Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

88 reviews

avfdgirl's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Stalking, Murder

Minor: Racism, Slavery, Suicide

norcalchris's review against another edition

3.5

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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The God-Complex of Monte Cristo was nearly equal parts enjoyable and problematic for me.

The pacing was all over the place. The first 300 pages were riveting, the middle 400 were slow and didn’t seem necessary, and the last 500 were up and down. 

Disappointing ending which lacked explanation about a crucial scheme of the book. The revenge schemes were simultaneously really elaborate and silly (hinged on his wearing of a wig to completely disguise himself).

The attitude toward slavery was gross, but probably of the times. 

I would’ve enjoyed the book more if he didn’t develop such a crushing god complex toward the end. It was just sooo heavy handed. The character that I liked so much in the beginning became such an ass over time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt

estefizaga's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War, Classism

acashton's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Incest

literatureleaf's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Age: 12+

 

Reading time: 28 days

 

Difficulty level: 3.75/5

 

Rating: 3/5

 

 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas follows Edmond Dantes, a young sailor at the cusp of a very bright future. On the brink of a promising career and loving marriage, the world is his oyster, and the possibility of things going wrong could not be further from his mind. However, all is not as it seems, and, unbeknownst to Edmond and his loved ones, trouble is brewing.

 

Motivated by jealousy, unrequited love, and power, several men close to Edmond begin to plot against him, ultimately leading to his imprisonment. While in prison, he begins to fixate on revenge, and with the help of an unlikely friend, hidden treasure, and an eventual daring escape, Edmond will stop at nothing to accomplish what he has set out to achieve, no matter what the cost to himself may be.

 

Spanning countries and decades, The Count is simultaneously a heart wrenching coming-of-age tale and an epic revenge story. Intricately enmeshing politics, relationships, culture, and character, Dumas transports us to a time long past, showcasing the ins and outs of poverty, classism, wealth, and injustice through the eyes of a young man who is simultaneously a victim and a benefactor of his circumstances.

 

Centering on not only Edmond himself, but the people who surround him and have affected him, for better or for worse, Dumas pens a stunning portrait of a man that has been deeply wronged, not only by chance, greed, and corruption, but by the darkness that resides within him. Consumed with the desire to right the wrongs that have stolen years from his life, Edmond gives the reader a raw glimpse into a psyche ravaged by trauma, and how that trauma colors every aspect of a life.

 

Potentially a victim of its time, and the fact that it was originally serialized, the pacing is incredibly inconsistent throughout the novel. Dumas tends to waffle back and forth between several major events occurring in the span of a few pages, and small, minute plot points or events dragging out for upwards of twenty pages, leading to a chaotic, and at times unsatisfying, reading experience.

 

In that same vein, the plot in general struggles with consistency. Key plot points are ignored or glossed over in favor of long-winded descriptions, and side plots are either never wrapped up, or never become relevant to the main story. In combination with the dated language, unsatisfying pacing, and, at times, lack of emotion, The Count can be considered a bit of a slog to get through.

 

A true classic, The Count of Monte Cristo may miss the mark on some things, but it remains a literary window into a time that’s now long past. Combining elements of character study, thriller, drama, romance, and adventure, Dumas utilizes one man’s plight to explore 19th century French politics, injustice, classism, and, above all else, what a life lived for revenge looks like through the lens of the one who lived it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Murder

Moderate: Child death, Blood, Death of parent

Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery

seforaflorian's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

romeroreads's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Classism

bluejay21's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Murder

dachre's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder

deinol's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder