The Count of Monte Cristo
discussion
Is this really THAT good?
My wife and I both read and loved this book just as the meltdown of 2008 got underway. I came to appreciate the easy come, easy go aspect of the wealth, the love, the relationships and so on. Made us both appreciate the things we had all the more I guess, since it became clear it could all disappear tomorrow. Sounds funny to think that was a takeaway from the ultimate revenge novel, but that was truly the case and the reason I would list it as one of the great novels I've read.Also, despite all the coincidences and excessive expertise mentioned by the OP, I always liked Edmond and never tired of him. In fact, I rather miss him.
I agree with Melissa and Kristin.Personally if feel its a beautiful book. Carefully planned and cold,ruthless revenge and his struggle with his conscience and the morality of his actions is beautifully portrayed.
There is true Karma in play here. Each character got what he deserved and even Edmund himself was not spared..
While not everyone may enjoy this book, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would recommend it to all.
However each person has his own opinion and its their personal choice what they like it or don't.
YES!!! this is one of my favorite books...i read it 4 times and i still am moved by Dantes' story. it's a great read! definitely worth your time.
I read this book when I was about 12--LOVED it and again through my teens and again in adulthood. Each time I got something new out of it. When I was younger the parts about escaping prison captured my imagination. I felt starved, cold, wet and desperate. As an adult, I enjoy the hope and mercy, vengeance and karma. It's still one of the greatest reads of my life.
Sorry for not reading the entire thread but ...I really liked this book. Really, really liked it.
It wasn't only the characters. Well, some characters were ... oh I don't know.
The way it was written!
Gosh.
That was a different time. There was more place for sentimental things. A man saying about another man that he loved him when it comes to friendship. Unthinkable in our time (except if it's romantic talk). There's so much more room for feelings in this book, in the time the author wrote it. There wasn't this invisible rule that you never had any male characters talk about feelings. There wasn't this crap about every male being a macho unless they were gay. Damn. I really love books like The Count of Monte Christo in which EVERY character had the possibility of actually having feeligns at all! I love how the even the women were enabled to be awesome in this book!
Whatever.
I liked this book, so whatever. I'm no professional book critic (if that even exists) so I can rate this book whatever the hell I want. And I gave it 5 stars, so there.
It's a great book: 4.5 stars. I was a little bored by some of the middle chapters that were heavily invested in financial dealings. I do think it's a tiny bit - not exactly creepy, but a little squicky - that Haydee and the Count go from having a father/daughter-type relationship to a romantic relationship. I kinda like the movie ending, with Edmond and Mercedes reunited, because it has a nice symmetry. Otherwise, I completely love this book.
Marius wrote: "I read this book last year, and though I found it entertaining, I really can't understand how people can rate it 5/5. As far as I could tell, the main characters are very simple and 1 dimensional, ..."This being my favorite novel ever, I will defend just one of your comments about the characters being simple and 1 dimensional by saying that they are everything BUT that. The whole point of following Dantes' plight for revenge is to see the absolute genius in which he plays on each characters strengths and weaknesses, good and evil, greed and pride and for some of them, their honor. You can take any one of the characters and dissect their qualities and conclude how even the smallest part they play was crucial to Dantes' plan. This story is so complex, it blows my mind.
Of all the stuff I've read by Dumas, I actually thought that this one had some of his best characters. Some of the posters on this thread seem to think it's weird or creepy that Dantes ends up with Haydee...and yeah, it is. But that's part of what made this book great! Dantes is an old lech! The whole book you're thinking this guy is perfect because he's rich and has this exquisitely crafted revenge...and then he does the typical rich-guy thing and scurries of with a much younger woman! Classic! It turns out that Edmond isn't infallible after all. He's more regular-guy than we imagined, a slave to his ego and his penis.As to the "financial dealings" mentioned by a previous poster, I actually found this part to be quite fascinating, and I'm not sure, but I believe it was based on an actual event orchestrated by one of the Rothschilds.
I thought, that actually made the book that he didn't stay with the woman he had loved when he was imprisoned and lived happily ever after. It was never meant to be a love story but a story about a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time who survived the Chateau D'If because he was angry and wanted vengeance and had a clever mentor who gave him the means for revenge. The woman he had loved had changed, she had married one of his foes and bore a son (who could have been his if nothing had happened) to a man who betrayed him. She may not have been in love with her husband but she certainly adored her son and would have done everything to save him. They had fallen out of love and it was pretty sad but both had changed and he wasn't the strapping officer/captain of a ship anymore but a man who lived to pay back the men who wronged him.I was a child when I read it but I found the riches amazing and thought the way he did ruin the bank manager was quite clever done. It also proves that money rules the world and anyone can be bought for the right amount.
