
Dumas most famous novel is set in the 17th century, it concerns the adventures of the young and hotheaded DArtagnan, who travels to Paris to join the Musketeers of the Guard. The story is continued in two sequels: Twenty Years After and The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. The Three Musketeers (D’Artagnan series Book 1)
I remember this classic from my childhood but age and Lawrence Ellsworth, the translator, took this novel to a new height for me. The humor is palpable as the suspense. The prose is simply magnificent and the climax a truly emotional experience. This led me back to the Count of Monte Cristo, which, although not from the same translator, was also a fabulous reread; Dumas is a master of the written word. The Red Sphinx is the sequel to the Three Musketeers and its first chapter is superb on its own, but the real jewel of them all is its sequel, the Dove, a true masterpiece. A series of beautifully written letters between two strangers in the 17th century, imbued with suspense, some of which is self inflicted by the reader once you consider the possibilities, and Dumas doesn't disappoint; towards the end I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, yet before reaching that point, I continually went backwards to reimmerse myself in the beautiful and soulful repartee of two kindred spirits. Seinen So far so good. I like that this translation seems less old fashioned than some others. Pevear and Volokhonsky have a mixed reputation such is the difficulty with putting someone else's words into your own. If everyone wants to know exactly what Tolstoy or Dumas is really like, the best course would be to read them in the original language! However, I do still believe translation matters; what I have found is that in the case of these translators they tend to retain of the author's intentions. I have been told by Russian readers that Dostoevsky could sometimes read as difficult and confusing in Russian but also exciting; most popular English translations from the early 20th century tend to even out the dynamics of the text, making it read closer to Jane Austen's voice than you might be comfortable with. Imagine Pulp Fiction, or The Matrix, or Hitchcock (something adventurous ) remade using the most staid and edible film conventionsso much of what makes those stories special would be lost.
As far as I understand, this edition retains much of the Dumasness in English and in the process is a great read! A classic like this could be butchered to death by tasteless fools and still hold onto some worth so, since the translation is clean and interesting, the material is elevated. Whatever your preference, this version certainly warrants a place in the market and quite possibly your bookshelf. Seinen Often older translations of works like the The Three Musketeers can seem stilted to modern readers. Translator Lawrence Ellsworth believes that some of these versions simply don't properly convey the energy and tone of Dumas's original work (p. xix). This is not a criticism that could be applied to his translation. This book is lively, carrying the story dynamically from page to page. He manages to do this without some of the glaring anachronisms that can sometimes plague a modern translation. He also provides useful notes that help to explain some of the historic events and references.
I'm not qualified to say if this is an accurate translation but is certainly an accessible, highly readable and fun one. Highly recommended. Seinen I got this for my sister after she had her second child. I kind of felt that she needed a copy with an old school binding for her son to discover on her bookshelf, or in storage, or somewhere around the house like I did as a kid.
The copy lived up to the look I wanted. It had the design that would be intimidating when he was learning to read, the design that made it clearly an adult bookand then the title: The Three Musketeers which was enough, at least for me, to give it a peak inside and discover the adventure.
I hope things go the same way here. Its really a must read for childhood and it has that mysterious feel that a kid would eventually be attracted to. Seinen The Oxford World's Classics translation itself is pretty accurate in relation to the original French text. However, the language comes across a little old fashioned at times and not entirely accessible to modern audiences (e.g., D'artagnan exclaims Egad! in one passage). Also the syntax becomes a bit clunky and strained at times, which detracts from the joy and fun of Dumas. Moreover, the notes are all marked with the same asterisk (*), as opposed to numbers, making it a little frustrating to search the explanatory notes for clarity. Also, the pages are quite flimsy and require a gentle handling. My greatest complaint, however, is the complete omission of certain passages containing references or innuendos to sexual acts. This is especially noticeable during the interactions between Milady and D'artagnan. I presume, however, the issue is not the translator's fault, but a consequence of the conservative environment in which earlier translations of the D'artagnan Romances were released.
All in all, not the smoothest translation to follow but definitely worth a chance, especially considering it's the only full set of accurate English translations of the D'artagnan Romances that I've been able to locate.
The Pevear translation, on the other hand, seems to make up for the flaws I found in this particular edition. It's totally unabridged and uncensored, retains many of the French expressions/honorifics and such that don't have true English equivalents, and the translation is so beautifully and creatively expressed without debasing Dumas' voice. Pevear does a great job of modernizing without inserting himself into the narrative. So if you're looking for the most modern, complete, and enjoyable translation Pevear is the way to go. The only downside is Pevear, to my knowledge, has only translated the first book of the series. Seinen
Read this after reading The Count of Monte Christo and it is equally a very good read and also paints a very interesting picture of the times it is set in. Seinen There are quite a number of versions of The Three Musketeers available on . This is NOT the one that you want. It reads like it was translated by a particularly poor computer program. There are many completely wrong word choices and it can be a struggle to figure out what the sentence was supposed to say at times. Try the Classics version, which I've only read a few pages of, but is already much intelligible. Seinen This book is a journey, literally. Not only did it take me around Europe, it's also gave me the highs, lows, exhaustion and jubilation that only a journey can produce.
I'm glad I've read this, it's taken me almost two months as while some parts were interesting and readable, other parts were an uphill struggle.
Talking of struggles, I do find translations of classics pretty hard going. While the actual dialogue came across quite campy and amusing, the narrative was dense and dry.
Would i read the rest of this series? No, I've had my fill of Musketeers, reading this one was an achievement and I'm happy to leave things there.
Two stars, I feel the only thing that will prove memorable for me with this book is the pain and length of time of reading it. Seinen I loved the BBC TV series and although it felt a little as if it was played 'tongue in cheek' I was delighted to find this book which comprises a new, modern translation from the original French text.
My absolute favourite character is D'Artangnan, played by Luke Pasqualino and I'm hoping the series will return for adventures, now that I've finished reading the lengthy book. Seinen What can one say that hasn't been said about this superb story! One of the best swashbucklers ever, one of my top 10 favourite books (I rate this writer's Count of Monte Cristo as 2nd best book ever.), and always worth rereads. For sure everyone will have their favourite of the four heroes, and perhaps most go for young hotheaded d'Artagnan just come up from Gascony and desperate to become a musketeer, and his confused passions for dangerous Milady and his landlord's wife Constance, but I always adored Aramis, the second youngest of the four. Handsome, elegant, much loved by women, continually talking of wanting to become a priest yet a doughty, cool headed and fine fighter, and by far the most mysterious and has influential friends and is the lover of the Queen's confidante, the Duchesse de Chevreuse, which leads to some of the adventures in the book whilst giving only hints of the important mover and shaker he'll become in the later books. Or you may be passionate about mysteriously morose Athos, the oldest of the four, who never seems to show any interest in women and has a past he won't talk about. Or perhaps Porthos is your favourite bombastic, vain, and huge, a great lovable bear of a man based apparently on the writer's own father. Seinen