Non è più tempo di sarabanda

Vent'anni sono passati per tutti, non solo per i Quattro.
Chissà come sarebbe stato leggere Vent'anni dopo a 14 anni, o a 24. Invece l'ho letto ora e mi è rimasta una strana sensazione.

Si potrebbe parlare d'altro, di qualche smagliatura nei raccordi tra gli innumerevoli capitolipuntate, di qualche trucchetto di troppo per tenere avvinti i lettori, di qualche didascalia che aveva senso nell'edizione a puntate, ma suona ripetitiva per chi legge il romanzo tutto intero.

Ma la lettura mi convince ancor di più che i difetti di Dumas sono messi lì apposta per stanare i pedanti, i cacciatori di virgole, i rabdomanti del dettaglio inutile. Che pena dev'essere. Come scrisse C. Saint-Beuve, Dumas raccontava con gioia fisica e con la stessa gioia lo leggo io, anche se questi vent'anni non sono stati una passeggiata e la sarabanda ha lasciato il posto a un ritmo più malinconico.

"La sua giovinezza gli riapparve portando tutti i ricordi soavi, che sono profumi piuttosto che pensieri. Da quel passato al presente c’era un abisso. Ma la fantasia ha il volto dell’angelo e del baleno; essa varca i mari nei quali abbiamo corso il rischio di naufragare, le tenebre dove si sono perdute le nostre illusioni, gli abissi che hanno inghiottito la nostra felicità".

Nota: devo ringraziare la mia amica anobiana Dragoval per aver segnalato nel suo commento ai Tre Moschettieri le pagine di Citati su Dumas (tratte da Il male assoluto) e vi rimando ai suoi commenti ai romanzi, oltre a quelli degli anobiani Gabrilu e Procyon Lotor. Bastano e avanzano.

Sono passati vent’anni da quella «notte tempestosa e buia» che ha chiuso in maniera così tragica e fatale la vicenda de I tre moschettieri. Da allora, i quattro moschettieri hanno perso la consuetudine di vita comune che li aveva così tanto legati. Sono diventati uomini fatti, in un contesto storico che intanto è profondamente mutato.

Vent'anni dopo, scritto da Alexandre Dumas, è il romanzo centrale del Ciclo dei moschettieri, trilogia che inizia con I tre moschettieri e termina con Il visconte di Bragelonne. Ennesimo capolavoro da custodire!

ესეც ასე, ბავშვობის ოცნება ავიხდინე და გაგრძელება წავიკითხე.

Of course this book is well written, these are classics for a reason. But, as usual, its obvious there were no editors (lol). The exciting parts in this book more than made up for the boring parts. You just have to hang on through them to get to the good parts. The touches of history were really cool. Charles I... Wow!

The 4 musketeers band together again after 20 years apart for a second adventure. Set against the backdrop of England's civil war this story reads and feels much like the first novel. A very good sequel that stands up well to the first novel. Like the first one there are parts that drag due to the dated writing style. The storyline and characters are still very good. Recommended

No one ever talks about Twenty Years After, and it's hard to find out it exists unless you're looking for more information on the Three Musketeers. I think the main reason behind this is just its bulk. It's a huge volume, and it is pretty daunting thinking you will be able to get through all those pages. However, it is still paced very well, and there is a lot of action here. Twenty Years after is much more character driven than Three Musketeers, and the emotional connection you feel to the characters and how they've grown and changed is definitely the driving force behind this volume. The evolution of the characters from the Three Musketeers is very touching and fun to watch as Dumas expands on the personal connection you feel with them and leads you to cheer for them to re-unite. While it's not as strong as Three Musketeers (but what is?), I do prefer Twenty Years After over Man in the Iron Mask.

The Musketeer Trilogy is my favorite literary story of all time. I can't count how many times I've read the collection, and it is rather daunting to go through the unabridged versions :). The pacing, plot and character development are all excellent. This is the absolute pinnacle of adventure story telling, and is a must read for any adventure fan.

This edition contains excellent footnotes, detailing both historical notes, plot notes, and notes from Dumas' own life.

I have only two enduring memories of this book.