I loved all the side stories that eventually would all come to be connected by the men he was after, Mondego, Caderousse, Danglars and Villefort. And he did some good as well, even if it was a side effect.
It was really good. The characters are definitely not 1 dimensional. I started to feel bad for Villefort in the end and did not expect dantes to leave mercedes. Caderousse's fate was also unexpected. others may have been a little predictable, but a lot of people are predictable in real life. It is a matter of opinion, and I thought it was spectacular.
I tried to read this book once and I found it more than boring. I couldn't even complete it. I know not how it is that famous and how high-rated. I thus suppose according to Burk I might have wrong taste. Anyway, I did't like it and not willing to give it a try again.
I think Monte Cristo could have benefited from a good editor, but it remains one of my all time favorites.
Yes. Yes it is. The revenge is just so satisfying.
Marius wrote: "Hey, maybe I missed something while reading this book? Maybe what I thought were ridiculous coincidences were in fact no such things at all? Maybe the bad characters were much more complex than what I had imagined so far?"I do not want to comment on the book but rather on this thread. So as I understand you are saying that you read a book, have an opinion about it, and then read what other thought of it and change your opinion. This seems strange to me as we should not model our feelings on how others feel, because in the end it is all subjective. If you thought the characters were one dimensional then they were to you, if someone else thought they were well developed then they were for them. So you can ask why someone liked a book, but should not order them to change your mind. Maybe I have misunderstood your point, but you keep saying that those that found it amazing have to justify their feelings/raitings. That feels like an attack and this never a good starting point for a discussion. You could instead have asked what others liked about it and commented what you found it was lacking in a friendlier tone and gotten better answers.
Oh, I feel so sorry for myself now -- I read this book and now I find that it rates a "mere" 4.5 out of five stars!!! Drat, what was I thinking to waste perfectly good weeks reading Monte Cristo and Three Musketeers????Hell, throw out half your lame library and just get one copy of each of Dumas, and I suppose all of Dickens and whoever else you like. I am reading Twenty Years After, a followup to Three Musketeers, and even tho it is a much less popular novel than Dumas' big "hits", darnitall, I just feel happy when reading his stuff. So sue me!
So clearly my vote is a resounding YES in favor of encouraging you to read Monte Cristo (and any other Dumas title) -- as many as you can manage. You can even get free e-book versions of them, so there is no excuse, none at all.
Rick wrote: "No, I wouldn't give it five stars."But... but... you gave it 5 stars. I'm confused.
Haha, it's okay. I understand what you meant now. Thanks.
The real Count of Monte Christo was Eugene O'Neil's father who played the Count for many years on stage.This Count was a tight fisted tyrant who drove his wife to dope. He became a central character in O'Neil's play Long Days Journey into the Night.
I loved this book! Well worth reading-- and re-reading. Edmond is my favorite character, just because he is so deep and developed. The book is filled with adventure and intrigue as well, and really grabs your attention.
I feel like everything that could be said must have been said about this book, but I want to add my personal touch.First Reading:
"These coincidences are incredible... The Count is unbelievable... everything he does works! Kind of predictable... Well, right up until the end."
Second Reading:
"Ohhhh.... I see. I get it. There are no coincidences whatsoever. Clever clever..."
Third Reading:
"Wow. Nothing works out as planned. Everything goes according to the way of the universe and man's heart. What an amazing tale of values and morals and humanity. What was I even thinking on the first reading?"
Seriously. I don't like to "brag" about my own lack of reading comprehension, but for this book it took me 3 times to notice all of the missteps in The Count's path. All the roads he never wanted to take, but was merely taken on. (no I'm not talking about imprisonment- I mean during the revenge itself) The way each character portrays a paragon of some trait or "classic" character.
Seriously, if you say some of the characters are predictable it's like saying Javert was predictable in Les Mis.
Someone commented on why one gives a book a certain amount of stars. I like to add to my previous comments as follows:I rated it five stars because when I read it, the book, its story, the characters, even the predictability sucked me in! I was in another world for hours and I couldn't put it down. That's what I like about books. I do overread Grammer mistakes (if there aren't too many), I don't care about wording if it still gives me the idea what the writer wants me to read (even between the lines), I don't look for deep meaning in a book, if I find it I take it but it does not have to be there. All I want out of a book is entertainment (in all its different forms, sad, funny, witty, charming) and to forget for a while the reality around me.
This is my favorite book. It's a brick, that's for sure, but it is one of the greatest revenge stories I've ever read. At times I felt the MC was needlessly ruthless, but it worked. I couldn't stop turning the pages. It's a book that has secured a spot on my bookshelf and I always look at it and wonder if I should read it again yet.
Steven wrote: "This is my favorite book. It's a brick, that's for sure, but it is one of the greatest revenge stories I've ever read. At times I felt the MC was needlessly ruthless, but it worked. I couldn't stop..."I know exactly what you mean. I have wondered if I should do it again. I have that with every 700+ book that I managed to finish.
Of course it is simple. The characters may appear one-dimension, but if you consider the very human motivators, and responses, you have a very chilling tale of human greed, jealousy, and revenge. All-in-all, a rather classic, and surprisingly complex-yet-simple story that is genuinely timeless.
Worth reading?Yes, Yes and Yes!
I'll just call the book well above average. Probably 4 stars. Pretty entertaining although not concise. Intriguing if not totally believable plot. Some redeeming social value in the end. But lacking truly powerful and believable characters. A good pleasure read that didn't reach much higher than good-old storytelling to make the time go by.
I agree with everyone having their own opinion about books. This book will always remain a top choice in my mind because of all the elements it brings to the table. Revenge, Politics, Courage, Intrigue, etc. A novel written for the ages that can be perceived a classic by any generation.
Yes!! It's better that THAT GOOD.
Phylicia wrote: "I feel like everything that could be said must have been said about this book, but I want to add my personal touch.First Reading:
"These coincidences are incredible... The Count is unbelievable....."
Really well said, Phylicia.
I would rate this book 5/5. I recently re-read it and didn't like it as much as I did when I was 24 or 25--but I might have just been impressed with myself for finishing such a large book the first time I read it. I would describe the Count as singular of focus on revenge. I felt like many things were presented as coincidence--which really weren't. I thought that was a rather beautiful bit of coy writing on the part of Dumas. More importantly, I like how the book ended on a message of hope and redemption for the Count.
I think, the original question is flawed. Reading is a pretty personal experience, so some things, even those widely regarded, might not be your cuppa’. That said I think a lot of why this book resonates with so many has a lot to do with the flaws you attribute. For many, reading is an experience of wish fulfillment, especially reading that starts in formative years. Dantas doesn’t just tap into that, he embodies it.
And Dumas allows us to be a fly on the wall for the journey.
Sure some of it is easy, and perhaps trite at times, but I think intentionally so. If it spent too much time delving into the inner longing of our darkest recesses for revenge, it would obscure the wry social commentary in favor of too obvious and heavy handed a message.
The book that follows instead is a cautionary tale about the end of that particular mean. It satisfies fulfillment, and covers it in parable, with just a hint of Batman-esque super heroics for good measure.
What we are left with is a story that speaks to some, perhaps not all, but some. Sure it’s not Tolstoy. It was never meant to be.
It's not about the plot, it's about the ingenuity of the plot. Today we are flooded with poor facades of the original. Let's remember that Dumas was the original Master of the fast-paced, action-packed thriller novel. Let's not question where Dantes learnt the methods of disguise or what he does to keep his vast wealth always full. Let's enjoy it for the sheer class that Dumas exhibits in abundance.
I liked it very much, I couldn't put it down. I agree it's too long, but I enjoyed it. I rated 4/5 (I'd say 4.5/5 but here we can't) because I didn't like the ending.I think the plot is very well planned and the characters are well developed, and for me it's not a cliche, all the others stories this book has inspired have made them a cliche now.
It's all a matter of opinion, for me this is a great book that has passed the test of time.
Yes, I feel it is that good! I will admit that it is a very long book but at the end I did not want it to end...at the end it seemed to short! It is my favorite book.
I finally read it and saw the movie adaptation with Gerard Depardieu, let's face it, I had to see it in two dimensions. Or two types of media. I love that the book was well written and revenge is its sweetest reward. For all those who wronged The Count, he certainly got back at each and everyone and rewarded those who stood by him as well.
One of the best books I've read. Top 5 for sure.
It's a great book to read when you want a rest from work, children (which are also work), anything depressing that's happened to you... pick up this book because its not too hard to read and its not frivolous. Its an exciting story and it keeps your mind occupied when it needs to be. And lets face it, no one has more problems than the protagonist in this novel!!
Marius wrote: "If would have to compare "War and Peace" with "The Count of Monte Cristo", the latter would be like an exciting comic book while the former is a series of equally exciting Rubens paintings. Both are masterpieces, but I feel there is a clear difference in the overal quality....."You've made an analogy between comic books and paintings by Rubens. I'm sorry but I think that your analogy is lazy and unthoughtful. Paintings and comics are two entirely different things, you had may as well make a statement such as apples are better than windows.
To answer your question, "Is this really that good?", we need to know what you mean by; "that good". How good is "that good"?
Dumas' book is what it is, yet you are looking to see how it rates against some kind of common standards as implied in 'that good'.
I read the book when I was 23, and it was and still is the most thrilling reading experience of my life. I treasure it.
You compare it to War and Peace. When we look at classics, we don't think about the utility of those books. It's important to remember that once upon a time, before they were classics, upon their release, they were books, possibly written with an audience of sorts in mind. Monte Christo and War and Peace, were likely written for different audiences, yet now because they were both written a long time ago, and because they are both 'classics', we can compare them? Is it like comparing Harry Potter to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo...? There's no point.
Ahh the Count of Monte Cristo....Because it had everything--adventure romance hidden identity justice served...Dumas and Balzac had a famous battle between the pages of Le Figaro (and probably other Parisian newspapers of the time). Each called the other a hack....Dumas probably had a factory---as if you lined up all the books that have his name on them---he would have been writing 80 hours a week :)
Ah, but I don't care. I just loved it. I spent a weekend when I was 18 or so...doing nothing but reading the book (in three days) the 1100 plus page version and making toast with strawberry jam. wonderful wonderful memory of just being immersed in the tale. I have probably read it five times.
And yes--its a product of its time. Books were long because they were frequently serialized in the papers. And there was, as you know no radio or TV---so people had more time to read for entertainment....
Ah, Monsieur le Comte...one of favorite heroes!
This was one of the books where I only wathced the movie. It was painfully boring.
So you're commenting on a thread where people are debating the merits of one of the great works of fiction, and all you have to add is, "I didn't like the movie?" Thank you so much for your contribution to the topic Serena...
Phylicia wrote: "I feel like everything that could be said must have been said about this book, but I want to add my personal touch.First Reading:
"These coincidences are incredible... The Count is unbelievable....."
You're saying there are no coincidences and that nothing works out as the Count planned? Could you give a few examples because I found a few coincidences:
(I'm assuming everyone here on this thread has finished the book but, just in case, SPOILER ALERT!)
1. Albert, the son of Mercedes and Fernand, is in Rome at the perfect time for the Count to meet him. The Count had no way of influencing his decision to go to Rome.
2. Eugenie, Danglars' only child, just so happens to be a lesbian (obviously, the Count couldn't have influenced that) and has no interest in marrying Albert or Benedetto/Andrea, making it easier for the Count to further Danglars' ruin.
3. Just about all of Benedetto's part of the story is quite extraordinary, especially his relationship with Bertuccio.
4. All three of his most important enemies (Caderousse doesn't count because he's not really treated as a true enemy, just a greedy and cowardly man, especially since he didn't want Edmond to be imprisoned in the first place) have conveniently moved to Paris during his time in prison.
There are a few other ones but I think these are the biggest. The coincidences weren't really so bad though and I did like how small a world the book's is, with every character being connected in at least a small way to every other one, but to say there are no coincidences is kind of strange. How aren't there any?
And with the exception of the death of Edward (and his mother to some extent, but I think the book made it seem like she was irredeemable and I guess she was since she killed her mother- and father-in-law), it seemed that everything went just how the Count planned it to go. He almost allowed Valentine to get killed by Heloise but Maximilian tells him he loves her just in time.
