Paperback, 1462 pages
Published Aug. 17, 2009 by Vintage Classics.
The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (père) completed in 1844. It is one of the author's more popular works, along with The Three Musketeers. Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.The story takes place in France, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean during the historical events of 1815–1839: the era of the Bourbon Restoration through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France. It begins on the day that Napoleon left his first island of exile, Elba, beginning the Hundred Days period when Napoleon returned to power. The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book, an adventure story centrally concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness. It centers on a man who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes from jail, acquires a fortune, and …
The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (père) completed in 1844. It is one of the author's more popular works, along with The Three Musketeers. Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.The story takes place in France, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean during the historical events of 1815–1839: the era of the Bourbon Restoration through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France. It begins on the day that Napoleon left his first island of exile, Elba, beginning the Hundred Days period when Napoleon returned to power. The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book, an adventure story centrally concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness. It centers on a man who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes from jail, acquires a fortune, and sets about exacting revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment. Before he can marry his fiancée Mercédès, Edmond Dantès, a nineteen year old Frenchman, and first mate of the Pharaon, is falsely accused of treason, arrested, and imprisoned without trial in the Château d'If, a grim island fortress off Marseille. A fellow prisoner, Abbé Faria, correctly deduces that his jealous rival Fernand Mondego, envious crewmate Danglars, and double-dealing magistrate De Villefort turned him in. Faria inspires his escape and guides him to a fortune in treasure. As the powerful and mysterious Count of Monte Cristo (Italy), he arrives from the Orient to enter the fashionable Parisian world of the 1830s and avenge himself on the men who conspired to destroy him. The book is considered a literary classic today. According to Luc Sante, "The Count of Monte Cristo has become a fixture of Western civilization's literature, as inescapable and immediately identifiable as Mickey Mouse, and the story of Little Red Riding Hood."
A spectacular story filled with wonderful prose. And if you read all the footnotes you’ll triply well read.
No matter how many times I read it, I love this book more the next time! Just make sure you have time for the 1200 pages!
incredibilmente avvincente e modernissimo, intenso e a tratti anche divertente. Una lettura intensissima, alcuni passaggi rimarranno nella mia memoria per un bel po'
So worth the investment. I'm rarely hankering for fan fiction, but I really want to read more about (relatively minor character) Eugénie Danglars.
It flows like an on-edge television show and it bites like a wolf: revenge, murder, political plots, duels, swordfights, romance, history and grit - great fun (but read a good translation and a full version!).
I find it quite difficult to describe how finishing this book has made me feel. I seem to have been reading it for years, I'm pretty sure I have aged a few years from the experience.
The first part of the book was fantastic and i was racing through it until Sinbad the Sailor makes an appearance and it is like hitting a wall.
This tale of revenge has gotta be the most drawn out and complex ever planned. At times whilst reading this I kept thinking why is he doing this but in the end all the loose ends are tied up and all makes sense.
My one big issue is that throughout the revenge you don't get to know what is going on inside Edmund's head. I know I know that would require more words.
Want to read the unabridged version...
