Goodreads | The Count of Monte Cristo (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (B&N Classics Hardcover)

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karma or revenge?	13	20 days ago, 11:07AM

J rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

05/19/08

Read in December, 2006

What does it say about me as a critic when the best book I’ve read all year was first serialized in the 1840s? From start to finish thoroughly enjoyable, Alexandre Dumas’ 1200 page revenge epic The Count of Monte Cristo wastes little time in not thrusting the plot along, quite violently so at times, and includes within a brief, sketchy history of the return of Napoleon and his subsequent second defeat, a primer on hashish, and a proto-seed for the detective tale that would later bloss...more

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Jessica rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

06/18/08

recommended to Jessica by: my father
recommends it for: adventure lovers

This is probably the deepest of Dumas's books (not saying much--he is mostly just pure adventure). It is first of all a wonderful, riveting story, but it also discusses the propriety of revenge. Should someone take revenge for a truly horrendous wrong done to them? Does superior intellect, riches, and righteousness allow for revenge on lesser mortals? If so, what is a just revenge?
The story is that of Edmond Dantes, a young sailor of 19. He returns to the port of Marseillse after a Mediter...more This is probably the deepest of Dumas's books (not saying much--he is mostly just pure adventure). It is first of all a wonderful, riveting story, but it also discusses the propriety of revenge. Should someone take revenge for a truly horrendous wrong done to them? Does superior intellect, riches, and righteousness allow for revenge on lesser mortals? If so, what is a just revenge?
The story is that of Edmond Dantes, a young sailor of 19. He returns to the port of Marseillse after a Mediterranean voyage. The captain of the ship died in route, and as first mate, Dantes had taken charge. The captain had made a last request of Dantes: take a letter from himself to the island of Elba, where Napoleon was imprisoned. Dantes was then to take a letter from Napoleon's leiutenant to a man named Noirtier in Paris. Dantes went to Elba as promised and received the letter to be taken to Paris. He then returned to his hometown of Marseille. Once there, the ship owner is so impressed with him that he promotes him to captain of the ship. Dantes is also very glad to be home because he was to marry the woman he loves (Mercedes), and had a kind and affectionate father. He was extremely honest and naive, healthy, and basically had everything going for him. This sparks the jealousy of others around him--Danglars, an accountant with his ship's owner's firm, and Fernand, a cousin and unrequited lover of his fiancee. They write a letter denouncing him as a Napoleonic sympathizer because of the letter he holds from Napoleon (a dangerous thing to be at this time, because the Bourbon monarchy was newly restored to the throne and extremely jittery about their position--understandably, given what had happened to Louis XVI!). Unfortunately for Dantes, he has not yet had a chance to go to Paris and deliver the letter. He is arrested at his wedding breakfast and sent before a prosecutor, named Villefort. Unfortunately, Villefort's father is Noirtier, the very man Dantes was to deliver the letter to. Villefort does not want his father's dangerous politics brought to the fore again, possibly harming his career. He burns the letter from Napolean in Dantes's possession, destroying the evidence against both his father and against Dantes. He wins Dantes's confidence by doing so, but is simply dissembling to protect himself, because he does not want anyone to hear Dantes mention Noirtier's name in connection with Napoleon. Without any further ado, Dantes is officialy labeled as a revolutionary and cast into the infamous Chateau d'If prison. He is left there for almost 20 years. First he despairs, then almost loses his sanity. He also tries to commit suicide by starving himself.
