I'd say The Three Musketeers. It's got a good bit of intrigue set in a relatively unknown period of history (to native English speakers), action, romantic elements, it's not too serious about itself, and all the protagonists and antagonists are very interesting and not entirely sympathetic characters. It's the book I recommend whenever somebody says that the 'classics' are slow and boring, and it's easy enough to interest people because most people have seen movies or know who d'Artagnan is. It does help to read a decent translation though.
I'd say The Three Musketeers. It's got a good bit of intrigue set in a relatively unknown period of history (to native English speakers), action, romantic elements, it's not too serious about itself, and all the protagonists and antagonists are very interesting and not entirely sympathetic characters. It's the book I recommend whenever somebody says that the 'classics' are slow and boring, and it's easy enough to interest people because most people have seen movies or know who d'Artagnan is. It does help to read a decent translation though.