The Count of Monte Cristo

[A.L.]

The ultimate revenge?

I love this book, Edmund is such an enigmatic character. So may guises and deceptions.

Utterly destroying those who wronged him yet he is kind to those who were kind to him. He doesn't kill anyone, at least not directly. It is interesting to see how a man can better himself even up against the odds.

I love Haidee, the history of how she came into his house and the Napoleonic history. The characters are rich and well written, Edmund now I guess would be an anti-hero.

[Tony]

The first translation I read skipped a major plot point at the end - Edmund returns to his prison and realises his revenge is an empty vessel he can't fill. From that point on, he tries to minimise the damage he's caused.

Because my first translation skipped that, his sudden change of heart towards the end of the book had no context and seemed out of character for him.

Have you seen this amazing diagram on Wikipedia of all the characters and their relationships?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia...

[Andrew]

I'm going to start reading this in French shortly. Wish me luck.

[A.L.]

Oh cool. Good Luck

[Tony]

Wow! Be like reading War and Peace in Russian! How does your reading speed compare between your native language and French?

Do you think you'll get through it faster (aren't there less words in French?) or slower because of translating it in your head - or can you think in French as you read?

Sorry, that was a lot of questions!

[Andrew]

Cheers Alexandra!

Tony - it depends on the French. I whistled through Candide recently, but other books have taken me a lot longer to get through. Dumas is pretty readable in French, but he uses a fair few archaic phrases - I imagine I'll be quite slow reading the first few chapters as I'll need to get my bearings!

There are, apparently, fewer words in the French language than English, but that doesn't really affect reading speed. I can think in French as I read, until I get to a tricky bit ;)

On the whole I am slower reading French than English, but the extent of that depends very much on the French text in question.

[A.L.]

The book is huge as well. I have copies of Phantom of the Opera in French, I can't actually speak our read it but it is part of the collection. I have the lyrics in Flemish, and Italian or something somewhere.

[Tony]

Thanks Andrew!

My copy of Moby Dick has an appendix which contains an account of a boat being attacked by a whale - apparently, it did happen - but then it has the same account...in the original French.