After 13 years in the prison, his cell is tunnelled into by a fellow prisoner, the Abbe Faria, a former priest from Italy. He had once worked for a Cardinal Spada, a descendant of one of the great Italian Renaissance families. The Spada fortune had disappeared when one of the Cardinal's ancestors had been murdered by Cesar Borgia. Abbe Faria, after his employer's death, had been lucky enough to discover the clues leading to the hidden treasure. He, being an educated man, teaches the unschooled Dantes about math, science, various languages, and the Spada treasure. He also, using his knowledge of human kind and what Dantes can tell him about his own arrest, helps the younger man piece together who betrayed him as well as why Villefort the prosecutor destroyed the evidence and sent him off to prison. They embark together on another escape plan as well. The very night they are to attempt their escape, Faria suffers an epilectic seizure that leaves him partially paralyzed. They both realize that he is too disabled to escape, and Dantes heroically resolves to stay with his friend instead of escaping by himself. The priest suffers a third paralytic fit a few days later and dies. Dantes is devastated by the loss, and can't bear to think of life in prison without his friend and teacher. So he takes the place of Faria's corpse, which has been coarsely sewn into a sack, in the hope that the guards do not take the trouble to bury people very deeply. Unfortunately, the dead are not buried, they are instead cast into the sea.
Being a sailor and a physcially strong man, however, Dantes manages to escape from the sack and swims away. He is discovered on a desert island by pirates and is able to convince them he is a shipwreck survivor. He becomes a crewmember on their ship, and during one of their voyages, manages to trick them into leaving him alone for a few days on the tiny island of Monte Cristo, where the Spada treasure is buried.
After he returns to the European mainland, Dantes is able to use his newfound money to good effect. He first helps out his former employer, Monsieur Morrell, who had sacrificed to help Dantes's elderly and poor father before his death, and saves Morrell's company from financial ruin and himself from the suicide of a disgraced man. The Morrell family, whom he helps under the name of 'Sinbad the Sailor', is forever grateful, though they don't know who the mysterious man is.
Dantes also learns that his beloved fiance, Mercedes, has married one of his betrayers, Fernand.
After this, Dantes disappears. His years in prison have worked a mighty change on him--he is sophisticated, educated, and fabulously wealthly. But he is also bitter and cynical, sure that everyone is a traitor and unworthy of pity or kindness.
Dantes becomes the Count of Monte Cristo and embarks upon a devious and carefully calculated plan of revenge, suited exactly to most shame and distress his three great enemies: Danglars, Fernand Mondego, and Villefort. Each of these men has become rich and respected in the time Dantes has been in prison. His plots are complicated, and it takes him 10 years to reach a position to put them into action. How he does so makes the book infintely exciting. But, how does he account for the collateral damage, those who he will hurt by hurting their spouses, parents, friends? And because there is this collateral damage, does it mean that the Count was wrong to take his revenge?
A wonderful exciting book--I highly recommend it....less