The first is waiting at a supermarket, with the shopping on the belt, reaching into the pocket of my grey overcoat and discovering this book there, were I had plainly put it for safe keeping and then forgot about it. It was a small library book, possibly an old Everyman edition, and luckily I was then still young enough that I didn't have to pay library fines for late returned books. So I was able to enjoy the pure joy of escaping the eternity of two or three long minutes of waiting for the shopping to pass before the cashier with an overdue library book.

The second is d'Artagnan, now in this book - set during the Fronde under the rule of Cardinal Mazarin while Louis XIV is a minor - a captain, reflecting on the good old days of Cardinal Richelieu, when you may have been thrown into an oubliette, but at least it was an oubliette with a certain degree of class and distinction. There's nothing like the good old days.

Alert: Lettura tristemente penalizzata da una autentica valanga di refusi, specialmente con gli accenti: chi si appresta ad iniziare questo volume in questa edizione Rizzoli, si rassegni al fatto che "andò" è scritto "ando" e "farà" si scrive "fara". Prendere o lasciare.

n  "Il carattere particolare di quella guerra fu che si ebbero più strofette che cannonate. La Corte faceva canzonette sui parigini, i quali ne facevano sulla Corte, e le ferite, per quanto non mortali, non erano meno dolorose, perché erano prodotte dall'arma del ridicolo." n

Trascorsi vent'anni (o poco meno) dalla lettura dei Moschettieri, forse sono diventata una lettrice molto più esigente e/o pignola e/o cinica: non ho potuto fare a meno di trovare ingenui molti dialoghi e molti dettagli ed espedienti della trama; ingenui alcuni elementi di ripetitività che sono il difetto tipico di qualsiasi sequel; ho risentito un po' dell'impianto di scrittura fortemente "feuillettonesco", strutturato su brevi episodi proprio come le puntate di un telefilm. Insomma, speravo di ritrovare l'entusiasmo da 5/5 con cui avevo lasciato La Sanfelice (il mio ultimo Dumas di qualche anno fa), ho iniziato la lettura sentendomi quelle cinque stelle già in tasca, e invece mi devo fermare un passo prima di quell'entusiasmo. D'Artagnan si fa amare come sempre, apprezzabili e ben delineate anche le figure di Athos e del figlio Raoul; Aramis e Porthos sono figurette che nella parte centrale del romanzo risultano terribilmente appiattite, le battute a loro riservate nei dialoghi sono tanto tremende quanto brevi, e per fortuna nella parte finale il romanzo si risolleva significativamente grazie all'inarticolarsi degli intrighi della guerra civile e ad una maggior cura prodigata da parte dell'autore (o degli autori?) anche a questi ultimi due moschettieri.

All'inizio della lettura la complessità della figura del Mazzarino era decisamente invitante, buono il punto di partenza che vuole che i quattro moschettieri non abbiano avuto quella carriera così folgorante come si poteva sperare alla fine del primo romanzo; ottima l'idea di strutturare questo nuovo romanzo sulla missione che cerca di rimettere insieme i quattro vecchi amici, ottima anche l'idea per cui in realtà non saranno tutti e quattro insieme ma si troveranno due da una parte e due dall'altra, e poi nuovamente tutti insieme e separati al tempo stesso. Tutte ottime premesse, quindi: gli sviluppi della trama la portano temporaneamente ad arrotolarsi un po' su sé stessa, con qualche ingenuità e qualche contraddizione. Delle due, una: o sono io che, come dicevo sopra, sono diventata tanto più esigente, oppure è stato il team Dumas & Co che qui ha dovuto/voluto lavorare più di corsa rispetto il romanzo precedente, privilegiando la resa rispetto la qualità e la cura di certi dettagli. La sensazione netta è che nella parte finale il lavoro del capo sia presente in percentuale molto più rilevante, negli ultimi capitoli ho ritrovato quasi quasi il tono spigliato ed elegante della narrazione de La Sanfelice. L'ingarbugliamento della trama diventa infatti mirabile, è un perfetto quadro di guerra civile con le fazioni che si scontrano, si incontrano, si incrociano, si corrompono, si sovrappongono, realisti, frondisti, arrivisti, soddisfatti, insoddisfatti, persino un fantasma: l'Île-de-France come un gigantesco e perfetto minestrone.

