Picture this: you are nineteen years old with your whole life ahead of you. You've just been offered the job of your dreams. And you're about to marry the person you've loved since childhood. When, suddenly, a couple of jealous men decide to frame you as a Bonapartist (a crime which was punished by death or life imprisonment) and have you sent away to rot in an island prison. I think it's fair to say you'd be feeling a touch bitter about the whole ordeal.

This is what happens to the young Edmond Dantes when he is betrayed at first by men jealous of his career and fiancee, then again by a man who sees a opportunity to benefit himself by sending Dantes to his jail cell. After spending fourteen years in a gloomy dungeon, Dantes finally has a chance to escape and seek revenge on those who wronged him, whilst also rewarding those who stuck by him and fought to prove his innocence.

I always try to read both positive and negative reviews of books so I can understand why people had a different opinion from my own, and the verdict on this from negative reviews seems to fall into one of two categories: 1) the book is too long, or 2) they were unable to side with Dantes when he sets out with his vengeful aims.

Personally, I agree that The Count of Monte Cristo is several novels in one and I'm not surprised that it was originally published in installments. That being said, though, the story itself is fascinating. It brings in historical elements and combines them with a great set of fictional characters to make a very rich story. There are parts that are sad and parts that are heartwarming and it all adds up to a great balance of the two.

As for the second problem, it is my own personal taste that I love a good revenge story. I know forgiveness is supposed to be a virtue blah blah and perhaps it doesn't make me a great person that I couldn't shake the hand of the one who'd ruined my life. Perhaps. But I believe Dantes suffered more than anyone in this tale, even after he had got his revenge. And I always did cheer for the likes of Beatrix Kiddo. So when the "avenging angel" struck, I was right there with him.

I think it says something when a 1200+ page novel doesn't bore me for a second, and The Count of Monte Cristo never once dragged as it took me through a plot spanning many years. There are several stories being told throughout and I found all of them interesting: Dantes' betrayal, The Shawshank Redemption-style time in prison where Dantes makes a close friend, the historical story of Napoleon's return, and Dantes' search for revenge. It's hard not to be enthralled by this complex world and its characters. My one complaint is the direction Dantes' romantic life took in the end, but whatever, there are over a thousand pages of awesomeness here and if you have the time to spare for this book/doorstopper/possible murder weapon, you should definitely read it.

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you know the classic question ‘if you were stranded on a deserted island, which book(s) would you want to have?’ well, TCOMC is my answer. without a doubt.

not only would the 1,000+ pages (which are full of the most masterfully crafted and deceptively clever plotlines known to humanity) provide hours upon hours of entertainment, but it would also be a massive inspiration to search for hidden treasure.

i am living for a reality where i sit on my hoard of wealth, plan the ultimate revenge against my enemies, and wait to be rescued (as if my strandedness was my decision all along). because thats the kind of self-confidence edmond would want for me (followed by the inevitable self-actualisation that forgiveness, patience, and hope are the best qualities a person can have).

this story is definitely in my top five favourite books of all time, but edmond dantés is the best character i have ever read. i can think of no other character who i have connect to, bonded with, or empathised for more. he will always have special place in my heart and on my bookshelf. <3

↠ 5 stars

The interspersed chapters relating Villefort’s storyline were the most enjoyable for me, though all of the characters had interesting journeys.

One chapter was entirely about finances, with accounting intricacies being presented as a rapid fire dialogue. I had no idea what any of it meant – and I was literally on the edge of my seat to read what was said next. THAT is how amazing Dumas is as a writer. He’s an absolute master of his craft.

2019 is the year I get to my backlist and re-read some of the classics I haven't visited in years. It's been over a decade since I last read The Count of Monte Cristo, which is easily my favorite classic novel to date. Looking forward to taking my time through this one alongside my other reads!

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is a pearl of great wisdom. My mentor told me to read this book when I was a youngster. However, that was not my teacher, as the school reading list in my previous years' did not include this masterpiece as a must to read, which is a pity.
I have chosen to listen to The Count of Monte Cristo on Audible, narrated by Bill Homewood. I made such a decision is that the longevity of this book is enormous; it is more than a thousand pages, and also it was initially written in French. Narration by Bill was excellent, as I could not imagine myself pronouncing all those French names correctly the way the narrator did. Any person who might have dyslexia would benefit from listening to this masterpiece novel rather than read. Listening to this masterpiece narrated by a professional made me notice the language in the first place. Nowadays, people do not talk in this way. Well, not that I have met anyone during two years of living and working in England. However, during my English tutorial, I was told that bringing some french expression into your English speech makes it sound sophisticated or even aristocratic.
The plot of this book is widely known, an innocent man named Dantes is accused of a crime that he did not commit and thrown into chateau prison without a trial for fourteen years, which he escapes by taking a deceased man's place with the hope that the grave is going to be shallow. However, correctional officers do not bury dead. They throw bodies into the sea. Dantes seeks an act of revenge for the rest of the book. He makes his justice. However, the is a doubt that he found his lost peace of mind. It is a classical revenge book a must to read. Here you can find a lot of emotional and structural conversations that can touch you very deeply. How can people act like that? Well, the homo-sapience has not moved far away from that point. So that is why this book is timeless, as it speaks about secret human desires and emotions that cloud a clear mind and logical thinking. Buckle up, and there is a lot to handle, lies, manipulation, betrail, and suffering.
I am not sure that I have accumulated and absorbed all wisdom hidden in this novel, so I am placing this book to re-read, and the next time, it will be a reading version.