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Olivia rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

03/11/08

Read in June, 2007

recommended to Olivia by: English class

An essay for English-again, not that great.

The classic French novel, The Count of Monte Cristo was written by Alexandre Dumas. The setting of The Count of Monte Cristo is very important as the politics of the day greatly affect the plot. It takes place primarily in France after the exile of the former emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. The novel begins in 1815 with Napoleon exiled to Elba and continues through the years after his failed revolution to1844.

The protagonist of The Count of Mont...more An essay for English-again, not that great.

The classic French novel, The Count of Monte Cristo was written by Alexandre Dumas. The setting of The Count of Monte Cristo is very important as the politics of the day greatly affect the plot. It takes place primarily in France after the exile of the former emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. The novel begins in 1815 with Napoleon exiled to Elba and continues through the years after his failed revolution to1844.

The protagonist of The Count of Monte Cristo is Edmond Dantes, a naïve but good-hearted sailor, who is falsely accused of treason. He is employed by the honest owner of a shipping company, Monsieur Morrel. Count of Monte Cristo is one of several aliases a bitter Dantes adopts after his imprisonment. Before he is arrested, Dantes lives with his father, Louis Dantes, and is engaged to marry a beautiful girl, Mercedes. Mercedes is admired by and later marries Fernand Mondego, one of the men who conspire against Dantes. Mondego is aided in framing Dantes by Danglars, an envious sailor who was passed over for a promotion given to Dantes and Gerard de Villefort, an ambitious prosecutor with the misfortune of having a Bonapartist father. While in prison, Dantes befriends a fellow prisoner, Abbe Faria, who becomes his mentor. Dantes is greatly affected by Abbe Faria; it is he who helps Dantes discover the plot against him, teaches him science and several languages, provides his great wealth and enables his escape from Chateau Dif. After his escape, Dantes meets children of both his friends and enemies from his life before his incarceration. Maximilian Morrel is a good man and the son of Dantes’s former employer, Monsieur Morrel. Maximilian is in love with a kind, young girl, Valentine de Villefort daughter of Gerard de Villefort- the prosecutor who sentenced Edmond. Albert de Morcerf, a spoiled but loyal young man, is the son of Dantes’s former fiancée, Mercedes, and his nemesis, Fernand Mondego. Then there is Haydee, the slave girl Dantes grows to love whose tragic history is vital to the ruining of Fernand Mondego.

The Count of Monte Cristo is the story of Edmond Dantes, a kind sailor who is imprisoned under false charges of treason. After fourteen years in the prison Chateau Dif, Dantes escapes, but he is irreversibly altered. He is no longer naïve and ignorant but learned, callous and thirsty for vengeance. Dantes acquires a great deal of wealth and makes new names for himself: Lord Wilmore, Abbe Busoni, Sinbad the Sailor and Count of Monte Cristo. As he plans the downfall of his betrayers, Dantes discovers that by destroying them he has allowed himself to become as evil as they. After this epiphany, he repents and extends mercy to his remaining enemy. In the end, he returns to Chateau Dif, to visit his cell and is finally able to let go of his bitterness and find peace.

The climax of the story is the success of the Count of Monte Cristo’s meticulous quest for revenge against the people responsible for robbing him of his happiness by sending him to prison. While he was imprisoned, Edmond Dantes vowed that he would have vengeance against the people who put him there. Thus, from the moment he escapes, his entire focus is on ruining the lives of these individuals as thoroughly as they ruined his. He continues along this path without remorse until his plans go wrong, and he unintentionally causes the death of Monsieur de Villefort’s young son. This sobering event forces him to realize his own cruelty.

An important theme in The Count of Monte Cristo is the Count’s struggle with his God-complex. Consumed by his desire for revenge, the Count feels that he alone can see that justice is done against Villefort, Caderousse, Danglars, and Fernand, and he is completely unscrupulous in his methods of carrying it out. He decides who deserves to live and who deserves to die and plans their demise accordingly. The Count sees all the hypocrisy and cruelty in others and punishes them for it, but he sees none of these vices in himself. Toward the end of the novel, the Count understands that he is not immune to human weakness and that by seeking revenge against these people he is behaving as mercilessly and selfishly to them as they were to him.

The Count of Monte Cristo is not my favorite book, but it is not my least favorite either. There are aspects of The Count of Monte Cristo that I think Dumas executed marvelously. The plot, for instance, is amazingly detailed, and the characterization is wonderful. Dumas had so many characters in this novel, yet he was able to make each one unique and portray them in such a way that we, the readers, understand them and their motivations. I love character driven stories so, for me, connecting with and understanding the characters is the most important facet of a story. The Count of Monte Cristo has several great, round characters, even if they are not my personal favorite. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to others.
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Kris rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