Quindi, anche senza quella dose "extra" di entusiasmo, Dumas resta pur sempre il solito piacione, al punto che, pur conscia e convinta dei difetti che ho qui rilevato, sono ugualmente ben lieta di avere già pronto in libreria il terzo romanzo e non vedo assolutamente l'ora di iniziarlo.

"«Jah, nii see on,» vastas Aramis, «hoolitsen oma välimuse eest. Aga teate, hakkan siiski vanaks jääma. Sain juba kolmekümne seitsme aastaseks.»
«Teate, Aramis, kuna oleme kord jälle kokku sattunud, siis otsustame nüüd ara, kui vanaks me endid tulevikus peame.»
«Mis te sellega mõtlete?»
«Noh, kunagi olin mina teist kaks või kolm aastat noorem, ja kui ma ei eksi, siis olen praegu nelikümmend täis.»"

Teine raamat "d'Artagnani seiklusjuttude" sarjast, kirjutatud Dumas poolt Auguste Maquet abiga. Lugesin raamatu üle, viimasest lugemisest on kümme aastat ikka möödas, pigem rohkem. Kusagil seal põhi- ja keskkooli ajal sai musketäre ikka "käiatud", praegu Arturo Pérez-Reverte suurepärase "Dumas' klubi" (üle)lugemise raames tekkis tahtmine terve triloogia värske pilguga üle vaadata.

"Kolm musketäri" sai otsa 1628. aastal, kakskümmend aastat hiljem on d'Artagnan endiselt purupaljas musketärileitnant, kes on mandunud tavalisse töötegemisse ning on kolme sõbraga täielikult kontakti kaotanud. Isegi teener Planchet on oma teed läinud. Elu on hall ja igav. Ühel hetkel aga on kardinal Mazarinil vaja abi, mis toob d'Artagnani ellu värvid tagasi ning elu läheb käima. Kogu varasem maailm on mitmes mõttes pea peale keeratud ning meile tuttav seltskond hakkabki seda sasipundart harutama.

Stiililt on raamat endiselt seiklusromaan, erinevalt musketäridest on aga suurem osa ajalool ja poliitikal. Juttu on Prantsusmaal Fronde'i liikumisest, Inglismaa kodusõjast, printside võimuvõitlusest. Otse loomulikult on meie neljal sõbral kõiges selles oma roll mängida ning Dumas käib vahel ajaloolise materjaliga loovalt ümber, seega tõsise õpikuna ei tasu raamatut võtta. Küll aga näiteks see, mis toimus Inglismaal 30. jaanuaril 1649, tegelikult toimus ka.

Väga mehelik raamat on, kus naistel on omad kõrvalosad, kuid kõik kandvad rollid on ikkagi meestel. Tänapäeval ei saaks üldse sellist raamatut enam kirjutada, kuna see latnente ja platooniline armastus, mis siin lehelt lehele on, mõjuks nüüdisajal tõnuõnnepalulikult homoerootiliselt. Samas 17. sajandi mehised mehed kandsidki pitse, sukki ja kõrge kontsaga kingi, ajad olid teistsugused.

"Athos asetas käed d'Artagnani õlgadele ja vaatas talle oma rahuliku ja leebe naeratusega otsa.
«Ma vannun,» ütles ta, «et pole ühtki olevust taeva all, kes oleks teiega võrdne õilsuse ja julguse poolest. Sellal kui me arvasime teid olevat ükskõikne meie kannatuste suhtes, mida teil oli ometi täielik õigus meiega mitte jagada, leidsite just teie selle lahenduse, mida meie asjatult otsisime. Ma kordan sulle veel, d'Artagnan, sa oled parim meie hulgast. Ma õnnistan ja armastan sind, mu kallis poeg.»"

Dumas stiil on endiselt meeldivalt hoogne, vahel saab palju nalja ning situatsioonikoomikat ikka jagub. Tõeliselt karmi traagikat on ka siin raamatus, kuigi avaosas olid mileedi ja Constance Bonacieux liinid ikka kraad kangemad. Aga ega on ka paarkümmend aastat hiljem veel hauataguseid varje, kes musketäridel elu põrgus teevad.