کنت مونت کریستو؛ کلاسیک نیمه تاریخی-نیمه داستانیِ پرآوازه‌‌ای است که با وارد شدن به دنیای اسطوره‌ها و افسانه‌های مشرق زمین و اقتباس از برخی حکایات قصه‌‌‌های هزار و یک شب (از جمله داستان سندباد بحری) در بستر اتفاقات تاریخی سال ۱۸۱۵ فرانسه (تبعید ناپلئون به جزیره‌ی الب، بازگشت او به قصد پس گرفتن قدرت از بوربون‌ها، شروع حکومت صد روزه‌ در پاریس و شکست در نبرد واترلو) پی‌ریزی شده است.

در ادامه اما فضای سیاسی رمان به اواخر دوران حکومت محمدعلی پاشا؛ والی مصر کشیده می‌شود... البته از آنجایی که مرگ علی پاشا در سال ۱۸۴۹ اتفاق افتاده و رمان کنت مونت کریستو پنج سال قبل از آن تاریخ یعنی در سال ۱۸۴۴منتشر شده است، نتیجه‌ می‌گیریم که ماجرای کشته شدن علی پاشا به دست ژنرال خیانتکار فرانسوی به وقایع تاریخی رمان تعلق نداشته و زاییده‌ی خیالات نویسنده‌ است.

علیرغم توضیحات و تفسیرات قلم پرتفصیل الکساندر دوما در شرح مو به موی جزییات وقایع، جای بسی تعجب که در دو بخش حائز اهمیت داستان که نشانگر اوج بخشندگی ادموند دانتس نسبت به دوستانش است (سرنوشت عجیب کشتی فراعون در فصل سی‌ام کتاب با عنوان "پنجم ماه سپتامبر" و سرگذشت غریب والانتین در فصل آخر که "پنجم اکتبر" نام‌گذاری شده) نویسنده تنها به شرح اتفاقات شگرف حادث شده در این تواریخ از دید ناظر بیرونی اکتفا کرده و خواننده را در جریان چگونگی به انجام رسیدن این دو ماجراى معجزه‌وار که به دست تواناى کنتِ ‌خداگونه اتفاق مى‌افتد، قرار نمى‌دهد! به طورى كه محتمل است تصور کنیم توضیح سیر غیرمنطقی حوادث داستان در این موارد آنچنان از قدرت فکر و قلم نویسنده خارج شده که شاید ایده‌ى نقب زدن به افسانه‌ها از ابتدا ترفندى براى توجیه رویدادهای خرق عادت و دلیل پروایِ حقیقت‌نمایی بوده باشد.

فضاسازی حکایت عشق مورل و والانتین در قالب اسطوره‌ی پیرام و تیسبه، گرچه خالی از لطف نیست ولى به عقيده‌ى من، انتظارات واقع‌گرایانه‌ای كه ساختار تاریخی اين اثر در ذهن خواننده ایجاد کرده، منطق پایان‌بندی اسطوره‌وار داستان را زيرسؤال برده است.


Revenge is a dish best served cold
در این رمان، چینشِ مرحله به مرحله‌ى نقشه‌ى مجازات دشمنانِ دانتس بسیار ماهرانه‌تر از لحظاتِ پاداش‌دهى به دوستان او توصیف می‌شود و این خود شاید حکایت از پررنگ‌تر‌ بودن حس انتقام در اين اثر باشد. به گمان من در دنیای ادبیات، عملکرد ادموند دانتس در کنت مونت کریستو به بهترین شکل از مصادیق توصیه به سِروِ سَردِ انتقام محسوب می‌شود.


و اما ترجمه‌ی محمدطاهر میرزا اسکندری
نمی‌دانم چه سرّی است که شخصیت‌های کتاب در چشم مترجم محترم همگی به دین مبین اسلام گرویده‌اند و درغالب اوقات بهت‌زدگی خود را با ذکر الله اکبر بیان می‌‌کنند و به همین سیاق اگر آیه‌ای شریفه از قرآن کریم گویای وصف حال شخصیت‌های داستان باشد از ذکر آن در جای جای اثر چه باک! و إِنَّ الْإِنْسانَ لَفي خُسْر :) بگذریم از لغات عربی به کاررفته که برای خواننده‌ی فارسی زبان آشنا نیست و ساختار مهجور جملات که چندان مشابهتی با زبان امروز ما ندارد.

