The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics)

Friends, do any of you share in my aversion for book reviews that go: “I received the book on time and it arrived in good condition”? How does that help us? Is it not the quality of the writing, the beauty of the prose, the context, the enjoyment of the story, itself, that we truly care about? I must begin my review of The Count of Monte Cristo with the confession of an infraction of my own. You see, I made a vow to myself never to write a review without first completing the entirety of a book. From cover to cover. However, in this particular case, I simply couldn’t wait. I am on page 339 of this 1243 page book. I am writing because I am enjoying it so much. I find myself reading a few pages, every single day! This being a classic, I had heard the title many times throughout my life. Yet, to be perfectly honest, I was under the impression that it was going to be a story somewhere along the lines of a Dracula novel. Perhaps my mental association was due to the word “Count” in both titles. As in “Count Dracula.” And that was why I wasn’t particularly drawn to it. That is, until I saw a You-Tuber praise The Count of Monte Cristo as the best book that he has ever read. “I just love this story,” he kept saying over and over again, with true and genuine emotion. I, too, am loving this story. And I now believe in the Power of Beautiful writing. The story is so easily digestible. The writing, so clear, so precise, so simple, that my brain easily captures everything. Every description, every emotion, every experience. I find myself pulled right into the story. I am at the part of the story where everything is finally turning around. Where the bright sun is finally breaking through the dark and thick clouds. There was so much suffering at the beginning, that I found it a bit depressing to reengage in my reading. But I couldn’t stop. I wanted, very badly, to know what was going to happen next. I found myself caring for the good hearted and honest people. The bright and pure souls. I prayed for their freedom from bondage, due to the dark circumstances that unfolded around them. I found myself praying for justice. The writing was so amazing, that I had completely forgotten that this was only a novel. I was reminded of the day when my 16 year old brother was killed by a man who had been a close friend of the family. The man claimed that it had been an accident. My little brother’s personality reminded me of Dante’s. My brother was turning into a fine young man. Young, vibrant, good looking, honest, humble, kind. Although I don’t ever remember hating the man who had taken his life, I did wonder what would become of him. Because he had taken an innocent life. I knew that that burden would always torture his conscience. And not more than two years passed, when one day, while sitting on my living room couch, I was watching the news when suddenly, on the right side of the news anchor’s shoulder, I saw the picture of the same man who had taken my little brother’s life. I quickly called out to my parents who were in the kitchen. They came running in time to see the man’s picture. The new’s anchor said that the man had shot his girlfriend on the head, then turned the gun towards himself and ended his life. “A double homicide,” the news anchor said. Life has its own way of correcting itself. No deed goes unpunished. Nature always seeks balance. I later read an article in the Los Angeles Times about this “double homicide.” Apparently, the man’s girlfriend had made her decision to leave him. He couldn’t accept it. He had become too attached to her. He couldn’t see his life continuing without her. So, he shot her and then ended his own life. The interesting thing is that he never spent a day in jail, in connection to my little brother’s death. Because he had no prior criminal history, the District Attorney had gone easy on him. But it seems that he could not escape the torture of his inner demons. The Count of Monte Cristo expresses a similar pattern. When others act in ways that affect us, and even change the course of our lives, there are always counter-currents created. It is as if we throw boomerangs to hurt others, but eventually said boomerangs must return to clobber the sender. I don’t want to give anything away, but I am enjoying, very exquisitely, what is unfolding. The way that the dark and stormy clouds are breaking, and the rays of sunlight that are breaking through, are shinning upon all those who were always Pure Souls. Everyone that Edmond loved, and who loved him. My journey with this book continues. And to be perfectly honest, I almost don’t want it to end. I’ve fallen in love with all of the good characters. My heart has torn for those good Souls who have passed on. Who did so, in ways that they shouldn’t have. Even this pattern parallels real life. And this book has powerfully reminded me that life, itself, in the Ultimate sense, is nothing more than a living novel that the Invisible Author is delightfully expressing. This, I am certain, is a book that I shall never forget.

