First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

All For One, One For All!

When daring young swordsman d’Artagnan travels to Paris seeking honor and fortune in the king’s Guard, he quickly befriends the famed three Musketeers—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.

Loyal servants to the crown, the four friends cross swords with street criminals, face the cardinal’s Guards in duels to the death, and save the honor of the queen by unraveling treasonous schemes in a race against time. It will take epic courage, chivalry, and skill to thwart the plots against them and achieve victory at last.

Alexandre Dumas’s classic swashbuckling tale of adventure, swordplay, and unbreakable friendship is enriched with brand-new, action-packed illustrations by renowned artist Brett Helquist. (Source: Goodreads)

Happy weekend everyone! That is another work week in the books. As it is the weekend, I hope everyone was able to make it through the work week; mine was a little hectic here and there but, overall, it was manageable. I hope everyone crossed the finish line with a smile on their faces. I hope that everyone ended the work week on a high note, with smiles on their faces. I hope the week went the way you wanted it to. I hope that, after a long week at the office, you will be able to recharge and regain some of the manna you’ve lost during the weekend. I hope that you will be able to rest, relax, and reflect. I hope that you were able to pursue things that you are passionate about. More importantly, I hope that everyone is doing well, in body, mind, and spirit.

But before I could officially close the last work week of June, let me cap another blogging week with a fresh but late First Impression Friday update. Woah, after this weekend we will be welcoming a new month! Time does fly fast. Half of the year is already done. How has 2024 been, so far? I hope it has been great for everyone. I hope that the second half of the year will also be brimming with good news, blessings, and positive energy. Reading-wise, June was an extension of my foray into European literature; this was a journey that commenced in May. While May focused on the works of Nobel Laureates in Literature, my focus in June was on the rest of the vast European literary landscape. The journey as expected, has been wonderful and insightful. I encountered new names but also made me revisit familiar ones.

Among the familiar names I got to revisit is French writer Alexandre Dumas. I am sure most of us have heard of him. For Filipinos, Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo was an inspiration for our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. It is said to be Rizal’s favorite book. This was the reason why I read the book back when I was still in university. That was over a decade ago already. The Count of Monte Cristo was also the last Dumas book I read. I did try reading The Three Musketeers previously but the translation I had was a little too complex I had to put it down, making it one of the rare instances that I DNF’d a book. I still wanted to read the book, so when I found a different translation, I made it part of my 2024 Top 24 Reading Lists. This makes the book the 15th from the list I have read. Woah. That is quite some development as I tend to cram toward the end of the year.

Anyway, The Three Musketeers is, without a doubt, one of the most popular titles out there. It is a literary classic that has also been adapted into another form of media, primarily movies. Its influences stretch far and wide. It was actually through the film adaptations that I first heard of it; interestingly, or perhaps not, I have not watched any of these film adaptations. The only thing I know about the book is that it stars D’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. I always thought that D’Artagnan was one of the three musketeers but it turns out I am wrong! It is actually the last three! HAHA. Silly me. Regardless, the story starts with D’Artagnan. Through the Author’s Preface, I learned that Dumas’ hero was inspired by Memoirs of Monsieur D’Artagnan, a historical novel by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras. Dumas encountered the book while doing research in the Bibliotheque Nationale for his History of Louis the Fourteenth. It was a serendipitous moment, to say the least. The rest, they say, was history.

Back to the novel. The year was 1625. From the French countryside town of Gascony, D’Artagnan traveled to Paris to join the Musketeers of the Guard. He carried with him a letter of introduction addressed to Monsieur de Tréville, the commander of the Musketeers, a King’s elite regiment. On his way to Paris, he encountered an older man who derided his horse. D’Artagnan, insulted, demanded for a duel. However, D’Artagnan was instead beaten unconscious by the older man’s companions. His letter was also stolen. This did not stop D’Artagnan from pursuing his original goal. He also resolved to avenge himself against the older man. But first, he must fulfill his goal of becoming a Musketeer.

In Paris, D’Artagnan manages to hold court with Monsieur Tréville. However, without the letter of introduction, his reception was rather lukewarm. Shortly before the conclusion of the meeting, D’Artagnan saw the old man passing in the street through Tréville’s window. The old man is no ordinary man as we eventually learn that he is no less than Comte de Rochefort, an agent of Cardinal Richelieu. D’Artagnan rushes out of the building to confront Comte de Rochefort but on his way, he stumbled upon the titular three musketeers. Offended by D’Artagnan’s rash actions, they challenged him to a duel. Oh, this is certainly going to be an eventful and adventurous story if this was how the book’s hero first encountered the three musketeers. Perhaps a romance story will spring out as the story moves forward; again, I have no inkling about the details of the story except that I know it is about three musketeers.

There seem to be a lot of duels down the road; I just finished my first one hundred pages of the story. I expect more eventful scenes as the four characters’ lives intertwine. Getting to know Porthos, Athos, and Aramis is going to be a roller-coaster ride. I surmise that French values of the period will be intricately woven into the story while also capturing profound values such as loyalty, friendship, bravery, and, of course, chivalry. The Three Musketeers is going to be my first Dumas novel in over a decade so I am trying to find my footing in the story. Thankfully, the translation is more accessible than the first one I had. This one is going to take me some time to read because the book is thick. I just want to immerse myself in the story.

How about you fellow reader? What book or books are you going to take with you this weekend? I hope you get to enjoy whatever you are reading right now. Happy weekend!