04/20/08

Read in January, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Our book club read The Count of Monte Cristo during December/January. I chose the unabridged version (1200+ pages), but it was worth it! This version (published by Penguin) was recently translated, so the language wasn't stilted or awkward. It was quite easy to read.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this book, it takes place in the early 1800's in France. The hero is Edmond Dantes, who is a dashing young sailor when we first meet him. However, he has an enemy who is jealous of his go...more Our book club read The Count of Monte Cristo during December/January. I chose the unabridged version (1200+ pages), but it was worth it! This version (published by Penguin) was recently translated, so the language wasn't stilted or awkward. It was quite easy to read.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this book, it takes place in the early 1800's in France. The hero is Edmond Dantes, who is a dashing young sailor when we first meet him. However, he has an enemy who is jealous of his good fortune, and this enemy puts into motion the steps that will find poor Edmond falsely accused of treason and sentenced to life in prison in a dungeon. While imprisoned, Edmond connects with a fellow prisoner, who is tunneling out for an escape. This other prisoner is a learned Abbe, and educates Edmond in literature, science, language, psychology, philosophy, etc. The Abbe becomes so attached to Edmond that he tells him of a secret cache of uncountable riches. Edmond manages to escape (in a most daring and spine-tingling manner), and finds this treasure - on the island of Monte Cristo. With his riches, Edmond plans to reward those who were kind to him and his family during this ordeal, and to punish those who imprisoned him. Of course, no one knows who he is, as he now calls himself 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.

The book is essentially in three parts: the first part where Edmond is in prison, the second part where he rewards those who were kind to him, and the last part where he gets his revenge. This last part was the most entertaining for me - Edmond doesn't just want revenge, he wants to make them suffer for a long, long time. It's very interesting to see him set up these elaborate situations that basically enable each of enemy to be undone by his own foibles - greed, money, power. When each man falls, it's pretty impressive.

I also learned a lot about French society at the time, as well as some Napoleonic history. I was surprised at the amount of sex in the book, given when it was written. While the sex is not explicit, there's a lot of it happening, and not between married couples! There's even a lesbian character. Somehow I thought that books of that era were pretty G-rated. But, maybe not in France!

If you do read it, I suggest you find some way to track the characters and their relationships with one another. Silly me, while I was reading it I didn't think to look online for such an aid, so I mapped out my own diagram. Now I've found a very good diagram here.

I also read some commentaries about the novel, and about its style. Dantes is a perfect example of a Romantic hero: dashing, talented and possessing skills above the norm. And the novel is an example of a Romantic novel, where the hero overcomes all, and everything gets wrapped up into a happy ending.

Definitely a good read - all 1200+ pages!!
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Lara rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

04/22/08

recommends it for: Anyone who likes intrigue and action, and people who can handle an unperfect ending.

This is my favorite book! I love the plot twists and turns, I love the evolution/de-evolution of Edmond Dantes, I love the conspiracies, I love the perfection of it all! So, it may not be the most probable of stories, but that's how romance fiction works.

Edmond Dantes is a young man with a happy life ahead of him. He has just been promoted to captain and is engaged to a beautiful girl. Some jealous "friends" frame him for being a Bonapartist and he is wrongly sent to prison. He re...more This is my favorite book! I love the plot twists and turns, I love the evolution/de-evolution of Edmond Dantes, I love the conspiracies, I love the perfection of it all! So, it may not be the most probable of stories, but that's how romance fiction works.

Edmond Dantes is a young man with a happy life ahead of him. He has just been promoted to captain and is engaged to a beautiful girl. Some jealous "friends" frame him for being a Bonapartist and he is wrongly sent to prison. He remains there, seemingly forgotten, for years without knowing who has framed him. Another prisoner, the Abbe Faria, tunnels in Edmond's cell in a misguided escape attempt. They befriend each other and the Abbe educates Edmond in all things--foreign languages, math, chemistry, art, literature. With his logic and education, the Abbe helps Edmond piece together his imprisonment and Edmond knows who stole his life away. As the Abbe approaches death, he wills Edmond his fortune--a vast treasure hidden away. Edmond eventually escapes prison only to discover his old life is gone. His fiancee married another, his father died of poverty and hunger, and his kind employer is on the brink of financial ruin. Edmond retrieves his treasure and names himself the Count of Monte Cristo. He declares himself an avenging angel and seeks to ruin the lives of those who ruined his, and reward those who deserve it. For about a decade he orchestrates his revenge, an elaborate scenario that takes immense foresight and perfection. Like dominoes, he carefully sets each piece in place before starting the action that will ruin the wicked and reward the righteous. His education and unlimited wealth enable him to see this through.