"«Kõik tuleb sellest, et kujutlete, nagu oleks teil ikka veel kirikuteenri rüü seljas ja peaksite aega veetma palvete lugemisega. Aga ma hoiatan teid, kui te unustate kõigi kirikuriistade nühkimise juures minu mõõka puhastada, siis teen kõigist teie pühapiltidest suure lõkke ja praen teid sellel tulel ära!»

Rabatud Bazin tegi pudeliga, mida ta käes hoidis, ristimärgi. D'Artagnan aga, kes oli äärmiselt üllatatud abbé d'Herblay kõneviisist ja kommetest, mis nii järsult erinesid kunagise musketäri Aramise omadest, vahtis oma sõbrale pärani silmi otsa."

Kui juba tsiteerimiseks läks, siis mõlemast raamatust on kohti, mis on mulle teravalt end ajukäärude vahele sisse söönud. Üks on siis see, kuidas d'Artagnan vabaneb ühest vastasest, kes on kummitus, sõnade pealelugemise teel. Teine on aga see, mis jube hästi iseloomustab teatud tüüpi inimesi, kellel on särav mõistus ning keda tuleb osata suunata.

"Athos tundis d'Artagnani võib-olla paremini kui d'Artagnan end ise tundis. Ta teadis, et pole tarvis muud, kui vaid pillata gaskoonlase seiklushimulise kujutlusvõime pinnale üksainus mõte, nagu külvatakse viljatera heldesse ja rammusasse mulda."

Kokkuvõtvalt: hea pikk ja põhjalik lugu, kus poistest on saanud mehed ning ideaalid põrkavad kokku. Tegelikult ongi peale "Kolme musketäri" enam midagi juurde arvata, kuna Dumas triloogia kaks esimest raamatut on puhas kuld. Kuidas "Vikont de Bragelonne" tundub, seda näis, võtsin esimese köite kolmest juba näppu.

Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas is the first sequel to the original The Three Musketeers, to be followed by two, three, or four volumes -- based on the edition you have. D'Artagnan and his companions are now in middle age, but a new young 'un takes the stage, Raoul, the Vicomte de Bragelonne, with Athos as his guardian (and probable father).

The action is a bit confusing, because Twenty Years After is set during he Wars of the Fronde, in which both the bourgeois classes and the nobility have complaints against the Monarchy (effectively controlled by Louis XIII's widow, Anne of Austria, and Cardinal Mazarin). It's a rather disjointed affair with numerous leaders that was to last for several years beyond the compass of the book.

In this novel, the musketeers are initially split into two conflicting groups, with D'Artagnan and Porthos being of Mazarin's party and Athos and Aramis being Frondeurs. There is even a long sequence in which the musketeers travel to England to try to free Charles I from captivity and execution. Pitted against them is one Mordaunt, the son of Milady de Winter who is executed at the end of The Three Musketeers. They fail and return to France only to get caught up in the whole Fronde confusion, which they bring to a halt (for the time being) by capturing Mazarin and holding his feet to the fire.

All in all, the original novel was probably better; but Dumas is never deterred by complexity. Even if you don't understand the role of M. de Gondy aka the coadjutor, Mmes de Chevreuse and de Longueville, the Duc de Beaufort, the Comte de Rochefort, Councillor Broussel, et al ad infinitum, it isn't too difficult to follow the action -- and there is to be sure a lot of it.

n  Third read:n

Ah! Au revoir my musketeer friends! Until the next book! Alas, we've lost some friends along the way!

With each re-read I gain so much more from this series, and I'm so in love with the characters, and the way Dumas writes them. It's absolutely fascinating to read about how four inseparable friends can be divided in opinion and yet still treat one another so respectfully. Athos in particular is a god among men, and even among his friends he's astoundingly honourable. I love how much respect he commands in this novel.

