The Three Musketeers

This classic adventure epic is presented here in a compact, affordable production. The double-tracking is slightly inconvenient but is overcome by the narrator's superb reading. Page's flawless pronun-ciation of the numerous French words blends with his formal British English to give color and credence to the grandiloquent language of the translation. His characterizations are equally well performed. The characters emerge richly faceted: the nefarious Lady DeWinter; the pious but fallible Athos; the haughty, boisterous Porthos. The listener is carried through the romantic verbiage by this energetic, exciting performance. J.J.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Of course you've heard of THE THREE MUSKETEERS, but did you know that it's really funny, as well as replete with romance and adventure? John Lee does, and his narration plays up all three attributes to great effect. For those who need a reminder, Dumas's classic adventure presents the escapades of three of King Louis's musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, plus D'Artagnan (a musketeer in training) as they foil a few of Cardinal Richelieu's many devious plots. Amid much swordplay, they actually utter the famous line: "All for one and one for all." Lee struggles a bit with accents and characterizations early in the production. His hesitations disappear after a few chapters, however, and he gives fine voice to the rest of the madcap tale. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

October 10, 2016
The picaresque adventures of the young d’Artagnan, who strives to become a musketeer in service of the king, unfold in a visually vibrant adaptation of Dumas’s novel. It’s no easy task to condense such a sprawling story into a picture book, and readers may have trouble keeping up with the swerves of the plot. French artist André uses airy, watercolorlike effects to create dramatic visuals suggestive of stills from an animated action film. It’s an ambitious retelling, but most readers will probably benefit from outside research or conversations with adults to better understand the context and stakes of the story. Ages 8–11.