The Edmond Dantes at the beginning of the story is a happy, hopeful, likeable young man. By the end of the story, he is tainted, cold, and hard. It is not a story of just vengeance so much as it is a parable that justice should be left to God. Though many years of his life were stolen from him while he was in prison, he let his quest for vengeance steal the rest of his years.

All the movies made based on this book are awful. They all change the ending so it is happy. That is completely against the message of the tale. Edmond does not get the girl, he does not find rest and bliss. In destroying others, he destroys himself. He does good deeds for other deserving individuals, and these deserving individuals become more of the heroes the reader roots for. The ending leaves some hope for Edmond--with his mission of vengeance completed, he may now find room in his heart for kindness and love.

It is a brilliant plot and just a whole lot of fun. Who wouldn't want to be the count with untold wealth, power, and mystery? He's a very intriguing character. I read the abridged version my junior year in high school and loved it. I'm currently reading the unabridged version. It is so much better! It's like the director's cut. So much more of the good stuff.
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nanto rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

04/23/08

bookshelves: nant-s-book, novel

Pertama kali nemu di Gramedia JL. Merdeka Bandung begitu senangnya. Wuih...buku klasik dari penulis kenamaan Perancis saya bisa punyai. Nyempil di pojokan rak bawah, tinggal satu-satunya. Udah lecek dan kayaknya kelupaan dibalikin ke gudang deh. Cerita waktu dapet buku Max Havelaar kayaknya terulang neh! Buku ini sepertinya bakal jadi koleksi yang harus ditandai khusus biar gak raib.

Membacanya pun semangat. Alurnya y...more Pertama kali nemu di Gramedia JL. Merdeka Bandung begitu senangnya. Wuih...buku klasik dari penulis kenamaan Perancis saya bisa punyai. Nyempil di pojokan rak bawah, tinggal satu-satunya. Udah lecek dan kayaknya kelupaan dibalikin ke gudang deh. Cerita waktu dapet buku Max Havelaar kayaknya terulang neh! Buku ini sepertinya bakal jadi koleksi yang harus ditandai khusus biar gak raib.

Membacanya pun semangat. Alurnya yang panjang dan intrik balas dendam yang saling-silang itu demikian mudahnya saya kebut dalam 1-2 hari. Maklum sedang melarikan diri dari skripsi...hehehe

Ceritanya nempel di kepala dan bukunya jelas letaknya di kamar kost. Selalu wanti-wanti kalo ada yang pinjem.

Tidak lama sesudah membacanya, saya sempat jalan-jalan ke Palasari. Hunting lagi buku keren lainya donk! Kali aja dapat yang lain yang lebih wuih!!!

Kebiasaan saya kalau ke situ adalah selalu menyempatkan melihat ke dua toko yang hanya menjual buku sastra. Kedua toko ini memang jadi patokan saya kalau main ke Palasari, khususnya untuk cari novel dan sebangsanya. Usai ke toko yang pertama, saya pindah ke toko kedua. Toko kedua ini biasanya buka lebih siang dari yang lain. Sekitar lepas lohor baru buka. Tapi si bapak pemilik toko yang kedua ini asyik diajak ngobrol soal isi buku dan diskonnya sering lebih besar dari toko satunya lagi. Tokonya kecil dan penataan bukunya agak sembarangan alias tidak rapih. Mata saya biasanya celingak-celinguk di antara tumpukan di pojok bawah atau di dekat langit-langit. Barangkali ada buku lawas yang masih tersimpan di sini. Sisa stok lama yang ngendon di toko ini dan tidak terjual sejak si bapak pemilik toko mendapatkannya dari penerbit.

