The Count of Monte Cristo

[Sheri]

The footnotes seem to be mostly explaining history/places/figures that might not be familiar to those not deeply into French history. So i don't think you necessarily lose anything from the story not having them. But I don't know anything about French history, so I find them helpful and get annoyed when they don't work

[Carmen]

I listened to the audio so I'm pretty sure I didn't get any footnotes, and if I did, I didn't notice!

[Trish]

Made some progress yesterday, so I'm now well into Volume II (not that the Penguin translation mentions the volumes, which seems a bit odd). About 26% and still enjoying it. Franz just met Dantes - which made for kind of an odd chapter.

[Nadine in NY]

I think I’m on the same chapter as Trish! My goodness, what is happening???

(view spoiler)[

They were Phryne, Cleopatra, Messalina, those three celebrated courtesans. Then among them glided like a pure ray, like a Christian angel in the midst of Olympus, one of those chaste figures, those calm shadows, those soft visions, which seemed to veil its virgin brow before these marble wantons. Then the three statues advanced towards him with looks of love, and approached the couch on which he was reposing, their feet hidden in their long white tunics, their throats bare, hair flowing like waves, and assuming attitudes which the gods could not resist, but which saints withstood, and looks inflexible and ardent like those with which the serpent charms the bird; and then he gave way before looks that held him in a torturing grasp and delighted his senses as with a voluptuous kiss.

Was this just a dream? Or did Franz and Dantes have sex in the cave and Franz just sort of hallucinated three women?

That must be some heavy duty hashish. (hide spoiler)]

[Carmen]

Nadine wrote: "I think I’m on the same chapter as Trish! My goodness, what is happening???"

I literally don't remember this but I listened on audio so I might have missed it but I will believe forever it is your second suggestion haha!

[Trish]

Nadine wrote: "I think I’m on the same chapter as Trish! My goodness, what is happening??? "

That interpretation hadn't even occurred to me - but I can see where you get it from.

And...I've done it. I've finished it. Thanks to everyone in this thread who prompted me to come back to it. It was well worth it.

[Nadine in NY]

I haven't gotten much farther ... I try to read one chapter a day now, but some days even that effort is too much for me. I'm on Chapter 36 (Carnival in Rome).

Good lord this book is endless. All these tangents!!! Why do I care about Franz? ... He feels like just a plot device to connect Dantes w/ Alberto. I originally thought I'd get this finished in a month, but now I think it'll be closer to six months.

[Trish]

Nadine wrote: "I haven't gotten much farther ... I try to read one chapter a day now, but some days even that effort is too much for me. I'm on Chapter 36 (Carnival in Rome).

Good lord this book is endless. All these tangents!!! Why do I care about Franz? ... He feels like just a plot device to connect Dantes w/ Alberto. I originally thought I'd get this finished in a month, but now I think it'll be closer to six months."

Have faith. It does all tie up together! It also speeds up a bit once Dantes gets to Paris and you start seeing his scheming.

[Milena]

I'm only at 12%, just finished Chapter 15. I promise myself to read a chapter every time I sit down to read, but that obviously has not been happening.

[Joanna G]

I'm trying to do at least a chapter a day, but usually find I get caught into a mini-arc and do two or three. But I still have such a long way to go. I just got past the happy part of his settling scores, so I'm excited that we're now going to get onto the revenge.

This is a re-read for me, but long enough ago that I don't remember, and I'm really intrigued about Caderousse.
(view spoiler)[Is the gem he gave him real? Is he not going to take any sort of revenge on him? Even though he wasn't really part of the plot, he didn't take any steps to stop it. I sort of figured he wouldn't be able to get Dantes' target off himself - and certainly not to get rewarded! When the wife raised the prospect of the diamond being a fake, I though 'ooh, maybe this will work back in to a longer con revenge'. Guess I will have to wait and see, but maybe it's just a sign that I need to work on my own powers of forgiveness and try to tamp down on the vengeful aspects of my nature! (hide spoiler)]

[Sheri]

I finally picked this back up after a couple weeks of trying to get through library holds. I'm STILL reading about Franz and Albert. I finally had to look them up to figure out why so much time was being devoted to them and they weren't any of the three main guys who were the cause of his imprisonment. Did I just fail to grasp the connection when they were introduced, or is this one of those "spend several chapters on these random dudes" things that will be explained later and it was supposed to be an epiphany? It's taking me so long to read, it's entirely possible i just forgot/missed the introduction.

[Nadine in NY]

Sheri wrote: "I finally picked this back up after a couple weeks of trying to get through library holds. I'm STILL reading about Franz and Albert. I finally had to look them up to figure out why so much time was..."


I am so completely stalled on this, and it's all because of Franz. Like you, I was thoroughly confused so I Googled and learned who Albert was, I probably would not have picked up on that otherwise. Even after reading other sources, Franz's connection just doesn't seem robust. Seems to me that Franz is a lazy Plot Device on Dumas's part because he needed to throw Albert into the mix and didn't know how else to do it. Everyone says it's worth it to keep reading, but no one has yet been able to entice me to keep reading ...