I've entered a bookworm phase and have ambitions to read the classics and this was top of the list. I thought it might be a difficult read because of it being older and having to immerse myself in a different way of speaking. Nope! It was not that experience at all. Although it is a different time period it's been easy to understand from the get go. I am completely sucked in! In two sessions i'm a quarter of the way through. Despite it being lengthier, I imagine I'll get through it pretty quickly because I'm driven by the story to keep reading. The writing is excellent, it has amazing characters, and the story is so good. I can see why it's stood the test of time. If you're looking for a great read, I highly recommend this book!

People will see you reading this in public and will assume that you are smart and deep because it’s massive and the title makes it sound boring. Little do they know that you can slice into this like butter and crush it like a sleeve of Oreos because it is pure entertainment. It is romantic, action packed, and clever. It exists in the Goldy Locks zone of maximal, elegant yet absorbing and approachable prose. The physical book erases the labor of reading something intimidating and rewards you with pleasure and a sense of accomplishment once it’s over. The satisfaction lingers.

I’m on page 766 of this book and I’ve enjoyed every page of it. It’s been one of those books that I fear ending because it’s created a world so intriguing to me with characters that are so complex and entertaining. The writer feels unpretentious. I can’t necessarily explain how I feel this way but I never feel stupid when I’m reading this book. I don’t feel like there’s something I missed and now that I’ve missed it I’m completely lost. Whenever the character has to talk about someone or something with ambiguity they give enough of a hint, combined with my intuition, that puts my curiosity at ease. I’m an avid reader and there are some books with words, syntax or linguistics that aren’t all familiar to me and it can be frustrating until I get used to it. This book IS one of those books for me… but this author - brilliant author. Never leaves me frustrated for more than a page or two. I came to this book after reading 14+ of the dune series books, some other one-off sci-fi books and a few historical bibliographies, including the former Emperor of France Napoleons. This book is nothing like those but Al’s everything I loved about them. I originally decided to read this book because it was featured in a video game called Starfield and I thought of the creators of this game, for some reason, found this book relevant enough to put in their video game maybe there was something about it worth learning. A few years later I finally realize the significance of this book being in that game and I wish, like dune, there was a part 1-6. If you’ve been on the fence about reading this book… just do it.

