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Reviews tagging 'Suicide'
The Count of Monte Cristo (AmazonClassics Edition) by Alexandre Dumas
77 reviews
shayna_hadassah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Slavery
jayisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
It took me a little under a year to finish reading The Count of Monte Cristo, which I think is somewhat understandable, given that it’s a pretty damn long novel. It was fascinating to see Dumas’s mind at work as he spun together a complex plot that had themes ranging from vengeance to forgiveness. I know there were a fair number of details that flew over my head, and this is absolutely one of those novels which, if you’re familiar with the historical events of when this novel took place, the reading experience will be significantly richer. Unfortunately for me, this was just outside of the period I’m more familiar with, so I greatly appreciated the footnotes that were in my translated edition.
The Count of Monte Cristo was a challenging novel for me to read, in part because it was long, but mostly because there were so many moving parts, so much that I seriously considered taking notes to remind myself who certain characters were, their motives, etc. The pacing did slow a fair bit towards the middle, with Dumas taking up hundreds of pages to lay the intricate groundwork for Edmond Dantès to exact his revenge on the three men who ruined his life. I admit that there were numerous occasions when I wondered why I needed to know a particular detail—and to be frank, I think there were a lot of details that weren’t necessary but were included anyway because Dumas was likely paid by the word—but patience paid off when I reached the ending and saw how everything unfolded.
I can see why some people may not enjoy how consumed Dantès was in seeking vengeance (especially when he was introduced as a just and good-natured man), but I quite liked how Dumas contemplated the nuances of revenge through his protagonist’s merits and flaws (but I also like a good Byronic hero, so there’s that).
Would I ever revisit this novel? Honestly, I don’t know if I would, mainly because it’s so long, but I’m glad to have finally gotten around to reading a sprawling and highly regarded classic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Murder, Suicide, Slavery, and Racism
julianh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
nolemdaer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I have to come to this review with shame, because this was supposed to be my Summer of Monte Cristo where I read three chapters a day and ended up being my Month of Monte Cristo where I got too sucked in, stopped pacing myself, and finished the back half of the book in about two days. But it just goes to show how fun this is read! The introduction goes into how Monte Cristo is often considered just an "entertainment" book rather than high literature, and while I must admit that the themes of revenge and the character arcs are not meticulously plotted nor particularly more artful than a well-done action movie, that doesn't make it any less worthy of a good read. I was completely in love with the story until about a fourth of the way through, where Edmond Dantès transforms into the cold, cruel Count of Monte Cristo, where we lagged a bit and the story became darker (I definitely could have done without that tragic bandit story or all the slavery). The Rome chapters are a drag all around, but once we returned to Paris, the drama and conniving were addictive to read and the revenge - if not sweet - compelling to watch. There's a lot of energy to the writing, so I have to give Buss props for the translation.
I consumed way too much of this book at once and there's just so much in it, so I'm not even sure what else to say. This is entertainment in its purest form. Long live the Morrels.
I consumed way too much of this book at once and there's just so much in it, so I'm not even sure what else to say. This is entertainment in its purest form. Long live the Morrels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Slavery
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault
brodi727's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book Oh my God many times I forgot I was in the real world I was so invested and I didn't even realize I had read 200 pages in one sitting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
Moderate: Child death, Slavery, Drug use, Alcohol, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, and Sexism
Minor: Racial slurs, Incest, Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Infidelity
random19379's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Child death, Incest, War, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Racial slurs, Death, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Gaslighting, Confinement, Ableism, and Classism
mousecat's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Child death, and Suicide
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I am pleasantly surprised by this book. I know classics are a classic for a reason but I tend to struggle with the writing style in a lot of classics, and the ones where they are following a life of someone tend to feel like they focus on the mundane stuff or events that don't feel important to the story.
Now The Count of Monte Cristo does do this as well. If it were written now I can guarantee that it would be much shorter. Everything in this book is given in a meandering way. If you are someone that can't handle the book jumping POVs, timelines and stories that eventually help build a bigger picture and pay off towards the end of the book, this may not be the read for you. There were many times that I was listening to a chapter having zero clue how we ended up here or why we needed to know this until a few or several hours later.
In saying that I thought the story was really good and it does feel nice to have those 'Ah-ha!' moments when listening. Seeing all the people and events come together almost feels like a mystery that is being unfolded in front of you. You feel like you are involved with the story.
I think those you read and enjoyed Six of Crows would really enjoy this. I felt like the books where paced and gave information to the reader in very similar ways.
Now The Count of Monte Cristo does do this as well. If it were written now I can guarantee that it would be much shorter. Everything in this book is given in a meandering way. If you are someone that can't handle the book jumping POVs, timelines and stories that eventually help build a bigger picture and pay off towards the end of the book, this may not be the read for you. There were many times that I was listening to a chapter having zero clue how we ended up here or why we needed to know this until a few or several hours later.
In saying that I thought the story was really good and it does feel nice to have those 'Ah-ha!' moments when listening. Seeing all the people and events come together almost feels like a mystery that is being unfolded in front of you. You feel like you are involved with the story.
I think those you read and enjoyed Six of Crows would really enjoy this. I felt like the books where paced and gave information to the reader in very similar ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Suicide, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse and Slavery
figsofpeach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Child death, Slavery, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
hannasandmann's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A new favourite! Go, read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Murder, Torture, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Suicide and Child death