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, classism, artifice, and stealth!

I think this book stands the test of time because of the universal feeling of wanting karma to do its work! Also, there are countless phrases of wisdom--I highlighted several of them. Here is one example on p. 170: "If you wish to discover the author of a bad action, seek first to discover the person to whom the perpetration of that bad action could be in any way advantageous." The descriptive writing is captivating. Try this sentence on for size on p. 1121: "An indescribable ray of joy illumined the wretched countenance, like the last ray of the sun before it disappears behind a mass of clouds which appear more like its tomb than its couch." I was sad to see the book end. It ended very well, however. I look forward to trying another by Dumas. Of course, I hope for a good translation from the French which I believe this one was...