So Sorry I Haven't Read This Sooner!

books:


	• Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas W. Clement Stone, 1984 average customer review:based on 385 reviews
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highly recommended

So Sorry I Haven't Read This Sooner!

NOTE: I really hate that Amazon includes reviews from several editions of the same book under one heading. Some editions are abridged for this novel, and that truly is an injustice and the reviews show that. The Oxford Classics version - which I read - is an UNABRIDGED version, and my review is based on that.

This story revolves around Edmond Dantes, a young man who seemingly has everything going for him. His employer has much regard for him and is about to put him as captain of his own ship, he is about to marry the woman he loves, all is right in Dantes world. Unfortunately, this type of happiness and success breeds jealousy and envy, and Dantes finds himselft falsely accused and imprisoned. He does escape, and therein the true tale begins.

The story weaves back and forth and entangles lives - but central is the thirst for revenge. Dumas certainly has a way of telling a story, even a long one, and keeping it interesting a fresh. There are twists and turns and an entire host of interesting characters. One moment I found myself cheering for Dantes and the next I was hoping he wouldn't do what I thought he would. However, one can never be too sure of what might happen next or where the story might go.

I had put off reading this novel because of the length for so long, and I now regret having done that. Although the tale of revenge is an old one, Dumas has managed to weave a story filled with mystery, adventure, and excitement with just a touch of romance - what more could a reader possibly want?

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As good as it gets...

Having never read The Count of Monte Cristo and only faintly recalling a movie of some years ago, I was prepared for a swashbuckling epic of swordplay and derring-do. My expectations were entirely inadequate. The Count of Monte Cristo is rather a tale of revenge through the artifice of intrigue and cold calculation. Dumas creates a broken man, betrayed by a trio of duplicitous schemers, and devotes the bulk of the book to the complex machinations employed in retaliation.

The phrase "intricately detailed" does not begin to describe the plots and sub-plots which carry this classic forward. Like all novels of its period, the author relies on what the modern-day reader would consider implausible convenience. This doesn't detract from its worth. To create such a tightly-laced weave, some liberties must be granted. The reader gladly forgives Messr. Dumas.

On par with The Brothers Karamazov, Anna Karenina, and the works of James Fenimore Cooper, The Count of Monte Cristo is wonderfully thick and magisterially constructed. Set primarily among the preening social elite of post-Napoleanic Paris, yet ranging from Rome to Normandy, it is a 5-star reading experience.

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This Classic is Too Much

I read this in an unabridged edition (117 chapters, circa 1400 pages), which I don't regret. However, having plowed my way to the end, I am tempted to classify this along with "Dracula" as a "classic" novel whose reputation rests more on its great beginning than on its middle and end. It was great up to about chapter 30 (describing the betrayal, imprisonment and escape of the hero, and the reward of his friends). However, once the story starts to sink in to the prolonged revenge, it starts to lose its way for me.

After chapter 30, the hero becomes a sort of divinely inspired madman, who imagines himself to be, and apparently is, a mere tool and agent of God's justice. His behavior transcends moral laws, his plans transcend human intelligence, and he becomes impossible to identify with as a character. Fortunately, there are plenty of other characters, and the story, from this point on, is rarely told from the mysterious Count's point of view. If you are willing to settle in and be patient, you can have some fun watching the weaving, interacting sprawling plot threads. Even so, when it was all said and done, it was wrapped up in a way that left a bad taste in my mouth.

I would not, however, recommend reading an abridged version. Too many threads intersect, and you cannot trust an abridger to like the same parts that you will like.

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The Count of Monte Cristo

I bought this book for one of my children for a summer reading project. I needed a specific version and was glad I could search Amazon by ISBN. The book arrived quickly and the price was reasonable. I'm sure other family members will enjoy the book when the projcet is complete.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

For nineteen-year-old Edmond Dantes, life is sweet. Soon to be captain of his own sip, he is also about to be married to his true love, Mercedes. But suddenly everything turns sour. On the joyous day of his wedding he is arrested and--without a fair trial--condemned to solitary confinement in the miserable Chateau d'If! The charges? Faked! Edmond has been framed by a handful of powerful enemies. But why?While locked away, Edmond learns from another prisoner of a secret treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. Edmond concocts a daring and audacious plan: escape and find the treasure! But it is years later--long after Edmond has transformed himself into the Count of Monte Cristo--that his plan for revenge begins to unfold.Disguised as the wealthy count, Edmond returns to his native land to find his enemies--and make them pay!

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