The Count of Monte Cristo (Bantam Classics)

I have a much beloved paperback of this novel; I downloaded this kindle version to make it easier to read on my break at work. I've read this book several times but not for years. As I re-read it, I kept thinking... wow, I totally forgot that happened! Um. It's because I'm not so bright. I've never noticed my beloved paper back IS (*THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL*) ABRIDGED... gag. HOW COULD YOU??So after all these years, accidentally, I actually for real read one of my favorite books.(OK I realize that in the modern era of "better editing" some people appreciate a nice abridged book. It just goes against my soul to not read what was published. I prefer books to be as close to the author's vision as possible. I can't even imagine how much would be taken out of Lord of the Rings and other series and I would hate it. Perish the thought, for reals.)Likes: I love you Edmond, my poor, broken, brilliant hero. I realize you are a bit overly dramatic at times, but it's not your fault, bless your heart. The novel was originally written in serial form, which probably also contributes to a rather wavy plot; instead of building, climax, and resolution, there's like fifty miniature ones scattered throughout the book as Edmond deals with different characters. It's not how things are done in most literature, but I'm fine with it, actually. And I thought all the things I missed out on were great. This whole thing with Cavalcati and Cadderousse was not in the abridged version I read. Plus I love the different incarnations of Edmond, each of his disguises that he uses to bring about his purposes. He's pretty awesome, slowly exacting revenge as these incarnations in epic manner. Oh! And holy cow! In my abridged novel there was nothing "surprising" revealed about Eugenie so when I got to this one part about her, I was very astonished, having thought I knew all about her and realizing there had been a very important fact about her I hadn't known. !!! I'll be darned. The one strong woman character. I'm trying not to reveal spoilers on a book written in 1844; but it would have been a spoiler for me, so I am not revealing anything here.Dislikes: Eh. Some of the characters weren't very well developed, but, in their defense there was about a million characters and they each had a billion names each. For all I know there was only four characters with so many names I just thought there were other characters. So my biggest gripe is how hard Edmond is on Mercedes. She's just as much a victim, if not more, than Edmond. Women are literally completely dependent on men, and yet he's mad at her for getting married? She literally thought he was dead, and waited more than a year. Any longer and she would have starved along with his father, then I guess he would have been happy with her. That really bugs me. But I forgive you, Edmond, because we might not have met Haidee and I love her.

It's hard to imagine and explain how happiness and sadness are allowed to exist together and how the divine might make itself known in our lives. This story, it fulfills the nearly impossible task of making the explanation.

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of those novels (and movies) that is referenced everywhere in pop culture. But of course, because it’s French lit, I’d been putting it off. My husband ranks it up there as one of his top favorite movies, but aside from the brief sword fight and “Can we come up?” scene in V for Vendetta, I really had no reference point–I thought it was all about dueling. Of course I knew there was some sort of prison revenge plot, but that’s about it.When I read The Black Count, though, and found out why Alexandre Dumas wrote CoMC–I knew I had to move it up the list. This book was so much more than I expected it to be. At first, I was mostly just looking for comparisons to General Dumas’ life, but the longer the story went on (and this story is LONG), the more I got wrapped up in it.I read The Three Musketeers a few years ago, and hated every moment of it. I found the characterization ridiculous and irregularly detailed, and I didn’t understand why we couldn’t just get to the point and action. However, now that I know that Dumas was paid BY THE LINE…all that makes so much sense! Heck, I would write the thing to death too! Also, I learned in The Black Count that one of the most important things in the world to Dumas was never to forget a person, the way he felt his father was forgotten. That is why every person he writes has a backstory, and every backstory has a place in the plot.This is the very crux of Edmond Dantes vengeance. Everyone has forgotten him–to the point that he can parade around in society as a massively rich count–and no one recognizes the man they sent to prison. Because of that, he is able to destroy their lives from the inside out. But in the end, is that vengeance as sweet as he hoped it would be?I’m glad I gave Alexandre Dumas another chance. There’s so much depth to his writing that I didn’t see before. You can’t rush Dumas, that’s for certain, and I think that’s what I had tried to do with The Three Musketeers–I had too many expectations of what it was supposed to be. The Count of Monte Cristo is a wholly brilliant story, and I look forward to reading it over and over.

Even though I read the unabridged version by mistake, I couldn't put this novel down. Each event was so exciting... Each chapter full of passion and suspense. And there were a lot of them! Each character was fully developed and had an arc. There was conflict and suspense. There were memorable quotes and many thought provoking themes. Much discussion about religion and God and their purposes. A winner!

Please be careful ordering this book. It is an abridged edition, not the full, original book. I bought this to read along in sync with Fireside Reader, an online book reader. We were well into the story when I ordered a paperback, as it gets complicated. I ordered this edition and as I was trying to find where he was reading on Instagram, I couldn’t find where he was in this book. Eventually, I noticed this edition is abridged, meaning the story has been shortened. It’s fine for a young person, an older child, but leaves out the historical events which took place during the story.An unabridged edition is a great way to learn an important part of European history, and is included in the original book.

Great read!

I read it before long time ago. And now read it again and enjoyed it very much.

Versione in inglese e ridotta del celeberrimo romanzo di Dumas.

** Spoiler alert**First, make sure you find a copy that is unabridged. Most editions in English ARE abridged, but usually don't say they are. Not sure if this Penguin edition is, it's not the one i read.Readers generally think of this as a tale of revenge. For me, it was much deeper. I'm not a religious person at all, but for me this is a book that makes you question the existence of God or a god. Edmond Dantes is without flaw, a truly good person, and his life is ruined because a) others envy him and b) he was the victim of an unfortunate coincidence.Even when he escapes prison and finds a monumental treasure, it is years before he finds peace (I dont think he ever finds happiness).The questions it raises are: why are good people so often punished by horrible tragedies when truly bad people are so often able to float through life with all the rewards that this world can bestow?The other question: Dantes spends much of his life after prison seeking the people who tossed into the oubliette — not to get revenge but to punish them. He believes he is the angel of god and that he has been freed from prison so he can do god's will by punishing these evil men.But as he proceeds in his quest, he begins to question whether any man can actually be the angel of god, whether it's a sign of mania or even insanity to think you can possibly know what is god's will.In the end, evil is punished, and it is because of wheels that Dantes sets in motion. But I don't think he is ever able to know if he is just another man seeking to ruin other men, or if he is in fact the angel of god. It's a question that, as a journalist, I try to always remember: we are none of us the angel of god. All we can do is try to live the best life we can and not decide who deserves to be punished or even ruined.