Revenge is a dish best served cold. And unabridged. And translated from the French by Robin Buss.

The greatness of this book can be illustrated by the following simple equations:

(n  n + n  n) < n  n

Whereas, the majesty of the Count of Counting added to the deliciousness of a Monte Cristo sandwich from Bennigans still does not overmatch the inherent kickass value of the Dumas novel [which is, it can therefore be said, greater than the sum of its parts, both obsessive-compulsive (The Count) and mouth-wateringly fattening (of Monte Cristo):].

Similarly:

(n  n + n  n + n  n) = n  n

The coolness of Batman, once introduced into the equation, thus balances the scales, probably because the Count of Monte Cristo (character) is equal parts Wealthy OCD Recluse, Delicious Sandwich (um, metaphorically), and Batman-like avenger. QED.

I don't know how I can be any clearer.

Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 16: Longest book you've read.

Ahhh, I'm so disappointed. Maybe it's because I'm too bloodthirsty a reader, or perhaps because I had such high hopes, but this book felt like it should have been 800 pages shorter.

When I first started reading, I loved Dantes. His years in prison and the friendship he developed won my heart. I suffered alongside him, and I (literally) prayed for him.

I loved the first three-hundred pages and the final hundred pages (which referenced back to the first three-hundred pages). Everything else in-between was a profound disappointment.

Everything beyond Dantes' narrative was overstretched, tedious and dry. I wanted a glistening revenge story; I wanted the sinister shadow of fate to overhang Dantes enemies like the burning spectre of death.

What I got was a dry dialogued melodrama of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Dantes played a minimal role in the downfall of his enemies; so insignificant that it would have been likely their destructions would have occurred without him. They were terrible people who tangled themselves up in a web of lies; they associated with the wrong people and, in the end, karma played out.

It was only in the final moments of the novel that I felt a pang of love for the book again. Dantes reconnected with memories of his time in prison, and that scene, right there, got me. I welled up, but I also became angry. I became mad because that scene reminded me that the book had so much promise, but it had gone off course so severely 800 pages ago that I'd forgotten those feelings entirely.

Then, the end was predictable, as anyone who has read a Shakespeare play would know.

I think the main problem was that Dumas had built up so much emotional tension at the beginning of the book, that allowing that to waver for so painfully long with boring side stories destroyed the pressure he so brilliantly established. Then, when he finally delivered on the promises he made at the beginning of the book, the outcomes were lacklustre.

It's a controversial opinion to have with such a beloved book, but I've read many brilliant classics, and this pales in comparison.

I FINISHED IT!!! :-D One of the biggest achievements of my reading life!

Why did no one tell me about this book? I mean seriously, I was about a hundred pages in and I wanted to go find my freshman high school English teacher and inflict terrible, intricate revenge on her for depriving me of a great book. I figured first I could assume a new identity, perhaps insinuating myself into her life. I'd make her trust me and put all her faith in me, and then I would UTTERLY CRUSH HER!!! MWAH-HA-HA-HA!!!!

Seriously, this was an awesome book. I am not a big fan of the Classics, really - I usually get very bored very quickly with them, especially the Russians. I don't know if it's the characters I can't relate to, or the writing that puts me off, but I try to get through them and my interest drops off abruptly. Especially the Russians. God save me from the Russians.

But this? This was 1200 pages of concentrated awesome. A grand, intricate story of vengeance - and I do love my revenge stories - that I will definitely read again. And watching n  V For Vendettan is a lot more fun....

n  "El hombre no ha nacido para ser feliz con tanta facilidad. La dicha es como esos palacios de las islas encantadas, cuyas puertas guardan formidables dragones; preciso es combatir para conquistar."n

Imaginemos esto: Estas en la flor de tu vida, parece que la fortuna te sonríe. Te ascienden en tu trabajo, vas a casarte con una encantadora mujer que, suerte la tuya, te ama, parece que te espera una prospera y normal existencia, hasta que intempestivamente todo cambia y te envían a pudrirte en vida, no sin antes cachetearte con una última esperanza de que todo saldría bien.

n  "La ausencia separa a las personas casi mejor que la muerte."n

Bueno pues ese el inicio de la historia del joven marino Edmundo Dantes, pero también es la parte menos interesante del libro. A partir de ahí acompañaremos a un hombre que ve la destrucción de su vida y su persona, la transformación de un corazón puro en uno lleno de rencor, el encuentro con personas que serán su salvación, la muerte de Edmundo Dantes (esto no es un spoiler) y el nacimiento del conde de Montecristo.

