{2022 - April} The Count of Monte Cristo Volume 3 (chapters 48-73)

[Sean]

Discussion open.

[George P.]

As of today I am at chapter 61, so most of the way through the April section. I am (recently) retired and got a slight injury cycling recently so on crutches temporarily- can't even do my usual ten hrs of volunteer work per week, so plenty of time to read.
This section seems not to have the pace of the early part. I think Dumas hooked his readers with the lively action of the beginning and now- in the middle- is setting up for a strong finish (I hope).

PS Apr 13: My injury is healing well, just using a cane now, and I expect to be back to my usual activities next week.

[Ben]

Hi George,
Yes I agree. It’s such a slow build up in the middle. I hope the climax justifies it!

I’m up to chapter 80. Still very much enjoying it as it slowly develops.

[Pip]

I think I'm up to chapter 78 now. It feels as if the story just keeps going and going. I'm impressed with how it continues to capture my attention and how easy it feels to keep reading all these words. I'm curious about Haydee and how she became linked with Monte Cristo.

I hope your injury is still healing well George.

[George P.]

Pip wrote: "I think I'm up to chapter 78 now. It feels as if the story just keeps going and going. I'm impressed with how it continues to capture my attention ...I'm curious about Haydee and how she became linked with Monte Cristo."

Haydee (pronounced "I-D" in the audiobook I'm "reading"), is the daughter of Turkish or Greek prince or sultan Ali Pasha. The back connection to The Count is that Fernand, who helped frame The Count and married his fiancee, worked for Ali Pasha and embezelled from him. I suspect The Count learned of this before he bought Haydee from slavery. Perhaps having her at hand fits into his master plan for revenge?

[Debbie]

I started with one copy and had to switch to a different one which I wish I had known was not the unabridged version but I’m 90% done now so pppbbfftt.

Idk why but the one I started off with stopped numbering the pages at 661 so I had no clue how far I had gotten and how much was left. Even the table of contents had been cut off. I kept reading but the page number stayed at 661.

I only got through the first 60 pages in my first sitting but I was hooked. This is my first Dumas novel so I was looking forward to it. I didn’t want to get to far ahead so I put the book down to read a couple of other short books.

My next sitting took me through the next 300 pages. Yep. I couldn’t put the book down. Me likey.

There were definitely a few slow parts and it’s one heck of a slow burner, but it’s a slow burner that has me on the hook. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with as many antagonist characters as this. Dumas also seems to have developed a lot of supporting characters interchangeably throughout the book. It’s almost as if he wrote to stories and put them together. I don’t want to write any spoilers
Did anyone

[Debbie]

Sorry - does anyone who has already read the book feel like it could have been two stories combined into one?

Or maybe that there’s just so much going on it could be split into a second book. The second generation. Without spoiling too much- He could have put Valentine and Maximilian and Eugénie’s stories into a second book.

Thoughts???

[George P.]

Debbie wrote: "I started with one copy and had to switch to a different one which I wish I had known was not the unabridged version but I’m 90% done now so pppbbfftt.

Idk why but the one I started off with stopp..."

So if you read half the unabridged version I guess we would say you read a "semi-unabridged edition" ;) That's still a good accomplishment. I read an abridged version of Les Miserables decades ago and I keep thinking I'll read the full 1300+ page version some day. Maybe. By the way, I'm up to chapter 81 now.