[Milena]

I am at 20%, making very slow progress, although I enjoy it when I read it. How far in is Albert and Franz?

[Sheri]

Nadine, My friend says it's one of her favorite books ever so I'm trying to plug away. Basically i'm trying to read a chapter or two in between books before starting a new one. Hopefully once I get through this section it'll get better.

Milena, I'm at 30-ish percent. around page 375 of the unabridged penguin classics version. but i've been on them for several chapters now, so you're probably almost here.

[Nadine in NY]

Milena wrote: "I am at 20%, making very slow progress, although I enjoy it when I read it. How far in is Albert and Franz?"


Franz pops up in Chapter 31. And there's no segue at all, it's just all of a sudden we are in this other rando's POV.

Towards the beginning of the year 1838, two young men belonging to the first society of Paris, the Vicomte Albert de Morcerf and the Baron Franz d'Epinay, were at Florence. They had agreed to see the Carnival at Rome that year, and that Franz, who for the last three or four years had inhabited Italy, should act as cicerone to Albert.

If you are paying attention (and I was not), you'll make the connection with who the Vicomte Abert de Morcerf might be.

[Nadine in NY]

Sheri wrote: "Nadine, My friend says it's one of her favorite books ever so I'm trying to plug away. Basically i'm trying to read a chapter or two in between books before starting a new one. Hopefully once I get..."


My plan had been to read one chapter a day. I thought I could pull that off. I think it's been a month since I read it though. Franz just bored me SO completely that I never want to pick it up again!! I'm stalled at Chapter 36.

[Sheri]

I'm on chapter 39, guess what? Still Franz!

[Nadine in NY]

Sheri wrote: "I'm on chapter 39, guess what? Still Franz!"


UGH!!! maybe I should just skim the next few chapters ... missing some of it is better than not reading it at all, right?

[Sheri]

i'm honestly in kinda skim mode myself. It's just so confusing as to why they're important at all. I'll let you know when they move on haha

[Carmen]

I’m sorry to hear you guys are struggling! I definitely think listening to this on audio helped tremendously. I really enjoyed it but I honestly couldn’t tell you anything about Franz or Albert from the top of my head 😂

[Sheri]

Ok I made it to Chapter 42, we have now left Franz behind and dealing with just Alberto and family. Finally starting to tie together the actual important parties here.

[Sheri]

Woo! Made it to page 500! ...that’s still not even halfway haha

[Milena]

I am on chapter 30something. Not sick of Franz and Albert yet.

Carmen, I am enjoying the book, just having a hard time focusing at this moment in time.

[Carmen]

I am struggling with focusing on any of my reads as well. It seems to be happening to so many of us..

[Sheri]

Still plugging away at this, page 670. It's getting a bit easier to make progress, in a section where more is happening and there's a bunch of short chapters so it makes me feel like I'm making progress haha. The various plots are starting to make sense and seeing where the revenge is actually going. Still not clear why SO MUCH time was spent on Franz, but he's apparently about to re-enter the picture so maybe it'll make more sense soon.

[Nadine in NY]

I completely stalled on this - I haven’t read it since quarantine began. Franz just killed me. I figure, there’s still six and a half months left in the year, so I still have a chance to finish this in 2020!

[Bree]

I only just started! I’m about 4 chapters in but having a good time so far.

[Milena]

I am smack in the middle of the Franz and Albert stuff. Not sure what page, but 32% on my Kindle.
I like your attitude, Nadine.

[Sheri]

Once it finally moves off from Franz and Albert, it picks up! Plots start moving, it becomes a bit easier to get through. Still slow, but not the absolute slog it was

[Sheri]

One of the reasons I often have trouble with classics is reconciling modern sensibilities with things that were common in the past. (view spoiler)[ So I'm REALLY off-put that we're supposed to buy the great romance between Maxmillian and Valentine, when he essentially coerced her into agreeing with his elopement plan by threatening to kill himself if she did not. I was rooting for them up til that point, but it's just manipulative! Even though she's an heiress, most older societies control women through men. So while she;s due to inherit, presumably her father had control of the money until she marries, and then it'd go to the husband's control. She likely couldn't just take the money and set herself up as independent. Claiming her love was less because she was afraid to completely destroy her place in society by running away and possibly being cast out of the family and being socially ruined if the planned failed is kind of horrible. boo, i say! (hide spoiler)]

[Sheri]

I finished! Finally! Ahahah only took 6 months!

[Carmen]

Sheri wrote: "I finished! Finally! Ahahah only took 6 months!"

Wooohhhh go you! What did you rate it :) ?