I have been curious to read this massive novel for many years. Having read other books at least as long if not longer (‘War and Peace’, ‘Les Miserables’, ‘In Search of Lost Time’), the only excuse for my procrastination was the reputation the book has been given over time as a genre novel, a tale of revenge (there are hundreds of those by now, many influenced by ‘Monte Cristo’ itself), an adventure novel. This reputation was not entirely deserved and I knew that the novel transcended genre, so the question was when was I ready to devote the necessary time to tackle it? The premise of the novel is well known to anyone who has either read an abridged version or watched one of the many TV and film adaptations; a young sailor, Edmond Dantes, has everything going for him. He has just been promoted as the new captain of the vessel he has served, he is engaged to a beautiful and devoted young woman named Mercedes, his aging father is devoted to him, and he is on excellent terms with his employer and his family. However, there are a few people who are envious of his good life enough to take advantage of an opportunity to take him down. Fernand Mondego has been in love with Mercedes almost as long as Edmond; he is single-minded in his obsession with her enough to sabotage the upcoming marriage. Fernand comes in contact with another mate on the ship, Denglars, a bitter man who is envious of Edmond’s promotion, resentful of serving a man who, in his mind, has no qualities that make him superior to Denglars. On his way back to Marseilles, Edmond is tasked with delivering a package to Elba, home of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile, and picking up a letter, contents unknown to Edmond. This gives Fernand and Denglars the perfect opportunity to frame Edmond. He is arrested and brought to the deputy crown prosecutor, Villefort, who opens the letter, seeing that it was from Napoleon to his own father, a Bonaparte supporter. Villefort burns the letter in front of Edmond and says he may go. Rather than setting him free, Villefort orders Edmond to be taken away to prison, suppressing the knowledge of his father’s association with Napoleon and preserving his own reputation. Without a trial or any kind of explanation, Edmond is taken to the Chateau d’If, an island prison analogous to the American Alcatraz, locked in a dungeon cell and left there. Driven to despair, he unsuccessfully tries to kill himself, finally resigned to live this subterranean existence. After a few years, he hears some hammering and digging and finally meets his next-door prison neighbor, an older man named Abbe Faria. The Abbe has been digging in the wrong direction, coming up in Edmond’s cell. They reach a mutual decision to start digging in the right direction. During this time, the Abbe, a political prisoner thought to be mad by his captors, tutors Edmond on reading, writing, languages, sciences, giving him a thorough education on a variety of subjects. Edmond suddenly has a will to live and, with the Abbe’s questioning, figures out who betrayed him and why. After fourteen years they are making progress on their tunnel when the Abbe has a seizure and dies. Edmond moves the body of Faria to his cell, covered in blankets and puts himself in the shroud meant for Faria. He thinks he’ll be buried somewhere on the island and be able to dig himself out but instead, weighted by a cannonball, he is thrown off the cliff into the waves below. Luckily, he has a knife and can cut himself out of the shroud, breaking the surface and making his way toward the nearest spot of land. After encountering smugglers and thinking of a plausible story, he joins the band long enough to locate Monte Cristo and finds the treasure, which is indeed enough riches to make him immensely wealthy. Between the well-rounded education from Faria and the fortune that is now his, Edmond starts a new life for himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo. During the next ten years he not only establishes a new life and lifestyle for himself as the Count but tracks down what has happened to his betrayers. During these years he adopts various aliases aside from the Count: Sinbad the Sailor, a wealthy British philanthropist named Lord Wilmore, a chief clerk from a British banking firm., and Abbe Busoni, a priest. Under the various aliases he is able to track down what happened to his betrayers. His fiancé, Mercedes, worn down by Fernand’s persistence and convinced that Edmond was dead, married Fernand and had a child, Albert, now grown, and befriended by the Count. Fernand achieved a high rank in the army, and bought a title of Count for himself. Denglars became a wealthy banker, and Villefort became a chief prosecutor, now with a grown daughter, Valentine, and taking care of his aged father, the Bonapartist, who has had a stroke and can only communicate through a series of eye blinks. Unlike my earlier impression of this book, there are no swashbuckling sword fights like any that characterized ‘The Three Musketeers’. The Count doesn’t kill anyone. He becomes a self-appointed Agent of Karma, finding people and evidence from these people’s past lives and sins, manipulating these events so that the public knowledge of their misdeeds is what dooms them. Edmond Dantes becomes a virtual superhero, traveling massive distances at lightning speeds, changing swiftly from one disguise to another. The Count does seem to possess godlike powers. It seems he has also acquired a knowledge of various poisons and dosages, so that he can administer enough of a drug to make it appear that the person is dead, whereas he can resurrect her later. I suppose Dumas thought that Shakespeare got away with something like it in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, why shouldn’t he? As I said, unlike earlier impressions, this is not the kind of adventure novel with swordplay. What it does have is a serial poisoner, a lesbian couple, cross dressing, hashish hallucination, and many other aspects that render it not suitable for children. The Robin Buss translation is very straightforward, flowing and fast moving. Much like ‘War and Peace’, which is also very readable, the main hurdle which is worth surmounting is its intimidating length and its varied gallery of characters and aliases. With each triumph over one of his conspirators, the Count reveals his true identity as Edmond Dantes. He wants his victims to know that Dantes not only did not die but that he was able to administer justice in the end. Where the Count’s god-like powers end is in not being able to control the actions of peripheral characters so that innocent people die. His single-minded obsession grows beyond his control. What Dumas has written is an epic melodrama, probably more akin to a great opera than one of the other great French 19th century novels written by authors such as Balzac, Flaubert, and Zola. Those authors created stories that were more relatable to the average reader, one that led a life less dramatic than most of the characters in ‘The Count of Monte Cristo. Yet even the most ordinary reader sometimes wants to live vicariously through big lives with grand gestures. It is for this reader that Dumas has written.

