Louis XIII had to be a Solomon. His queen produced twin male heirs - two sons of equal age with equal pretensions. Louis feared fro France. One prince means peace and safety for the state, two are a recipe for civil war and anarchy. One son had to go. Louis could not kill him, but he could hide him in an iron mask. Such is the quality of paternal mercy.
This book was originally written as part of a sequel to The Three Musketeers. But in time, it developed a life of its own, and in recent years has always been published as a separate novel that stands on its own merits.
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"After I read and loved The Count of Monte Cristo I was excited to read more Dumas as he brings history into his books in a way that is interesting. I was left very much disappointed by this book. It was not nearly as interesting as The Count of Monte Cristo." — Janel (4 out of 5 stars)
"After I read and loved The Count of Monte Cristo I was excited to read more Dumas as he brings history into his books in a way that is interesting. I was left very much disappointed by this book. It was not nearly as interesting as The Count of Monte Cristo."
" Not as readable in my opinion as the Three Musketeers. If you've only seen film adaptions you don't know the story. Try the book. It seems that movie makers can't resist changing the story here to the point of "unrecognizably". Why? It's not all that happy. Still, good book, interesting story. "
" Yes, it's about honor, swords, pistols, treachery, duplicity and death. But, Dumas is not your normal swashbuckler, because no matter how big the story, his humor and his heart always shine through. "
" Still think the movie was a masterpiece "
" Not really what I expected - perhaps I should have read The Three Musketeers first. "
" Only took me two months... But school can do that. Overall this was a terribly tragic book. My disadvantage starts with not having read any previous Musketeer's books. I find that my decision to start with this one was highly misguided. I took me a while to get into the feel of the book which is one shrouded in not only uncommon terms, but uncommon politics and culture as well. Dumas has a convoluted way of plotting things. This was not by any means unexpected. Overall there were only a few difficulties while reading which did not take away from my full enjoyment. The characters were well fleshed out and highly original. The chivalrous intentions of the protagonists was a refreshing experience to say the least. The author has a way of creating the profane through the decidedly royal. Certainly the point of view was far from focused upon the profane and more towards the greatly extravagant, but the everyday royal life becomes simple monotony after so long. I have learned much from reading this and am glad to have done so. "
" The final adventure of the musketeers. A great adventure story with a lot of intrigue and some of the old swash-buckling fun of their earlier adventures. "
" Nothing like the movie. That being said very enjoyable read "
" Book group selection. One current book one classic being the formula. "
" I started reading this my senior year in high school. Finished about two years later. You looking at the girl who can finish a book within 24-36 hours! Has quite a bit of French still in it, but boy can he write a tale of revenge! "
" better than "Twenty Years After" but still not as good as the original, the characters are far too melancholy. "
" The last of the Musketeer series (6 in all, read them in order!) and NOTHING like the movie. Wraps up the lives of the original four musketeers. "
" It took a while to get used to the language, but once into it, it was great! The ending with 3 of their deaths was sad, I had forgotten about that. the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio was totally different! "
" I had a harder time getting through this one. It's not as good as Three Musketeers or Count. "
" I like anything by Alexandre Dumas "
" The last of the musketeers saga. "
" Disturbing, but very well written. Definitely kept my attention. "
" I love this story--and it translates well to todya, and to film "
" don't remember if i've read monte crisco, but i DO remember this one. "
" my all time fav .. the perfect story , and u can watch the movie by Leonardo de caprio "
" It was fun to read a swashbuckling classic that explored themes of honor and friendship with deliberately purple prose. It would have been more fun if I had already known and cared about the characters. And maybe that would have made the ending more satisfying as well. "
" Not much "derring-do" as said in the book preview, but still a nice classic. A good read. "
" I think I should have read the preceding books first. "
" I read this as a young teen. There is a scene, involving a cave, that has stuck with me ever since. For me, that scene is what elevates this story over the earlier Three Musketeers. "
" I loved it until the end. The romantic in me despises unhappy endings. Sigh. "
" For once, I can actually say that the movie was better than the book. "
" Very good. I enjoy the way it is written--lots of glorious words to make a small point. Only do not be deceived by a: the title or b: the Leo DiCaprio film. It will only confuse you by the end. "
" Wonderful but very sad at the end "
" Dumas is good at the type of books he writes. Count of Monte Cristo being his best. This one is good, but not amazing. Its long and dramatic. "
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