[Sheri]

I gave it a 3 stars. I liked it overall, but it definitely had a feel of "you're getting paid by the installment aren't you?" I'm glad I read the unabridged version, just to say I did, but I have to wonder if the abridged version cut out a lot of the fluff. (Looking at you 100+ pages dealing with Franz)

[Bree]

Oh no, I’ve just hit Franz D: I’ll do my best to power through

[Sheri]

Bree, yes just power through! Once it moves on from him the pace picks up a bit more.

[Trish]

Just repeat to yourself "this really does have something to do with the overall story" whenever you get stuck.

[Milena]

I just looked back in this thread, and I started the book at the beginning of February. I am not even halfway through. That is not encouraging. I do like it when I read it, I just forget to read it a lot.

[Sheri]

yeah, I had to make a point of "finish a book, read at least 2 chapters" to keep making progress. Then this weekend I was in the mid 800s, and made a big final push to read the last 200 some pages.

[Nadine in NY]

You guys!!! I was so stalled in reading this, and in desperation I just tried out the audiobook, read by the inimitable John Lee. GAME CHANGER!!! Lee is so awesome, he adds so much humor to the dialogue. I think I may have found the way that I can actually finish this book.


It’s funny, prior to this, I only knew Lee as the audiobook reader of China Mieville’s books. I keep expecting a robot or Garuda to swoop in or something LOL

[Sheri]

So kind of funny, I was watching Prodigal Son end of last year, but then holiday season came on and was very busy, very stressful and I couldn't handle that intense of a show. Then all of everything else went down, still didn't want to do a stressful show. But I got back into it the last couple weeks, and it turns out a whole episode involves a murder referencing The Count of Monte Christo. If I'd properly watched it on time, I'd have been totally clueless to all the references, now I get all the characters being named haha.

[Joanna G]

Finished! Finally. So I really loved this book before, which is why I was up for a re-read, but I liked it a lot less this time through. To be fair, a lot of that is that I read it over such a long period, and kept having large gaps in my reading. So I just got so confused when I went back to it, about who was who's child, and what other crimes people were responsible for, other than the original plot against Dantes. Also the whole Haydee thing creeped me out this time. And the fact that towards the end, Cristo had doubts, but there was never a real reckoning with what he'd done.

[Sheri]

Congrats on finishing!

And yes, this was my first time through but I was very creeped out by the Haydee thing.

[Nadine in NY]

Joanna wrote: "Finished! Finally. So I really loved this book before, which is why I was up for a re-read, but I liked it a lot less this time through. To be fair, a lot of that is that I read it over such a long..."

Congratulations!!!!

I have been reading this book allllllll year. My goal is to finish by Dec 31st. I think I can do it.

I'm not loving it. But it's a classic, and I want to be able to say "yeah I read that crazylong book"


John Lee's audiobook is REALLY helping me along. My loan expired, so I'm taking a break right now to listen to other books ,but I'll borrow it again soon.


I make ample use of this helpful Wikipedia list of characters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cou...

[Reed]

ι яєα∂ тнιѕ вєfσяє αи∂ ι тнσυgнт💭ιт ωαѕ ιитєяєѕтιиg αи∂ ∂ιffєяєит

[Britany]

Looks like Nadine already set up a thread for this tome, for those of us reading it for "Longest Book" category for the 2023 challenge, let's use this to discuss. I'll be reading this through the serial reader app, and at 208 issues, looks like I'll finish at the end of July.

[Nadine in NY]

Britany wrote: "Looks like Nadine already set up a thread for this tome, for those of us reading it for "Longest Book" category for the 2023 challenge, let's use this to discuss. I'll be reading this through the s..."



A bunch of us read this for "longest book" last time the category came up.

This book took me almost literally forever. I started it on January 28th (2020) and didn't finish it until November 9th, 2020. (In fairness, it looks like I didn't read it much at all between March and August.) And it was absolutely NOT worth it for me - 1400+ pages of miserable reading. The only way I made it through was switching to audiobook.

[Britany]

I just started it on the serial app, I read Les Miz last time this way too and it takes almost the entire year, as they give you about 10-15 minutes of reading each day. It was either this or war & peace. Have you read that one Nadine?

[Nadine in NY]

Britany wrote: "I just started it on the serial app, I read Les Miz last time this way too and it takes almost the entire year, as they give you about 10-15 minutes of reading each day. It was either this or war &..."



No! And I used to think I wanted to read that, but after the agony of the Count, I've decided that long books just aren't for me.

[Sheri]

I didn’t think it was THAT bad, just tedious. Once you get through all the Franz nonsense (which lasts WAY longer than it needs to) it picks up much more.

[Trish]

Britany wrote: "I just started it on the serial app, I read Les Miz last time this way too and it takes almost the entire year, as they give you about 10-15 minutes of reading each day. It was either this or war &..."

I enjoyed all of War and Peace, Les Mis (mostly) and Monte Cristo. My longest remaining is London, Edward Rutherfurd, at 1,302pg. I figure, if I start it now and read it between other books, I've got a chance of finishing it by December.