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| The Count of Monte Cristo | 
 enlarge | Author: Alexandre Dumas
Creator: Roger Celestin
Publisher: Signet Classics
Category: Book
List Price: £4.53
Buy Used: £2.25
You Save: £2.28 (50%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  76 reviews
Sales Rank: 1394323
Format: Abridged
Media: Paperback
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.5
ISBN: 0451529707
Dewey Decimal Number: 843.7
EAN: 9780451529701
ASIN: 0451529707
Publication Date: April 5, 2005
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Item in good condition at a great price! SHIPS FROM UNITED STATES. Avg Delivery Times are 7-24 business days (may take 6-8 weeks due to customs delays). Visit Got Books for all your media needs.
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| Customer Reviews:
All my friends call me Dantes May 4, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
You know when you're reading a really good book and you don't want it to end?
This is that book!
And it's by Dumas!
What more could a person want?
I was first drawn to Dumas after reading 'The Dumas Club' - which is actually quite a bad book. I was reading other French lit. of the period and thought I'd give it a go. Dumas is one of my fave. authors hands down. His attention to detail and masterful storylines have helped ensure his place in literary heaven - one of the greats who will never be forgotten.
Superb, what a tale April 22, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Superb, what a tale, I was riveted by the fascinating story, so deep so full of the deepest human feelings. The language is sophisticated and typical of the 19th century when it was written. It is an intelligent book and far more enjoyable than Victor Hugo's masterpiece "Les Miserables". I read it quickly, it was nearly 900 pages but how fast paced it was and how well the characters were outlined. Dumas is a master storyteller and apart from the authentic retelling of the story in the TV series with Gerard Depardieu there are few stories which compare. It is remarkable by how well they stuck to the storyline in the TV series and how well the characters such as The Count of Monte Cristo, Danglers, Villefort, Mercedes etc were portrayed.
The story of a simple sailor who is soon to become a captain and his love for the beautiful Mercedes who he is just about to marry and the terrible circumstances which follow with the framing of the sailor by his supposed friends Fernand and Danglers and the hellish times to follow, he spent 14 years in a dungeon. The suffering which is portrayed so well, its almost as if Dumas himself had suffered so, somehow the book actually gives an inkling of what it would be like to be trapped within a tiny dingy, dark and stinking room for 14 years with no recreation no entertainment noone to talk to and simple the inability to leave the room, madness seems inevitable. The Abbe Faria saved him this, so much love to give to Edmond Dantes, he restores his life. His subsequent enriching and terrible revenge and the need for him to free himself of the suffering of others only to find it hidden in his own depths. It just doesn't get any better than this. Its not often I give 5 stars. Its a miracle, ... To say the least worth every cent and I would have paid four times as much for it.
The Count of Monte cristo: Any reader would love this book January 2, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Many stories have stemed from this book and I would recommend anyone to have this book.
It is a big book but every chapter is brilliantly written and you won't want to put it down. Once finished you will feel like you went on a journey with the great Edmond Dantes.
This book has so many twists and plots. It conveys how a man goes through his life at first happy then sad then anger, hungry for revnge and then questions if the path he took for himself was right.
This is simply a great book which even though written in the 18th century still applies to today.
If there was only one book I could have this would be it!!
Be careful which version you choose! November 9, 2006
70 out of 70 found this review helpful
Dumas' "Count of Monte Cristo" is the most exciting book I have ever read. It is the epitome of the perfect adventure novel and contains all of the traits that define the genre: jealousy, suspense, action, revenge, deceit, etc. At 1100+ pages, and the label as a "classic," many readers would be turned off at the task of reading such a book. Although the story is long and over 150 years old, it is truly "timeless." This does not read at all like the books you were forced to endure in 9th grade English, and is mostly as topical today as it was when it was penned.
That being said, reading the "wrong" version of this book can change the reader's experience for the worse. Amazon has combined all of the reviews for this book across the many different versions available, which can be very misleading. There are two things that affect the story, the translation, and the context.
I strongly encourage everyone to get the UNabridged version of this story. The abridged version cuts out more than half of Dumas' novel and while the story is still enjoyable, the reader misses out on many exciting chapters in the book. Do not let the length fool you. I found every bit of this book exciting, and never got bored.
Secondly, look for the Robin Buss Translation. Many of the versions of this book use a translation from 1846 (including the Modern Library and Oxford World's Classics editions) that, because of social restrictions at the time, altered some of the story, especially that dealing with sexuality. The Robin Buss translation is more faithful and restores this language, as well as making it an easier read for modern readers.
 Not To Be Undertaken Lightly September 20, 2006
3 out of 19 found this review helpful
To be honest, this book is a struggle. It all starts off rather well, with the betrayal of our protagonist landing him in some rather hot water. Indeed, the entire occupation of Chateau D'If and his meeting with prisoner number 27 is all rather good. Then we have his fortuitous escape.
Now the nitty gritty of the book comes into play, as we find out the fate of those who betrayed him, and find, that they have all become incredibly wealthy. Good thing Dante has been informed about the glorious riches concealed on the Island of Monte Christo.
He begins by actually rewarding those who were loyal, and we have various characters, for instance, the abbe who gives caderousse the diamond, who we are not sure if it is Dante in disguise or not. If this wasn't confusing enough, why reward Caderousse, who was hardly loyal to Dante. But the scene where he rewards Morrel is terribly touching, despite the fact that Dante seems to take a perverse pleasure in waiting till he is at his complete lowest ebb, on the verge of suicide to rescue him, when he could have done so before then.
And then, bizarrely, he denies all knowledge of the act when he becomes friends with his son maximillian. Why? In the wake of this we begin to meet the first of about 20 major characters, and generally become confused once again, as, being all related, they are all called Danglers or Villeforte or Morcerf. Now you have to understand the structure of such titles as vicomte and Baron, because for about 50 pages I thought the vicomte was actually fernand, one of the chaps he has sworn vengeance on.
Enough of my rambling, you get the picture, it can be very confusing for readers not so astute. Monte Christo proceeds to spend millions and millions trivially, to the point where he is almost throwing away money in order to have petty little vengeance culminating in the unltimate revenge.
He breaks off weddings, ruins the Danglers little by little, and takes pains to show villefort he knows of his little secret. In fact, many of his means of revenge, culminate rather from chance than from any part of our Count. We may almost be led to believe he is a nice fellow at times, but he treats his friends as nothing more than means to an end.
So, an essential read, just to say you have read it, but dont expect to understand everything. Struggle through the confusing conversations where we have 3 barons conversing, each calling each other 'baron' until you are totally lost. In addition, some of the notes are spurious, and the manner in which speech is inserted in this edition takes some getting used to. You can have up to three people talking on a single line, which is difficult.
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