Mata saya mulai dari tumpukan buku yang keliatannya buku lawas. Ada satu tumpukan buku di pojok dekat langit-langit. Dari warnanya jelas bukan buku yang baru datang dari penerbit. Kertasnya sudah kecoklatan. Ah! Buku jenis ini yang saya cari...

"Pak liat buku itu donk!" Karena sisi pinggir cover tidak jelas menjelaskan judulnya, saya sambung lagi, "Buku apaan tuh pak?"

"Monte Cristo!" Sambil mengambil satu buku dari tumpukan yang cukup tinggi, jelas koleksinya masih banyak sekali. Si bapak lalu menaruhnya di depan saya...

Saya membolak-balik beberapa halamannya. Dalam hati berdesir kalimat bijak, "buku di rumah sebenernya buku langka kok, yang ini cuma kloningnya aja!" Membesarkan hati yang jelas mendadak kisut...(karena gak pake shampo kaka' kali yah? :D)

Ternyata pasaran!!!

Tapi isinya tetep keren kok! Bener keren!...less

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Bakeshow rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

06/30/08

Read in June, 2008

I really think that this is the way I'm going to die. This book is going to kill me...

Ok, So after more than two months of sheer torture, pulling teeth would have been more enjoyable, I finished this book! I hated it! I hate it I hate it I hate it!

Ok, actually, it wasn't all that bad. The first like, 30 chapters totally sucked me in and got me into it. I loved it and was sad I hadn't discovered it before. But then, he goes off on a 40 chapter tangent that just doesn't matter! There...more I really think that this is the way I'm going to die. This book is going to kill me...

Ok, So after more than two months of sheer torture, pulling teeth would have been more enjoyable, I finished this book! I hated it! I hate it I hate it I hate it!

Ok, actually, it wasn't all that bad. The first like, 30 chapters totally sucked me in and got me into it. I loved it and was sad I hadn't discovered it before. But then, he goes off on a 40 chapter tangent that just doesn't matter! There was waaaay too much description for my taste. He takes 50 pages to say what I could say in a paragraph. I know it was written in serials... and blah blah blah.. I just don't have the attention span for it.

I actually quit about a third of the way through the book and got it on CD to see if that would help. I still wanted to poke my eyes out. It's not even really about the Count. It spends more time on the substories and their intricate plots. I thought they were cool, and I liked how they were resolved. But it was just annoying.

I was more than halfway through the book and he was still introducing plots and characters... when I'm halfway through a book, I want to be into THE STORY.. it took too long to GET there. Argh...

AND I hated the end. I know it's a differnt time and things were acceptable that aren't really now.. but ending up with the 16 year old? Really? sick. So much for true love and finding a way to make it work with Mercedes.

I did love the poison plot though. I mean, I knew who it was from the get go, but it was still cool, though a little too Romeo and Juliet-ish for me. Only, it ended well instead of the lovers dying.. (almost though, whew!)

My friend who read if for the same book club I did, read the abridged version. 40 chapters less and hundreds of pages. What does that say about this book? that there is an entire full length novel's worth of unimportant drivel that does not add to the story.

Would I recommend it? You wouldn't think by this review, but yes, I would. But just go into it knowing that it's really wordy. A lot like this review. ...less

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Mike rated it:

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06/28/08

Read in June, 2008

This book is one of the best written adventure stories I have ever read. Even though over a thousand pages it managed to keep me calling me back, day after day, like a crazy addiction wanting to hear how the plot would unfold. The story is amazingly well woven together with twisted plots that continue to surprise even though you can guess the final outcome, but never how it will come. Every page drives forward another intricate tantalizing part of a perfectly crafted story.

If you like a...more

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Teri rated it:

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11/23/07

Read in November, 2007

The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas is a beautiful book about justice and vengeance, hope and despair, patience and suffering in the Napoleonic Era of France.

