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The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas, Richard Matthews
by Alexandre Dumas, Richard Matthews
Lisa Kay's review
bookshelves: has-a-movie, genre-suspense, genre-classic, buddy-read-w-sandy, m-kindle-freebie, 2012-in-2012-group-challenge, epic, character-multi-ethnic-heritage, challenge-chunkster, theme-coming-of-age, reviewed-by-me, setting-france, setting-italy, setting-mediterranean, setting-levant, project-gutenberg, authors-a, authors-d, buddy-read-heac, buddy-read-w-pamela
Apr 12, 12
bookshelves: has-a-movie, genre-suspense, genre-classic, buddy-read-w-sandy, m-kindle-freebie, 2012-in-2012-group-challenge, epic, character-multi-ethnic-heritage, challenge-chunkster, theme-coming-of-age, reviewed-by-me, setting-france, setting-italy, setting-mediterranean, setting-levant, project-gutenberg, authors-a, authors-d, buddy-read-heac, buddy-read-w-pamela
Read from January 03 to April 12, 2012
Edmond Dantés, AKA: Robert Donat (1934), Richard Chamberlain (1975),
Gérard Depardieu (1998), James Caviezel (2002), Emily VanCamp (2011)
★★★★☆ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Okay, it took me over three months to listen to this classic, that was very well narrated by Englishman Richard Matthews, who speaks French with aplomb. So much so, that his narration kicked it up a notch (from three ★ to four). I could NOT have gotten through it without him. Still, I must admit, I used ever form of media I could find: Kindle freebie from Project Gutenberg , Wikipedia, Cliff Notes, and movies. My favorite was from Pink Monkey's Study Guide of TCOMC.
I think I’ve seen ever movie version ever done of this one, and I can remember my mother reading it to us when we were young. This is the über-revenge classic of all time, made all the more intriguing because of Dumas’ father’s background, leading one to wonder how far to separate fact from fiction. Alas, I was bogged down by this work that was released in serial format back in 1844. This was written back in the day when books were scarce, and let me tell you, this one has some convoluted plotlines. Man-oh-man! Just take a look at this complex interrelationship among the characters.
To view enlargement, go to Wiki TCoMC Interconnected Relationships.
I read this as a “buddy read” for the Happily Ever After Café GoodReads Group. Why? I don’t know (even though I nominated it); because there certainly is not a HEA for Edmond Dantés and his former fiancée Mercédès’. Nevertheless, I am glad I listened to it, if only to know that every time I read a romance book that describes the hero as having “hair as black as a raven’s wing,” I can smile to myself, knowing from whom it was plagiarized. Plus, I guess you could say there is a HEA for someone: (view spoiler)
Gérard Depardieu (1998), James Caviezel (2002), Emily VanCamp (2011)
★★★★☆ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Okay, it took me over three months to listen to this classic, that was very well narrated by Englishman Richard Matthews, who speaks French with aplomb. So much so, that his narration kicked it up a notch (from three ★ to four). I could NOT have gotten through it without him. Still, I must admit, I used ever form of media I could find: Kindle freebie from Project Gutenberg , Wikipedia, Cliff Notes, and movies. My favorite was from Pink Monkey's Study Guide of TCOMC.
I think I’ve seen ever movie version ever done of this one, and I can remember my mother reading it to us when we were young. This is the über-revenge classic of all time, made all the more intriguing because of Dumas’ father’s background, leading one to wonder how far to separate fact from fiction. Alas, I was bogged down by this work that was released in serial format back in 1844. This was written back in the day when books were scarce, and let me tell you, this one has some convoluted plotlines. Man-oh-man! Just take a look at this complex interrelationship among the characters.
To view enlargement, go to Wiki TCoMC Interconnected Relationships.
I read this as a “buddy read” for the Happily Ever After Café GoodReads Group. Why? I don’t know (even though I nominated it); because there certainly is not a HEA for Edmond Dantés and his former fiancée Mercédès’. Nevertheless, I am glad I listened to it, if only to know that every time I read a romance book that describes the hero as having “hair as black as a raven’s wing,” I can smile to myself, knowing from whom it was plagiarized. Plus, I guess you could say there is a HEA for someone: (view spoiler)
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Reading Progress
| 01/05/2012 |
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4.0% |
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Pamela(AllHoney)
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rated it 3 stars
Apr 12, 2012 05:06pm
great review LK!
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I read this book a long time ago, but if I remember, there is HEA for Edmond, just not with Mercedes (their love could not survive all the disappointments, time, treason, etc.)... Isn't the end of the book him and Ali-Pasha daughter sailing to the sunset to live together?
Great review! I really should get around to reading this one, as I too have seen all the movie and tv versions...I love the story, so... ;D
Dragana wrote: "Isn't the end of the book him and Ali-Pasha daughter sailing to the sunset to live together?"Yes, Dragana!
Sebina (Classicmaiden) wrote: "I love the story, so... ;D"Thanks, Sebina! It is a great story, and makes a great movie. It is loooooooooong. Couldn't have done it without audio.
Nice review, my friend! I finally finished it. Good stuff, eh? Including the nice photo you have here of my man, Richard Chamberlain in his heyday!I'd say there were several HEAs in the end, including not-so-bad for Dantes himself.
Mercedes did NOT deserve the way things worked out for her, though. I'd say she was the victim of 19th-century gender roles, pure and simple.
