The Three Musketeers By Alexandre Dumas [Book Review]

‘The Three Musketeers’ by Alexandre Dumas [Book Review]

Rating: 5/5

Genre: Adventure/Historical-Fiction

Summary: During the reign of King Louis XIII, an ambitious young man, d’Artagnan, aspiring to be one of the king’s musketeers come to Paris, where he meets the famous three musketeers; Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Along the way, they have to overcome the conspiracy of the Cardinal and his ally.

My Opinion: This classic adventure is very engaging and humorous. I usually don’t get attached with the adventure genre in books. But this one kept me entertained. This book contains such hilarious dialogues that I couldn’t help laughing out loud. The characters make very smart remarks too; which is quite impressive. The characters are varied and likeable. The protagonists as well as the antagonists are very brave in nature. The best part of this novel is a female antagonist. The concept is very unique considering the time period when it was written. At that time women were considered very delicate and soft natured. On the contrary the Lady de Winter in this novel displayed a very heinous character.

Favourite Characters: Aramis was the best musketeer in my opinion. He valued bravery as well as morality. On the other hand, the intelligence he showed at the time when needed was very admirable. I also liked the characterization of the Duke of Buckingham, though it was a minor one. His behaviour is very charming. The love he had for the queen, Anne of Austria, is very fascinating.

Quote:  “I do not cling to life sufficiently to fear death.” 

“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller Review

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 3/5

Summary: “The Crucible” is a play of 1953 by Arthur Miller. The story is based on the infamous ‘Salem witch trials’ which took place in the 1692-1693. A group of young women, lead by Abigail Williams, accuse the village people of witchcrafts which results in a hysteria among them.

My opinion: The writing style of this play was very neat and I enjoyed reading every minute of it. It was short but the scenes were very intense. It showed how the ‘Salem witch trials’ was unfair and how ironically they hanged the people who wouldn’t admit being a witch rather than the ones who already did.

But there is a specific problem in this play which I would like to discuss. The protagonist John Proctor was shown as a brave hero whereas the antagonist was Abigail Williams, a very young girl who was sexually exploited by her former master (John Proctor). Isn’t it misogynistic how the writer had made the real victim look like a villain and the abuser a hero? I know Abigail was twisted and what she did was not right. But it was John who made her go that way.

Another problematic thing about this was that John was expecting his wife, Elizabeth, to forgive him because he had confessed to her. But when she couldn’t, it made him angry. At the end too, Elizabeth took all the blame on her saying she was too ‘cold’ as to why John made the mistake in the first place. That was really misleading. No one should be felt that way when their partner is the one cheating.

Quote: “I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it.”

One Last Dance- Part 2

Requested by @queenofautumn​

I’m sorry this took me some time to write. I was very busy with my school lately.

Read part 1 here

We escaped to the nearest wood, hand in hand. I remembered how we used to dance in the dark wood casting all our fears aside. I felt the same kind of fearlessness took over me.

We sat down. I looked him in the eyes and asked, “how are we alive after all this years?”

“Can’t you tell?” he came closer and rested his hand in mine.

It felt like the force of our loves had diminished the inevitability of death and death couldn’t part us. I knew it. I felt sure about it.

“We’re reborn” he began in a whisper, slowly rising the voice by each syllable, “just to be together.”

“And this time,” said I, “no one can stop us.”

FLOWERS ARE LIFE

A Review of “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

Genre: Romance

Rate: 5/5

Summary: When Elizabeth Bennet first met Mr. Darcy, she couldn’t stand him for his pride. Neither did Mr. Darcy found her interesting enough to ask her for a dance. But many occasions brought them together again and again. At last, Mr. Darcy couldn’t help but fall in love with Elizabeth.

My Opinion: I don’t know where to begin. This novel is a classic and a masterpiece. I loved the use of satire in a most charming way possible. The first thing I noticed reading this book was that people were extremely nosy. They seemed to notice other people’s even the trifling matters of day to day life. I couldn’t help noticing how the mothers were all so anxious about their daughter’s marriage at the time. I loved Austen’s writing style very much. It was really funny and I laughed out loud at so many places (I’m even smiling to myself now thinking about some funny parts). Though it was a little draggy at the beginning, but I enjoyed almost every part of it. This book was worth all my time.

Favourite Characters: I can’t decide whom I like best among Jane, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Jane is such a sweetheart. Her values and point of views almost match mine. She is also a very responsible daughter and sister. I feel like, there is a warmth present in her which gives one comfort. Elizabeth is carefree and independent. She has a way of charming everyone and being friendly. She is very confident too. She handles her situation in a very tactful way. I specifically like the sisterly relationship between Jane and Elizabeth. My sister and I share a same kind of relationship. We too, like them, have each others confidence and shares every little thing. Now, what can I tell about Mr. Darcy! I loved him at the end as much as I hated him in the beginning. The best thing about him was that though he is proud, he learns.

Quote: “Do anything rather than marry without affection.”

How Hatred Starts

I just realized why people hate each other.

Once someone sees the worst side of another and continues to judge them by it, they eventually starts hating the latter.

Suppose the person A knows the worst mistake the person B has made in their life and judge their (B) every action based on the knowledge they (A) acquired, they (A) starts to hate them (B). In turn, the person B also tries to find the worst of the person A and starts to hate them as well.

This is how it goes on and none of them ever tries to find the person behind all that mistakes and weaknesses.