The tale opens with a young and hopeful Edmond Dantes returning from a successful sea voyage to see his proud father and marry the girl he adores. His success at sea and the love of this beautiful girl cause two bitter rivals who, in their covetousness, devise a plan to remove and destroy Dantes. He is falsely accused of another man's c...more

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Nemka rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

11/07/07

Duma's Timeless Classic.
My All-time favourite and Number 1 in my collection.
I remember reading the first book when I was maybe around 14.That time I already finished reading The Three Musketeers(Another masterpiece by Dumas).And I was so in too this book.I even couldn't find the 3rd book,then I download it and read from my computer in 3 days.The Story is timeless.The writing of the work was completed in 1844. Like many of his novels, it is expanded from the plot outlines suggested by his col...more

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Erich rated it:

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02/07/08

bookshelves: best-books-ever

Read in October, 2002

recommends it for: Everyone

Simply put, this is my favorite book of all time. This is an amazing story of betrayal, imprisonment, escape, revenge and redemption. While the length of this book (1200+ pages) might scare some, it is so well written, so engaging that once you begin it becomes hard to stop.
If I were lost on a desert island, this would be the one book I would choose to bring with me.
A brief synopsis:
Taking place in France shortly before Napoleon’s return from exile, Edmond Dantes is first mate aboard a...more

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Jackie rated it:

(review of isbn 0451521951)

12/26/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: Szymon

It is primarily concerned with themes of justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness, and is told in the style of an adventure story.

Edmond Dantès, a 19-year-old sailor whom just became the youngest captian of a ship, returns home to Marseille. He is excited to be reunited with his father and friends, and eager to marry his fiance, Mercedes.

Because of jealously he is a victim of a conspiracy to have him removed so that someone else can marry Mercedes and his new position as captian can g...more

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Gracee rated it:

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06/06/08

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: people afraid that "classics" are boring

Fantastic abridged edition. I wish I had been able to get a hold of an unabridged addition - there were footnotes attached with mine that did explain a few of the lesser characters, and how their demise took place, but I don't like reading a book that way. I want to read the ENTIRE thing. I don't care how many pages - long books don't scare me; never have. I did purchase TCoMC at one of the Big Box book stores - and the clerk actually told me it was abridged. When I told her I'd rather have...more

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Elizabeth rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

02/03/08

Read in January, 2008

I did it! I made it through 1,365 pages--I seriously had trouble putting this book down but it was so heavy that it hurt my wrists--ha ha! Thanks, Dymphna, for the suggestion. This DRAMATIC book has everything: romance, revenge, intrigue, suffering, triumph, poisoning, suicide, cross dressing, disguises, politics, power, control, greed, subterfuge, ingenuity, blackmail, murder, mystery, resurrection, fortune, betrayal, brilliance, trial, infidelity, a spoiled brat!, swindling, titles, treasure,...more

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Sylvia rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

12/17/07

Read in August, 2007

I can see why this book is a classic. The story is intricate, the writing sophisticated, and the plot masterful. However, the reason that it only gets three stars is because of the main character--Edmond Dantes. I found him to be entirely incongruent. Why was he portrayed as the hero? Why was he the good guy? His revenge was merciless; his cruelty was unlimited. He threw around his money like it was some sort of weapon. He was deceitful, hateful, and greedy. Yet, Dumas portrays him as v...more

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Mike rated it:

(review of isbn 0140449264)

05/07/08

Read in May, 2007

Well Dumas, congratulations. You made me do something no other author has ever managed: you made me enjoy Literature. Yes, the capital "L" kind, the important kind that stuffy old men and pretentious Liberal Arts students love to make lists of and get into ridiculous arguments about. I've been forced to read a lot of !LITERATURE! in my schoolin' years, but I can't say I ever pretend I enjoyed it. Which is kind of the problem - by and large, do most people ever generally enjoy a ...more

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(review of isbn 0140449264)

12/12/07

bookshelves: classic-lit,

The Count of Monte Cristo (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (B&N Classics Hardcover)

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