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The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas

Start date: January 1, 2021

Finish date: March 31, 2021

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What Members Thought

Aug 28, 2017 Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, 1001-books

UPDATED RATING: As I reread this book I discovered so much more about it. Now I give it a strong 5 stars without any hesitation! Apr 2018

4.5 stars.

This book is a beloved classic for a reason -- the story is solidly written and the characters are intriguing. It is a huge book which never feels too long. I enjoyed the story very much and never felt as though Dumas wrote too many pages. I am left wondering only one thing: why did I wait so long to read it? But, I have been asking myself that often ...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: vengeance-revenge, classics, historical-fiction, books-to-movies, tragedy

I understand this is a classic and, as such, is beloved by many. I, personally, found it to be complicated and tedious to read. The plot itself is wonderful and I held on struggling through it to see how it went. I started reading it and discovered online that I could listen to it. Listening made it easier to get through. Its definitely thought-provoking. As I said before the plot was great but the style of writing was hard for me. So much information was given in conversations that could have b ...more

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Nov 28, 2009 Brianna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Wow... what can I say? There is no way I can hit all the "highlights" of a 1000-page book. Someone good at summarizing his/her thoughts might, but for a babbler like me, it's nigh impossible. If I were to attempt it, I would begin talking about one aspect that I enjoyed, and get stuck on that one aspect for pages and pages, and in between it would probably cause me to think of other, related things, which may or may not be actually from the book, but from life in general, and eventually I would Wow... what can I say? There is no way I can hit all the "highlights" of a 1000-page book. Someone good at summarizing his/her thoughts might, but for a babbler like me, it's nigh impossible. If I were to attempt it, I would begin talking about one aspect that I enjoyed, and get stuck on that one aspect for pages and pages, and in between it would probably cause me to think of other, related things, which may or may not be actually from the book, but from life in general, and eventually I would arrive back at my point, but... You get the idea.
So, instead, let me just say that this book was AMAZING. MIRACULOUS. SPECTACULAR. EXTRAORDINARY. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
It is the only work by Dumas, apart from The Three Musketeers, that I have read. May I just say that, in my opinion, it was ten...twenty...fifty...a HUNDRED times better than TTM. I know, it is not really fair to say that, as they are two completely different stories. And I am by no means suggesting that it is better simply because it is about twice as long as TTM. And I daresay there would be those who would find it terribly irksome to read because of all the millions of characters one must keep track of over a twenty-four-year period.
However, I must say that I found the story itself much more engaging and intriguing and suspenseful and...in general, interesting, than TTM. Not that TTM wasn't interesting! Not that I didn't care for the characters or what became of them! But somehow I found it much easier to sympathise with the characters in TCOM. Even the "bad guys." I say "bad guys" in quotation marks, because it was not really a matter of "bad" characters and "good" characters. Yes, certain characters treat the main character (forgive the vagueness; spoilers and all that) appallingly, sparking his desire to have vengeance on them. But the themes went much deeper than what three men did to another man. Along the way, secrets are uncovered - the reader discovers other sins in their lives that they had thought to keep hidden forever. And in the end, the main character realizes that he was sinning by playing the part of God. In short, nearly all the chief characters realize the filthiness in their lives; some repent and are redeemed; but most still suffer, to some extent, the dread consequences of their actions - for some, this means losing their lives.
All right, since I'm going to put a "spoilers" warning up, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to mention one specific: Edmond admits, at the end, that he, "like Satan," attempted to play God's role in others' lives, essentially repents of what he has already done to those who hurt him, and (FINALLY) leaves and marries the woman he loves. Had all that not happened, had he stubbornly clung to the idea that he was justified in administering judgment to those who had been responsible for his imprisonment, had it ended with his death or lack of repentance, I would not have been nearly as satisfied with this story as a whole.
However, Dumas has clearly shown, through this writing, that, whatever might be the state of his own heart in relation to God, he certainly knows what it OUGHT to be.
By the way, and this, I promise, is my last thought, that was what really stood out in TCOM as opposed to TTM: the sense of right and wrong. Obviously there is much wrongdoing in TCOM, but it is presented as such - not seen in any positive light - understood to be sin. In TTM, particularly the situation between d'Artagnan and Constance, it didn't really matter; so he was in love with another man's wife, so he would have probably stayed with her if she hadn't been killed, so what? It was presented as an acceptable thing. Doubtless Dumas was presenting things as they were; the characters probably didn't object because it wasn't anything strange or seen as wrong in that time and among the people with whom the musketeers associated. However, in TCOM, Dumas still presents the reality - for immorality is everywhere in the world, as it has been since Adam's fall, and always will be until Christ returns - but presents it in a much more negative light. The wrongdoers hide their wrongdoing, because they know it is wrong and that, were it to get around, their names would be spoiled.
Well, I had better stop there, even though it is a rather abrupt place to stop. ...more

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Jul 10, 2020 Ellen Librarian rated it it was amazing

I finally finished this book which I started and put down three times. I listened to the John Lee audio. I'm not sure who the translator was but I recommend the version.

I'm giving the book five stars because it is definitely a masterpiece - but what a slog! I almost want to read it again because there is so much intricacy and intrigue that I know I missed some important points. But definitely not now!

That said, it was a good book to read during the pandemic as it was total escapism but with seri ...more

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