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queenerdloser 's review for:
The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas
i've spent years (YEARS!) with this book on my to-read list because, frankly, it's intimidating. and it earned that intimidating title with pages on pages of strange side-plots, a lot of long ramblings from almost every character in the damn book, so many names to keep track of, and an almost ridiculously heightened use of drama. but! all that said, there's a reason this is a classic and a reason it's so beloved - and if you can get past the 1200 pages and the way they take pretty much an entire chapter to have one conversation, it's well worth it in my opinion.
dantes' journey from wide-eyed naive kid into a hardened, cynical adult is both heart-wrenching and cathartic; even when he arguably goes "too far" we're rooting for him the entire way, and the bulk of the narrative's strength rests on him as a protagonist. but for a protagonist, we get surprisingly little of his point of view - dumas' great triumph lies in his deft genius for character voice, and he exercises it so well in this book it's almost shocking. being able to weave together so many different narratives and voices into something that not only works but thrills is what makes this one a masterpiece for me.
dantes' journey from wide-eyed naive kid into a hardened, cynical adult is both heart-wrenching and cathartic; even when he arguably goes "too far" we're rooting for him the entire way, and the bulk of the narrative's strength rests on him as a protagonist. but for a protagonist, we get surprisingly little of his point of view - dumas' great triumph lies in his deft genius for character voice, and he exercises it so well in this book it's almost shocking. being able to weave together so many different narratives and voices into something that not only works but thrills is what makes this one a masterpiece for me.