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![The Count of Monte Cristo [Abridged] by Alexandre Dumas](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/1qy27ultqt1q86gtbubgprtxmd89)
4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Edmund Dantes is a young sailor that has a beautiful fiancé and a chance to become a captain. Unfortunately there are 3 men who are jealous of him and arrange to falsely accuse him of treason. He spends 14 years in prison plotting his revenge. He is able to escape and come across a treasure that makes him very wealthy. He spends the rest of his time playing the long game against his enemies to extract his revenge. Recommend.
4.5 stars, really. I got a little bored in the middle, with some of the chapters that had a lot of financial dealings, but overall this classic is a sheer delight. Only after I'd checked it out of the library did I realize that I'd gotten an abridged version. I wish I'd read the unabridged one, because I didn't get the full "Prince Andrea Cavalcanti is secretly the illegitimate son of Monsieur de Villefort and Madame Danglars; they both believed he was dead" storyline.
Because I saw the movie based on Jay Wolpert's highly entertaining screenplay before I read the book, I can't help but feel that it would have been better had the Count and Mercedes had ended up together. There's no reason they couldn't have; he was single and her husband was dead. Instead he (presumably) married Haydee, which (despite being quite romantically written) seems a bit odd since a) she was his adopted daughter and b) he bought her to keep her out of the slave trade. Could a man really have an equal relationship with a woman he'd raised since she was eleven years old, a woman who considered him her rescuer? It probably didn't seem as strange to Dumas, since his grandmother had been a slave. Edmond and Mercedes were the same age, grew up together and wouldn't have a power imbalance in their relationship. That Edmond ended up with the 18-year-old instead seems like a male fantasy, but I suppose that's the author's prerogative. So, in conclusion, I love both the book and the movie, but in slightly different ways. I won't be unhappy if someone, somewhere, has written the erotica mash-up a la [b:Jane Eyre Laid Bare: The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist|15794594|Jane Eyre Laid Bare The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist|Eve Sinclair|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346068821s/15794594.jpg|21495890].
Because I saw the movie based on Jay Wolpert's highly entertaining screenplay before I read the book, I can't help but feel that it would have been better had the Count and Mercedes had ended up together. There's no reason they couldn't have; he was single and her husband was dead. Instead he (presumably) married Haydee, which (despite being quite romantically written) seems a bit odd since a) she was his adopted daughter and b) he bought her to keep her out of the slave trade. Could a man really have an equal relationship with a woman he'd raised since she was eleven years old, a woman who considered him her rescuer? It probably didn't seem as strange to Dumas, since his grandmother had been a slave. Edmond and Mercedes were the same age, grew up together and wouldn't have a power imbalance in their relationship. That Edmond ended up with the 18-year-old instead seems like a male fantasy, but I suppose that's the author's prerogative. So, in conclusion, I love both the book and the movie, but in slightly different ways. I won't be unhappy if someone, somewhere, has written the erotica mash-up a la [b:Jane Eyre Laid Bare: The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist|15794594|Jane Eyre Laid Bare The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist|Eve Sinclair|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346068821s/15794594.jpg|21495890].
According as we have lived, death is either a friend who rocks us as gently as a nurse, or an enemy who violently tears the soul from the body.
4.5. This book is going straight to my favorite classics list. An incredible, incredible story. Though I am a bit sad right now because I accidentally read an abridged edition. (600 pages is abridged??) Please don't hurt me. I will be sure to read the unabridged when I do a reread.
Behold, my dear friend, how God punishes the most boastful and unfeeling for their indifference in the face of terrible disasters. I looked on unmoved and curious. I watched this grim tragedy developing, and, like one of those fallen angels, laughed at the evil committed by men under the screen of secrecy. And now my turn has come, and I am bitten by the serpent whose tortuous course I have been watching, bitten to the core.
4.5. This book is going straight to my favorite classics list. An incredible, incredible story. Though I am a bit sad right now because I accidentally read an abridged edition. (600 pages is abridged??) Please don't hurt me. I will be sure to read the unabridged when I do a reread.
Behold, my dear friend, how God punishes the most boastful and unfeeling for their indifference in the face of terrible disasters. I looked on unmoved and curious. I watched this grim tragedy developing, and, like one of those fallen angels, laughed at the evil committed by men under the screen of secrecy. And now my turn has come, and I am bitten by the serpent whose tortuous course I have been watching, bitten to the core.
fun story, not sure if it was the small pocketsized book or what but I didn't feel drawn to keep going
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Most excellent! Very different from the movie, so if you are thinking of passing this adventure by because you have seen the film.....DON'T!!! It is an exceptional tale of determination, betrayal, and vengence. I absolutely LOVED it, one of the best novels I have read in awhile! Oh...and I still like the movie....mostly for James Caveizal's portrayal of Edmond Dantes.