If you haven't read "the count of Monte Cristo", do it now
If you haven't read "the count of Monte Cristo", do it now
Holy shit! This book is insane. I'm half way through it, and I can't even express how I feel about this book. Masterpiece? Doesn't give it justice. I've never done this in my life over a book (and I've read well over 500 books for the last 30 years), I got emotional during some parts of this book. I have ADHD and it's very hard for me to focus when reading, unless it's an extremely good book like this I guess. This probably sounds silly to some. The reason why I'm only just finding out about this book is because I'm new to the West. An immigrant if you will, and never heard of this book until a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't read this book; I highly recommend it. Alexandre Dumas is a genius.
This is one of those books that seems cliche until you realize that it's the origin of the tropes.
I do enjoy seeing the 'oh, this is why' feeling in people. I got much the same reading Dracula, and I recommend it if you have yet to have the pleasure. You might think you know it, but trust me, give it a go.
for any Dracula enjoyers https://draculadaily.substack.com/about is fantastic! since the book is journal format you get an email with that days journal entry on the dates they happened
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is an epistolary novel - it’s made up of letters, diaries, telegrams, newspaper clippings - and every part of it has a date. The whole story happens between May 3 and November 7. So: Dracula Daily will post a newsletter each day that something happens to the characters, in the same timeline that it happens to them.
Ah that one has been on my list for a while. I need a new book - maybe I’ll finally see what the fuss is about Dracula.
Btw same thing for Frankenstein imo. Ya we all know the story, but man the book delivered so much more than what I thought I was in for.
Frankenstein is sooooooooo good.
It's been a long time since I read Dracula but I remember really struggling with the start. Nearly quit a few times and it was slow going. At some point it flipped and I think I pretty much finished the book in one sitting. Anyway, it is great and was worth the rough start I had with it.
For anyone looking to read in English I highly recommend the Robin Buss translation. It has endnotes throughout the book explaining various references that would not be obvious to modern readers, such as references to real people that don’t get named to avoid libel issues but would’ve obvious to readers in the 19th century, or how certain artists reveal that someone has good taste or bad taste.
Don’t be intimidated by the size; it quickly becomes a page-turner. It was originally published serialized in newspapers, like a modern TV show, one chapter each day. Most chapters end on a cliffhanger so people would buy the next day’s paper, making the book hard to put down.
Thanks for the recommendation, I just snagged a copy.
Thank you so much for the recommendation.
I second this thank you!
I fully support you in this endeavor.
I don't normally read fiction, but this one was recommended to me by a person on Reddit and I checked it out. Now, I'm hooked. I can't put the book down. Lol
To anyone who hasn’t read it yet: don’t let yourself be intimidated by the fact that it’s a huge book. It is equally rewarding!
Another poster suggested keeping track of the names. That’s not a bad idea.
Absolutely. Great point. The size of the book pales in comparison to the fun you're going to have reading it. I actually even wish it were a little longer sometimes.
It reads fairly easily though. I think i read it in around a week during summer vacation in HS (I pretty much spent all day reading)
My favorite thing about reading with an ebook reader has been the ability to quickly highlight and take notes as I read. New character? Highlight the first appearance of the name and when they re-appear later you can flip back to refresh your memory. Or search through the entire book for their name. I've also taken to making a note in my Agatha Christie reads when I first have a good guess about the murderer.
cannot agree more, i love this book and am so glad to see a post about it.
talk about an epic tale
I'm just now realizing that some writers
andare literal geniuses, like this man. He has to know several parts of science to be able to write a book like this. The philosophy part is killing me. It hits hard all the time and I keep reading those pieces over and over. The chemistry part, the medicine part and many other genius things have been said in this bookGreat point, the different disciplines coming together to create such a cohesive and complicated story is so satisfying.
It's actually been a few years since I read it, I would not turn down a reread at all.
I remember being riveted and pretty much doing nothing else while I read that book.
I got halfway through your post and ordered the book. Here’s hoping it lives up to its reputation. I think it will.
Your library definitely has it. Hell, its so old it might be on project gutenberg
Make sure you’re reading the unabridged version. I’ve heard there’s subpar versions out there.
I love this book! it's long but dense, it's trashy but it's also high art, it's tragic but it's also inspirational. I'm glad Dumas was paid by the word, because it means he wrote as much. You should check out the musketeers books if you haven't already, I think Count is a stronger book but they're all written in the same engrossing style.
It's been on my list for a while, I'll get to it one day. I'm also planning to watch Gankutsuou afterward, which is an anime retelling set in the far future, and is supposed to be good
Ooooh, you're in for a treat. And thank you for making me aware of Gankutsuou. I didn't know such thing existed. I'm going to start watching it right after I've finished the book. I had the movie lined up, but I guess this show will have more details. How many seasons?
I read that last year and it was fantastic. Top 5 for sure, I think my all time #2. It was like game of thrones, where you’ve got all these people showing up, and this spiderweb of seemingly unrelated stories gets told. But unlike game of thrones, it actually threads back together from chaos into a satisfying, well wrapped up conclusion. It is a masterpiece.
Honestly, half way through? That would be considered “the boring part”. It only gets better from there. You’re in for a wild ride. Enjoy!
Damn, you're making me excited now. Best part for me so far is when he got imprisoned with that priest dude and things got very crazy. You've put a very accurate description of the book and how I, at times, felt it was like. Get confused about something when it's mentioned then it's making sense somewhere else.
Ya, like you probably met Albert at this point? You’re like “who the hell are these people - I think another book got printed into this one by mistake!” “This isn’t even the same story!” :) Same thing with other families and bandit gangs etc. And then you slowly realize it was all planned out and all has a purpose.
Isn’t there a saying or writing thing about only introducing things that have a purpose? Like if you introduce a gun into the story, then it has to be used. Anyways, there are no “guns” introduced without a purpose.
Do yourself a favor and make sure you keep track of all the people and their names. I’d go so far as to make a list on the side as you meet people (and try to write down all the people you’ve already met). That’s maybe the only flaw of the book in my opinion - it requires the reader to pay attention to get the full effect. Sometimes very important details or a plot twist are revealed in a single sentence - usually centered around who is who.
Man, maybe I’ll read it again! So good!
Once you've finished it, read the character flowchart on Wikipedia.
Oh thank you so much for this. This is very helpful indeed.
Spoilers below so don’t read if you haven’t read a book published 180 years ago
It is the greatest story of vengeance ever written.
Not revenge, vengeance.
The book is bat shit wild. There are parts where you will remember after you finished and think ‘was that a fever dream?’
There was a cross dressing lesbian couple or did I imagine that?
Did he really just burn down the whole house?
How did he survive the poisoning?
Who is that bandit again?
What was buried in the yard?
So many tangential story lines that culminate in an amazing climax.
So many moments that are little vignettes which explain pivotal moments in the characters.
The crazy Abbes relief when Dantes believes him.
The live fish being delivered in barrels
The fact no one escapes the Counts wrath.
Wait and Hope Baby. Wait and hope.
Damnit, I can't read this comment, I haven't finished the book yet. lol
The Count of Monte Cristo will always hold a special place in my heart because I read it as a kid and it was the first real "grown up book" I ever read, and it absolutely hooked me. I was reading it under the covers with a flashlight when I was supposed to be asleep. It has the vivid, detailed descriptions you find in the classics, but without slowing down the pace. There's a bunch of different threads and subplots to follow, and I generally feel like most adaptations don't do it justice, because it takes more than a movie or miniseries to tell the story - the one exception being Gankatsuo (as mentioned here already) which changes the setting but follows the story pretty faithfully, giving it a full season and starting midway through.
On top of the action, adventure, and schemes, it also has social commentary, philosophy, and interesting characters. The count occupies this unique position in the upper class in that he's not old money and not tied to the aristocracy, but not exactly new money either, in that he's not a merchant or capitalist. He's just this free agent with his own agenda and values, and nobody knows what to make of him.
It's fun, it's very thought-provoking, and the imagery is striking. Big fan.
It's a bit of a leap, but I think there's some similarities with another one of my favorites, Crime and Punishment. In fact, looking back at what I wrote, "On top of the action, adventure, and schemes, it also has social commentary, philosophy, and interesting characters" is exactly on point for it too. It feels more modern that the era it was written, I've seen it described as a thriller and I think that fits.
Yeah it's probably my "pick just one" best book. It's a wild ride! I'm interested in what you think when you finish!
Three Musketeers is different but I also really liked it. It's very amusing/funny.
I love the book already. I don't think I'll have the literate capacity to write a whole opinion on the book. I don't know what you call that, but I'm that person who can't fully (or to a satisfactory level) articulate whatever on his mind into speech/writing, and it's very frustrating.
I was considering picking this one up. Good to know it lives up.
You'll love it
Is the book better than the sandwich?
How could it be?
That's a pretty high bar.
I don't get it, if this is a joke :/
I had pneumonia repeatedly in high school and spent plenty of time recovering at home. I read CoMC as a freshman bc I was bored and it was on the reading list for the year.
I devoured the book. I enjoyed it even though I did keep confusing and forgetting characters. It was so amazingly fun to read.
The recent French language movie was absolutely superb as well, one of my favourite movies I've ever seen (as long as you can handle subtitles)
I live in subtitles. English is my second language, so... Lol How did you get to watch that movie? It's only available in France. High seas?
I have read both The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, and Twenty Years After. I'm currently playing with the idea to read The Three Musketeers again because it has been so long.
I had also read The Count of Monte Cristo a few years ago and want to see if i can take on the unabridged version
I think I have only seen the cartoon show series of the three musketeers, and it was actually dogs, not humans. Lol. I already have the book and might just read it after this one.
This is my favorite book! I love that you love it too! It only gets better the further you get in the story. I own both the abridged and unabridged versions, can't go wrong with either. Hope you enjoy the last half!
He's starting with Danglar and Villefort now and it's getting so freaking good right now. I can't put the book down.
one of greatest fiction stories ever told, truly. I read it every 10 years or so and it always feels new!
Thanks for this post! I read The Three Musketeers ages ago while in middle school (pre-teenage). I'm sure I didn't get get much more out of it than sword fights and adventure at the time. I'd always meant to go back and read more Dumas. This post (and the comments about Dracula, another book I read first in middle school and enjoyed even more when I read it again last year for Halloween) has encouraged me to add to the top spot in my "to read" list.
Glad I could inspire someone at least. Lol Books are very good, especially in this day and age where technology is prevalent and very hard to avoid. Reading has been such a peaceful space for me, and the internet is a very chaotic place.
It is a masterpiece. If you like the genre, I'd like to recommend Der Schwedische Reiter (The Swedish Cavalier in english). It is the very definition of adventure, mystique, vengeance, and love. The beauty of it made me very emotional. I should re-read it...!
I'll be checking that one out. Thank you so much
Kind of ajacent but if you havent watched V for Vendetta there is a pretty good scene talking about The Count of Monte Cristo.
I would recommend finishing the book first because i dont know if there are any spoilers.
Bonus points if you watch it on Fifth of November
I've always wanted to watch this movie, but never got around to it for some reason. I'm going to watch it soon
Love the book. My favorite adaptation is the 1998 miniseries with Gerard Departieu before he became a complete idiot, Seagal style.
They're making a new movie