n  "Dios, mientras prepara los rayos de su justicia, aparenta olvidar, pero llega un día en que recuerda y así os lo prueba."n

La historia no se centra en un hombre y su venganza contra aquellos que lo asesinaron (porque de manera figurativa sí podemos considerar que eso fue lo que paso) sino en como el Conde llega a transformar la vida de todos aquellos que están a su alrededor, para bien o para mal. Con varios giros y narrado de manera EXCELENTE este libro de más de 1000 páginas (dependiendo de la edición, la mía es de 1400) se siente rápida, son pocos los momentos en los cuales la historia logra soltarte. La parte cinco, llamada "La mano de Dios", hace imposible bajar el libro, sí no lo has leído, querrás saber que sigue (y sí, te emocionaras), pero si es re-lectura, querrás llegar a lo que va a pasar (y volverás a emocionarte).

n  "Todo mal tiene dos remedios, el tiempo y el silencio."n

Sí no lo has leído, léelo, créeme no quieres morir, llegar al paraíso de los libros y darte cuenta que te perdiste de una obra maestra. Ahora sí decides leer este libro no compres las versiones recortadas, no lo valen...sí tiene menos de 1000 páginas le faltan varias cosas, la historia se siente rápida, así que no te fatigara esa cantidad de páginas... por el amor a la lectura, no compres las versiones recortadas.

n  "Nada es más fácil que cubrirse de una máscara, con ayuda de la cual se sorprenden los secretos de las personas, y quitársela después para perder a los que se han fiado de vos."n

El libro no es perfecto, pero para hablar de "los defectos" son necesarias dos cosas: 1. spoiler y 2. ponernos quisquillosos. En honor a una observación acerca de que crítico todo lo que me molesta excepto en las cosas que amo:

n  n

n  
n   n   
n     El capítulo 15 de la parte cinco es muy flojo en comparación con el resto de la historia, la verdad es que creo que pudieron darle mayor énfasis a la revelación de Benedetto. ¿Qué paso con Benedetto tras decir en el juzgado que Villeford era su padre? No se sabe. Lo dicen avanzamos a otra cosa, que aún hay muchas historias que cerrar.

n     Sí la palidez del conde era tan extrema y característica ¿Cómo es que nadie notó que El conde, el abate Busoni y Lord Wilmore eran la misma persona? Dicen la caracterización que realiza el Conde para ser uno u otro "personaje" y nunca mencionan que se maquille, detalle que consideró es al menos relativamente importante.

n      ¿Porque esperar un mes para decirle a Morrel que Valentina no estaba muerta? Eso es cruel, especialmente sí consideras que lo quieres como a un hijo.

n     A pesar de creer que había superado la relación Haydeé-Montecristo, me retracto, sigue siendo un poco creepy. Es decir, la compraste cuando iba iniciando la pubertad, la tratabas como una hija y ahora ¿es tu pareja? dude, WTF! Si es tu hija adoptiva, en los estándares actuales, eso es un delito.

n     Siempre he detestado que perdonara a Danglars, creo que el fue quien más daño le causo y quien se encargo de planificar la desgracia de Dantes, así que él debía pagar.

n     ¿Debió Edmundo detener su venganza antes?

n     ¿Porque Dumas no escribió acerca de lo que paso con Montecristo y Haydeé cuando partieron? Si, si. Me acabo de quejar de la relación, pero eso no significa que quiera saber más de lo que paso con ellos.

n   n  
n


n  "Vuestra venganza se retrasa algunas veces, pero entonces parece que baja del cielo más completa"n

Y una vez administrada la dosis de "necesito algo de que quejarme para que dejen de molestarme" sólo queda decir:

n  n

It was not at all what I expected after watching the awesome movie.. The movie was merely a third of the book and although the basic plot was same, the vengeance that Edmond Dantes takes is quite different . I was disappointed at first to read the different characters (there are many characters) which weren't in the movie and seemed irrelevant but actually they are completely relevant owing to the fact that the next 2 thirds of the book are nothing like the movie...
**Spoiler**
I wish Edmond had ended up with Mercedes as he does in the movie and I actually found myself feeling pity for the Villefort family. They did suffer a lot. I hated Mme Villefort. She just doesn't give up poisoning.. I Wish Danglers too had finally found that it was Edmond who caused his ruin but actually he fleas before that.

Overall, I loved it, especially the first and last thirds as they were so so thrilling and I read them quite fast. The middle part was kinda slow partly due to the introduction of so many new characters and their lives and because we don't immediately know the plans of Monte Cristo for them.. If you have watched the movie first as I did then please don't expect the revenge to be as small as it was in the movie. You have to have patience and let the book do its magic.