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The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas

Start date: April 1, 2017

Finish date: June 30, 2017

Discussion: The Count of Monte Cristo

Why we're reading this: Winner of the April-June 2017 Big Read Poll
[close] Winner of the April-June 2017 Big Read Poll

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The Count of Monte Cristo

Count of Monte Cristo - Chapters LI through C (The Apparition)
By Matthew , Assistant List Master · 8 posts · 14 views

last updated Jul 07, 2017 01:20PM

Count of Monte Cristo - Chapters I through L: (The Morrel family)
By Matthew , Assistant List Master · 15 posts · 19 views

last updated May 17, 2017 08:42AM

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What Members Thought

Jun 30, 2017 Matthew rated it really liked it

Shelves: classic, own, 2017, completist-book-club, revenge, at-home-reading

Over 1200 pages of suffering and revenge!

I enjoyed it. I did not like it quite as much as some of the other big classics I have read, but it was very good. The two things that brought it down a bit for me were:

- It felt a bit more drawn out than it needed to be. At a couple of points I was ready for Dumas to get to the point.
- Some of the plot was very convoluted. While this did lend itself well to the Count's intricate plotting, I would occasionally get to a chapter and say, "Wait, what!?" A f ...more

322 likes · Like · see review

Jan 06, 2017 Jason rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Life, how grande when your every endeavor is rewarded and every happiness appears to be opening up to you. Alas, when riches overflow others take notice and covet what promises you have, for Edmond Dantès this especially is true. Robbed of a bright, happy future our protagonist is taken down a path he never expected, one of despair, loss, hatred, and vengeance. This classic adventuresome novel is full of deception, death, and of coarse love. Everything that was given must be repaid, but so too m Life, how grande when your every endeavor is rewarded and every happiness appears to be opening up to you. Alas, when riches overflow others take notice and covet what promises you have, for Edmond Dantès this especially is true. Robbed of a bright, happy future our protagonist is taken down a path he never expected, one of despair, loss, hatred, and vengeance. This classic adventuresome novel is full of deception, death, and of coarse love. Everything that was given must be repaid, but so too must those that took away pay back from their own accounts.

For me the first half was actually stronger than the latter, though the latter should be the more gratifying and certainly has more elements, more twists, more duplicitous natures. The first half captures Dantès' time of imprisonment, the time of inner toil, but also the time of real transformation for our hero. The most rewarding time for me lies during this time as well, the glimmering hope and eventually the means to which Dantès achieves his freedom. These are truly triumphant times, and emotionally hopeful times born out of darkness.

The second half, while intriguing, lacks some of the individual strife and victory of the former. Perhaps this is just me, I found the Count to be too good at manipulating his former tormentors. I found the single minded vengeance loathsome after a while, though love plays it's role as well. It just seemed too easy for the Count; yes, he was an incredible man that accomplished much without much aid, his genius when it comes to how others work was put to use against them, but the struggles of the earlier trials to me had much more heart. That is not to say that we do not continue to root for our protagonist, but the emotional tension is slackened. Though the larger cast does give us some lovely side-characters, some diabolical, others absolutely endearing. M. Noirtier especially holds a place in my mind and heart.

A classic deserving of it's place in the world of literature - a splendid adventure romp. ...more

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Jun 23, 2020 Liane rated it really liked it

Pheww. What a tome. Worthy of reading, though. Lots of adventure, revenge, nobility and history. I can imagine youths reading this before the electronic age...now...perhaps less likely.

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