I have only read the book one time so maybe that's why I didn't see things the same way.
good book but to long I feel the story could be just as good if he shaved 20 percent
This is one of my favorite books. Sure it was really long but I've read much shorter books that made me want to skim through them way more than this one did. This book had so much going for it. It had romance and suspense and in the end a message. The book asked the question "Is revenge worth it?" The thing about books is that no one will ever agree 100% with each other whether or not a book was any good, but since this book is still being read so many years after it was first published that clearly tells us all something. I rarely give 5 star reviews of any books but this definitely made the list.
As I said early---authors tended to write longer then in the days before radio and TV---and the novels were frequently serialized in magazines and newspapers. Of course many authors did not write huge long works. But overall, they were quite common in Dumas' day.And I wouldn't lose a word of it!!
(On the other hand, Id lose a little of Les Miserables---but that's just me.) :)
Pandora wrote: "Books can also hit people different ways depending on where they are. The frist time I read The Count I feel in love with the book and Dumas. Parts that I loved was The Count's complex revenge, ..."MC is one of my top all-time books. I agree that Scaramouche is a fine revenge story and much shorter, but hardly of the same type (or quality in my opinion). They were written in different eras for different tastes.
Being able to read the original in French was for me an advantage, as the translations don't convey the same sense of French society. The fact that men said "vous" to their wives but "tu" to their friends is one aspect missing in translation, but a telling one.
And the movie versions, as you say, are all bad. Dantes does NOT sail away with Mercedes.
Well, in my opinion .. it is indicible. It has got a bit of everything, it's like the whole world ( from the point of the XIXc ofc ) is in there. Dumas has represented it in an extraordinary manner and I sincerely fell in love with the book. The story, the characters, it is all very simple, yet contraversary .. I can't tell if it's the very best books ever but I sure as hell can say that it was amazing.
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I rate books 3 stars if 1) I find them mediocre or 2) I objectively think they're good/great, but found the work neither enjoyable nor did it resonate with me. 4 stars are for works I enjoy and think are good, but I didn’t love and/or they didn’t resonate with me. 5 stars are books I love, thoroughly enjoy, and resonate with me. The Count of Monte Cristo falls into my 5 star category.
Do I think it’s a flawless work? No, but I’ve yet to read any novel that I truly thought was perfect (as in there wasn’t some aspect of it I thought could be improved). Is Monte Cristo’s plot over-the-top, full of numerous coincidences, and rather ridiculous? Yes, but the journey was so entertaining that I did not really mind. Were all the characters the most developed? No, but their histories were often interesting and I found myself carried along with them anyway, savoring the ironies, miseries, realizations, change of fortunes, loves, losses, and comeuppances they received. I loved the social commentary, quips and insights into human nature, the descriptions and locales. The pages flew by despite its size. Essentially, The Count of Monte Cristo is high quality trash. It’s appealing in its universal human themes and melodrama, yet still well written and communicating meaning about life. No matter how good a work may be, if I don’t enjoy it, it won’t receive 5 stars. Take Pride and Prejudice. It doesn’t have a rousing plot, imo, but the characters, social commentary, and relationship dynamics make it one of my favorite novels and receive 5 stars from me. In contrast, The Grapes of Wrath, though I appreciate it objectively, I do not find enjoyable nor has it resonated with me, and so it receives 3 stars.
You say War and Peace is 5 stars for you. For whatever reasons you love it, others might find it as overhyped as you do Monte Cristo and rate it 3 stars. That’s the beauty of subjectivity. You also act as if people can’t rate more than one book 5 stars. Out of all the books I’ll read in a year, I’m lucky if one or two receive five stars from me, but when you add up the last five or ten years, that’s still more than one 5 star, lol. I probably have about 15 favorites out of the thousands I’ve read in my lifetime. In terms of “better” books, if I think a book is worth 5 stars, another book isn’t going to change that. I re-read my favs after a few years to see if I still feel the same about them (and some have been knocked off the favorites as I’ve matured). I also re-read 3 star works in the second group to see if I change my mind (and it happens, like with Jane Eyre, which I disliked in high school but now like in my 20s). However, the book’s increase or decrease in rating is judged against the book itself along with my own developing taste. I don’t consider The Count of Monte Cristo “better” than Pride and Prejudice. Both are among my favorites and I think of them as different types of books that resonate with me in different ways. You should also be careful of presuming what others think is “fun.” I actually picked up Monte Cristo because I thought it would be fun, and I think The Age of Innocence is “fun” too.