Make no mistake; this will be a long and sometimes bumpy ride. Dumas occasionally will drop his reader into a chapter that seems to have no relevance to any of the chapters before it. After a while though, it will all become crystal clear as this master storyteller weaves his magic. There will be twists and turns that the reader will not be able to foresee and in the end you will marvel at the scope of the story and the extent of both the vengeance and kindness of the story's hero.

As with many great works of literature, there have been many film adaptations of this book. Some were of course better than others were but none of these films come close to doing this book justice. If you have watched any or all of these films, be prepared to find that the book will often only resemble the films in that the characters have the same names. At least the characters that make it into the films will have the same names but many of the characters in the book never make it into the films. This book is simply too rich and too deep to be captured on film. To really experience Dumas' work you simply must read the book.

This is a story of love lost, of deception, jealousy and murder. Within this book the reader will find villains so vile that they seem almost inhuman but when their downfall comes it is so terrible that one almost feels for these wretched creatures. All through the book the reader sees the story building to a climax, but it builds slowly. So slowly in fact that the reader will be almost on the edge of his or her seat as they wait for the inevitable falling of the ax. When the final act does finally come, the reader will know the characters so well that they will almost be able to feel their agony. On the other hand, the reader will also see that the Count's victims would not have become victims but for their own greed and pride. The traps laid by the Count simply would not have worked had not his victims been ruled by same vices that led them to wrong Dantes in the first place. As with all great works of fiction, the moral lessons are there, but buried under the surface so that they don't interfere with a great story.

This is indeed a great story.


A mesmerising tale of betrayal and revenge   September 17, 2004
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

'The Count of Monte Cristo' was originally published in serial form in 1844/1845. It is a sizeable book, but don't be put off.

Edond Dante has it all. He is soon to become Captain of his ship, and marry the beautiful Mercedes. With all his good fortune, Dante becomes a victim to the jealousy of his so-called friends. An accusation of treason against Dante seals his fate, sending him to rot in the Island prison, the Chateau d'If. Dante plots escape and bloody revenge.

As it was published in serial form, this novel moves at a brisk pace. Of course this mammoth novel starts extremely badly for Edmond Dante. His desperation and suffering in the Chateau d'If makes his methodical revenge all the more satisfying. Don't be put off by the length, Dante's fall and rise is mesmerising. Yes, the early/mid-section in Rome is not as interesting as the rest of the novel, but it all has its place in the story, so the best approach is to stick with it and punch through that section. The second half of the book will more than reward your persistence.

The writing style is straight-forward to read, and because the novel has a serialised style, there is usually an interesting plot development in each chapter. The downfall of Dante's accusers is all the more fascinating because their fate is cleverly brought about through the flaws in their own personalities.

This book is well worth the time. A readable classic. Clearly five stars.


Good story but this is not the best edition   August 27, 2004
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

First of all, the story itself gets a full 5 stars. I only give this edition 4 because the translation is a bit too purist for modern reading tastes. This edition of the book is a new translation of the original French book. A lot of the other editions are based on more modern translations and are a lot easier to read. I have also read the Penguin Classic edition and it's a lot easier to read. This edition seems a bit too "purist" or academic.

The story of this book is one of revenge, played out in loosely three acts:
1)The betrayal, prison and escape
2)The Count enters French society
3)The cold-hearted revenge

Act 1 is fantastic, I imagine that the author of 'Papillon' was a big fan of this book.
Act 2 is good and bad. The way that the rich and charming Count enters the Parisian social scene and ingratiates himself with his former friends is brilliant. The bad part is that this entire section drags along a bit. There is one section in the book where the protagonists are at a ball in Rome. It just seems to drag on!
Act 3 is excellent. You have feelings of "that'll teach you" and a wicked sense of comfort in the acts of revenge! However, I don't know if I missed something but I thought that the end of the book was a small anticlimax.

All in all, an excellent book though I recommend reading an edition with a more modern translation.


Simply The Best   August 3, 2004
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This book is just the best book I have ever read. An amazing story that is hugely entertaining and dramatic. I could hardly put it down.

I liken it to the Thomas Crown affair, crossed with The Three Musketeers, It is just a really fun tale, told with great skill.

Quite simple; buy it and you will not be disappointed.


An inspiring and enthralling book   March 15, 2004
 0 out of 3 found this review helpful

I was first attracted to the book from seeing the recent film adaptation and felt somekind of attachmet with Dantes through similar life experiences.
The story of the Count of Monte Cristo although fictional is relevant to the modern day as it was back in the 19th century. It tells the tale of a young man through a chance meeting with Napoloen he he then becomes a victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice imprisoned for life in the remote island prison Chateau D'If, while his friend steals his wife and livliehood.
Through great providence and fate he transforms his life gains an education, and escapes the prison to find untold wealth on the island of Monte Cristo. Then the young Dantes transforms himself into the Count of Monte Cristo and takes revenge on those who collaborated in his downfall and helps those who fall on hard times.
The book's first 200 pages feel it was written at breakneck speed immeadiately capturing the reader's imagination and leading them on a fantastic journey through France and the Mediterrian. Dumas sensing the reader is near exhausted from this slows the pace down and rambles on about Dante's adventures in Rome with which in hindsight contribute very little to the book.
Apart that small criticism its a fabulous read inspiring and enthralling and nearly as good as the Lord of the Rings.