Twenty Years After (The d’Artagnan Romances #2)

This review concerns the edition of the book and NOT the book itself.

The hardback edition “Buccaneer Books” turned out to be severely abridged. No indication of this was given; it is a poor substitution for the real thing, which I only discovered after doing some additional research on the musketeer books and realized many of the key points and dialogue were missing from what I had read. A serious disappointment. By the time I discovered what I had missed, it was too late to return the book.

A disappointment!

I especially appreciated how much the societal values of the day, especially the code of honor, influenced behavior and response. And I thoroughly enjoyed the vigorous masculine energy in men who loved one another and pushed themselves to their limits while trusting and supporting one another. A delightful romp with unexpected pearls of wisdom.

I read the kindle version on my iphone and had no problems.

Joanna Poppink, MFT California psychotherapist

Twenty Years After (1845) is the bestselling sequel to “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870). Dumas is the king of romantic fiction and a true renaissance man; author, lover of many women, gourmand, world traveler and bon viviant.
The story the seventeenth century musketeers is told in five huge novels:
1. The Three Musketeers
2. Twenty Years After
3. The Vicomte de Bragelonne (he is the son of Athos)
4. Louise de Valliere (she is the beloved of Bragelonne and the mistress of King Louis XIV)
5. The Man in the Iron Mask

The Major Players in Twenty Years After:
Two decades have passed since we have seen the musketeers in action. What has happened?
D’Artagnan-He is now a lieutenant in the musketters
Athos-He is retired and living on his estate-we learn his wife was the infamous Milady.
Aramais-He has taken holy orders and is involved in political and ecclesiastical affairs.
Porthos-The rich lawyer’s widow he wed has died. He spend his time hunting, fishing, drinking copious amounts of wine and enjoying life as a gigantic hedonist.

The Major threads of the complicated plot (the book is 788 small print pages in the Oxford Classics Edition)
A civil war is raging in France between the Fronde and the royal rulership of Louis XIV (a child in this book); his mother Anne of Austria widow of Louis XIII and the wily Cardinal Mazarin (an Italian who has taken over for the deceased Cardianl Richelieu.

The four musketeer friends are divided in their loyalties with D’Artagnan and Porthos supporting Mazarin while Aramis and Athos support the Fronde. This changes as D’Artagnan and Porthos come to opppose Mazarin.
All the musketeers travel to England in a futile attempt to save Charles I from the scaffold. They are enemies of the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. T
The arch enemy is the evil Mordaunt son of Milady. He kills his uncle de Winter and Dumas portrays him as the executioner of Charles I! (this is fiction not reality!-Dumas twists historical facts to meet the needs of his tale of derring do).
I did not find a dull page anywhere within the covers of this massive tome! The edition contains valuable notes and a listing of historical personages mentioned in the text!
Dumas is a joy to read! Viva Muketeeers!!! One for all and all for one!

Not as good as the Three Musketeers, but I liked it. This edition (free Kindle edition)had one thing that irritated me. The name d’Artagnan is spelled with lower case d. And, if you insist on using capital D, at least do it every time!
Enough of that.
I found this book a little confusing. There were a lot of names. Somethimes, they were on the same side as the heroes, before they (either the bi-characters, or the main characters) suddenly changed side. I think I should have made a chart, as I read it quite slowly, I truly had some problems remembering where I had read about the different names.
That being said, it was entertaining, I laughed many a time. I also like the fact that the characters aren’t perfect. Far from it.
Speaking of the characters, they are somewhat changed since book one. At least, d’Artagnan and Porthos are different. Porthos is more muscles and less brain, and d’Artagnan is more brain and leader.
I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

If you want to get seriously behind in your reading target then choose to read a book of 880 pages. Sigh!

I read “The Three Musketeers” some years ago and enjoyed it very much. The story was, of course, familiar as I had seen several versions on film and television. “The Three Musketeers” contains much more than you tend to see in the films.

“Twenty Years After” is what it says in the title – the events involving the now estranged D’Artagnan, Porthos, Athos and Aramis twenty years after the original the events of the original novel. Although the historical timelines get a bit twisted the novel involves the civil disturbances of the Fronde in Paris, the execution of Charles I in London and the involvement in both of Milady de Winter’s son.

Also making a first appearance is 15 year old Raoul, Vicomte de Bragalonne, the eponymous hero of the next novel to come.

All in all it is not packed with the same pace and action as “The Three Musketeers” and is not in the page-turner category. Still a good read though – if you don’t mind falling behind in your book reading target.

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