Who wouldn't want to be The Count of Monte Cristo? A god-like creature, master of disguise, wealth beyond the dreams of avarice, extremely handsome, expert marksman, expert swordsman, philosopher, apothecary, highly moral, (carrying out God's work of vengeance, not his own) unimpeachable manners, speaks many languages, can quote both Roman and Greek mythology and philosophers from Cicero to Plato, in fact is an expert on every subject under the sun, never lies and is never wrong. (p.1027) A perfect human being who loves young girls in a fatherly way, kisses his slave on her forehead, acted as guardian angel to 17 year old Valentine and go-between for her and her fiancé. I would not want to see the film of this book, no earthly creature could match up to the mysterious, romantic, mythical figure of The Count of Monte Cristo. Imagination is far far better. This wonderful man takes on all the various shapes and forms of his different disguises, he is so clever it takes your breath away. Oh, if only we could get away with that! Oh, if only we had half his skill to get back at our enemies the way he did. It makes one's mouth water to think of it. Delicious! Men are turned on by this book because it is full of adventure, the ultimate "Boy's Own" story. Women are turned on by it not only because it is thrilling but because it speaks to the fairy tale longing, (Cinderella) of finding the perfect man..... He doesn't exist girls and boys, sad to say, it is just a fantasy. In the beginning, even though far fetched, (the escape from jail, the treasure) one goes along for the ride, but towards the end of the book Dumas gets a bit carried away. The fantasy good as it is becomes a bit hard to sustain, the magic cure-all drops, the murderous step-mother nobody suspects, the crippled grandfather blinking in Morse code, and then of course the almost Shakespearean ending of the star crossed lovers. All stretching the imagination to the limit, but loving it being stretched, and rejoicing in the thrilling ride. I enjoyed the book enormously and found it almost impossible to put down for all the same reasons everyone else did. It is so well written and the pace never stops. I particularly enjoyed the scene described when Albert and Franz came to watch the carnival with Monte Cristo and Franz asked The Count if he could obtain a window overlooking the Piazza del Popolo where there were to be two executions at the start of the festivities. The coolness with which Monte Cristo explains that the program has been changed, in a "tone of voice" Dumas says, "as though he were reading the personal column." (p.383). "Hum! The first will be mazzolato, the second decapitato. Yes, this is what was originally intended, but I think that since yesterday there has been a change in the order and conduct of the ceremony. .......they were speaking of some kind of stay of execution to one of the two men...... That means you will be denied a guillotining but you still have the mazzolata, which is a very curious form of torture when you see it for the first time - or even the second; while the other, which in any case you know, is too simple, too unvaried. There is nothing unexpected in it. ..... Ah come now, don't talk to me about Europeans where torture is concerned. They understand nothing about it. With them, cruelty is in its infancy - or perhaps its old age." You can imagine this man with a sword in his hand, never flinching, nerves of steel! Read it to escape, it's a ticket to a magic carpet ride. Be a little like Monsieur le Comte himself when he said "....chaque fois que je souhait je peux me séparer du reste du monde" " ....whenever I wish I can separate myself from the rest of the world." (p.314). Worth every one of its five stars. Another favorite book of mine which will certainly be read at least two or three times more whenever I feel like floating away...

Everybody should read this, Pride & Prejudice, Jane Eyre, the Hobbit and Lord of the Ring series. There's no attention span these days. I read them all before I got out of elementary school and like shorter books (Narnia, The Borrowers, Mary Poppins, Encyclopedia Brown, Jane Langton, etc.), they laid out worlds of imagination and wonder for me. Re-reading them as an adult is amazing.

I recall viewing a made-for-tv movie when I was in elementary school. I was fascinated by a story of injustice and perseverance (the prison scenes stayed with me). With the recent PBS eight-part series and a review from the NYRB, I decided to commit to the over 1200 pages. Victor Hugo's praise of Dumas ("He creates a thirst for reading") remains true today. Character intrigue and melodrama are two resonating features of the novel.

The book is well wrapped, the printing is very clear. Can’t wait to read it !

I just got it, I am super excited to read it and the quality of the book is good overall.

Excellent book with many good notes and commentaries. Thanks a lot for making it accessible to everyone.

The books pages are intact but the corner of it was damaged.

Buen libro.