She's one of literature's most famous villains - Milady de Winter. But, who was she really? In MILADY we get her own story - from her childhood ordeals in life to the trials that will make her the ruthless woman d'Artagnan will meet. The woman who Athos married and who he thought was dead. Now she tells her story...

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Dare I say I found this retelling of the Three Musketeers tale far more compelling than the original? As fun as the original was, there was always something not quite right in the story (like why do these men keep getting involved in duels?). This take on the story from the perspective of Milady is just as swashbuckling, but also just better. While it does seem to test the limits of belief with just how interconnected Milady's world is, this novel weaves a tale of Milady's past - how she was raised in England, her adventures at the royal court in London, a stint at a French convent, and then choosing to become a spy - interspersed with more familiar portions of Dumas's tale. Overall, this makes for fun reading (there's rarely a dull moment) and a fresh twist on a familiar story. ( )

This is a rollicking, swashbuckling historical fiction story about the life of a character from "The Three Musketeers," one Lady de Winter. I know nothing about that novel, nor of the character herself, and herein is a warning: half of the story is not understandable without having read that classic. I say half because this story is divided into two parts between which the author goes back and forth: the origin story of Clarice, as she tells it, from her birth onward, covering childhood, young adulthood, etc., and the second part, which takes place at the latter part of her life, when she faces the 3 Musketeers again and it looks like the heroine is facing her final escapade. The first part is a great bildungsroman-type of story, with an upbringing typical in many ways of a young woman in Tudor England, and in many ways very untypical, as her mother raises her to be a little different than the typical young lady. This part of the story is engaging and intriguing. The alternate story, which we go back and forth from, has to do with the adventures Clarice has with the 3 Musketeers and the reader (this one anyway) was lost. There are many references to what must have happened in "The Three Museketeers," to past liaisons, adventures, relationships, intrigues, etc, and if you are not familiar with that novel you will not be able to follow why the characters take the actions they do.

This novel suffers, like many other modern period pieces, from the superimposition of the author's values and philosophies onto a very different culture, with the result of an anachronistic reading of history. I'm referring here to the strong feminist strain. The author's desire to have the reader view every man, every event, and every woman through the 21st century lens felt heavy-handed and didactic: every man is an all-powerful misogynist or chauvinist; every woman is subject to the whims of men and a tortured victim; every event must be understood from a smash-the-patriarchy view. It was tedious and does not ring true. ( )

Milady by Laura L. Sullivan is one of those books that the reader has a hard time putting down. I like many others have watched the Three Musketeer movies. I always thought that they were awesome, three friends going around and taking care of the bad guys. I don't remember anything about a woman assassin who takes on the Musketeers.

As the story goes one, it starts in 1628 In Paris. The first sentence "The things a woman has to do to make her way in this world" Clarice, a young widow finds herself in a whorehouse as part of a house of prostitutes run by Mrs.Fox. Thus starts the story of the life of Milady de Winter. We learn in alternating chapters the beginning of Milady's spy life. Spying for Cardinal Richelieu puts her in danger over and over. How did she become the most feared female assassin? What was her role with The Three Musketeers? She was taken from her father for his own gains. Sent to a woman who teaches her the things she needs to know to become a successful assassin for the Cardinal.

Written beautifully, in different times of her life, her loves and hopes and also her losses. It is a historical adventure of a strong, beautiful woman who is fearless and who was treated badly by D’Artagnan. This story is told in two different timelines, 10 years apart, with her doing things that were more often than not dangerous. The book is true to the time. Very well researched. The only thing I can say is that the author has made The Three Musketeers to be villainous and all-around bad boys. I remember them to be more for the downtrodden and very romantic. Didn't find that here. Does it matter? Not to me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it! ( )

Many, many people have read about the adventures of the Three Musketeers, and now we can read the backstory of their antagonists, Milady de Winter. This book shows all of her, from her life at the convent to how she became a spy. All in all a invigorating read.

Free review copy. ( )