'And when I have signed, Messieurs, what will be my security?'
'My word of honour, Monsieur,' said Athos.
Mazarin started, turned towards the Comte de la Fere for a moment, scanned that loyal, noble countenance, and taking the pen, 'That's quite sufficient, Monsieur the Count,' said he, and he signed.

I cannot express how deeply I wish a person's word could be trusted the way that of Athos is.

D'Artagnan is still a hero with a keen mind, and he thinks of everything. He's also freaking hilarious and has the greatest insults ever. He's so clever he verbally backhands people all the time. LOVE. IT. Aramis is rather politically minded and still quick to anger, but he's tempered by the calm that is Athos. He still has such an intriguing role, and of course he's mixed up with another lady friend whom he's definitely not sleeping with *wink*

Porthos gets so much love from me in this novel because his devoutness simply cannot be faulted. He may be a little slow on the uptake, but he trusts his friends so completely and it makes my heart wanna burst. Every single time he says something like, 'I have no idea what you're talking about but just tell me what to do' I feel my heart expand for him.

These four men are #friendshipgoals and I will never stop loving them, and wishing that modern men were more like these heroes. I guess it's my destiny to be constantly disappointed by men for the rest of my life. *cries*

Guest appearances from de Winter and Rochefort were delightful as I missed them just as completely, and I love that d'Artagnan and Rochefort are bffs after constantly trying to kill one another in the first book. Bless them. Anne is a total menace in this one and it makes me that much sadder for the loss of Buckingham. Mazarin is a douchebag and it's sad to see d'Artagnan and Porthos working for him. Bills, bills, bills, I guess. Raoul is a total sweetheart and I'm looking forward to re-reading about him in The Vicomte de Bragelonne.

Honestly I could go on about this series forever. My heart is entirely devoted to these Musketeers.

If you don't continue with the series after The Three Musketeers, you are seriously missing out my friends.


***
n  Original review (after second read):n
It's certainly a longer story than The Three Musketeers, with complicated politics and a whole lot of new names that are easier to remember if you do a little research of the time and put some faces to names. At times, it's easy to lose the story in trying to remember who everyone is, and whose side they are on; it can be rather tricky to follow. That being said, I will never stop loving these characters. Taking place twenty years after the original novel, our Musketeer friends have aged well, and the first saga of the novel is dedicated to renewing old acquaintances and discovering what's happened in our absence. D'Artagnan is still our hero musketeer, though he has cemented his place as a brilliant soldier and his experience is evident in the way his new adventures are written. His brilliant mind is sharp as ever, and so many of my favourite moments in this novel come from his wit, confidence and natural ability to form a plan simply because one is called for. His closeness with Porthos is quite charming, and I love how much faith Porthos has in his friend even after twenty years of separation. When it's revealed that the four friends are split between duties, I must say I felt quite unsettled, even knowing how the novel concludes (this being a re-read). Their friendship is the cornerstone of this entire series and to have those dynamics shifted makes for tense reading.
The introduction of the villainous Mordaunt sends shivers down the spine at how easily he commits evils, yet there is still sympathy to be found in the form of the musketeers' regrets of how the situation with Milady was handled in the former novel. He is written so as to be hated, but there is a depth to him that also allows for pity. It's this masterful creation of characters that has me so in love with this series. I find it easy to be caught up, and feel alongside those I'm reading about.
The inclusion of Mazarin and a Queen Anne of Austria so different from the first novel was something to get used to, particularly when the musketeers' hatred of Mazarin gave them such respect for the main villain of the previous novel. This, too, shows the power of the decades that have passed. This is a sequel cleverly written, giving respect to time and how it gives wisdom through hindsight and maturation. It is also fascinating to read about the changes that have occurred between the two time periods.
All in all, it's everything you loved from The Three Musketeers, though complicated with politics, a long list of characters, and several different arcs that lengthen the novel quite drastically. Perhaps a little too heavy, and therefore easily avoided by fair-weather fans, but this is a must read for those who fell in love with The Three Musketeers the same way I did. The depth this novel carries is truly satisfying, and you will finish it with the sense that, once again, you have said goodbye to old friends.

Very enjoyable (and very funny) much like the first book. Featured a very tense scene involving the attempted rescue of the King of England which I found especially affecting.