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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
Such an adventurous story! I loved many things about this book.
Quote:
What, this “I” that I thought was something; this “I”, of which I was so proud; this “I” that I saw so small in the dungeons of the Château d’If and managed to make so great, will be, tomorrow,
A speck of dust! Alas, it is not the death of the body that I mourn: is not that destruction of the vital spark the point of rest towards which everything tends, for which every unfortunate yearns, that material calm which I have so long sighed for and towards which I was proceeding by the painful road of hunger when Faria appeared in my cell? What is death? One step further into calm and two perhaps into silence.
Quote:
What, this “I” that I thought was something; this “I”, of which I was so proud; this “I” that I saw so small in the dungeons of the Château d’If and managed to make so great, will be, tomorrow,
A speck of dust! Alas, it is not the death of the body that I mourn: is not that destruction of the vital spark the point of rest towards which everything tends, for which every unfortunate yearns, that material calm which I have so long sighed for and towards which I was proceeding by the painful road of hunger when Faria appeared in my cell? What is death? One step further into calm and two perhaps into silence.
I finally read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It was a very interesting tale of false accusations and imprisonment. It was the tale of escape and new fortune. It was a tale of vengeance. Talk about some serious acting and sleuthing skills on the part of Edmond Dantes aka The Count of Monte Cristo. I was thinking a lot about how interesting his plot of revenge was while at the same time how sad it was that he spent so much time and money he spent with a vengeful heart and that is ultimately kind of sad. But, in the end, there is some redemption and it is very sweet. I enjoyed this book and am glad I finally read it.
At just over 1,200 pages, this is probably the longest book I've ever read. I feel like I have been reading this book forever. When I finally finished it this afternoon, it felt almost anticlimactic, because how do you close out a tale so long and epic?
This was a good book to read during quarantine, and I would take it with me if I ever went to one of those fabled desert islands. The plot is so much more intricate than what I've seen in movie adaptations. It's more than a tale of revenge (though it is also very much a tale of revenge). When the revenge finally does happen, it's not at all how I thought it would unfold. Suddenly, all of the breadcrumbs left in the preceding 1,000 pages finally paid off. It is a very romantic novel, with grand, sweeping emotions, and subplots that involve murder, adultery, infanticide, secret treasure, high-society drama, drug-induced hallucinations, and even LGBTQ characters! I think it's noteworthy that Alexandre Dumas himself was a man of color; he adopted the last name "Dumas" from his grandmother, a Haitian former slave. This seems to be forgotten by most people, and certainly by Hollywood.
I feel bad not giving the novel a perfect 5-star review, but the fact is it was written for serialization, so it's a bit bloated. As much as I love the complex plot, there were some parts that certainly could have been trimmed. At some points, I found myself getting lost in the details and who was whom. It seems all of the women in this novel are either evil witchy stepmothers or sexy virginal damsels in distress. There's also some casual antisemitism and fetishization of the "Orient." But what can you expect from a novel written in the 1840s?
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I'm also glad I'm finally finished with it and can read some other things. This should count for at least 3 books on my yearly challenge.
This was a good book to read during quarantine, and I would take it with me if I ever went to one of those fabled desert islands. The plot is so much more intricate than what I've seen in movie adaptations. It's more than a tale of revenge (though it is also very much a tale of revenge). When the revenge finally does happen, it's not at all how I thought it would unfold. Suddenly, all of the breadcrumbs left in the preceding 1,000 pages finally paid off. It is a very romantic novel, with grand, sweeping emotions, and subplots that involve murder, adultery, infanticide, secret treasure, high-society drama, drug-induced hallucinations, and even LGBTQ characters! I think it's noteworthy that Alexandre Dumas himself was a man of color; he adopted the last name "Dumas" from his grandmother, a Haitian former slave. This seems to be forgotten by most people, and certainly by Hollywood.
I feel bad not giving the novel a perfect 5-star review, but the fact is it was written for serialization, so it's a bit bloated. As much as I love the complex plot, there were some parts that certainly could have been trimmed. At some points, I found myself getting lost in the details and who was whom. It seems all of the women in this novel are either evil witchy stepmothers or sexy virginal damsels in distress. There's also some casual antisemitism and fetishization of the "Orient." But what can you expect from a novel written in the 1840s?
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I'm also glad I'm finally finished with it and can read some other things. This should count for at least 3 books on my yearly challenge.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow!
I never expected to be on the edge of my seat so often by a book written in 1884! Being familiar with the story from having watched the movie so long ago, this truly blew my mind!
I won’t lie - I printed out the wiki and CliffNotes to help keep people straight. :) Very helpful with all the different characters and aliases.
There were times it bogged down a bit, but overall kept me thoroughly engaged.
I never expected to be on the edge of my seat so often by a book written in 1884! Being familiar with the story from having watched the movie so long ago, this truly blew my mind!
I won’t lie - I printed out the wiki and CliffNotes to help keep people straight. :) Very helpful with all the different characters and aliases.
There were times it bogged down a bit, but overall kept me thoroughly engaged.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
47 hour audiobook. It took 2 months to finish. At times I
was riveted by great storytelling. Other times, I got
lost in tedious meanders and couldn't follow for long
stretches.
was riveted by great storytelling. Other times, I got
lost in tedious meanders and couldn't follow for long
stretches.
there was a lot going on in this book. it probably needs two reads, but i LOVED it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced