The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Paperback: 544 pages, Publisher: Bantam Classics (December 1, 1984), ISBN-10: 0553213504 (Abridged Version)
Rating: 4.5 of 5 STARS
Source: Farming of Books Book Club September Selection (See side bar waaay down there)
I thought this was one of the best "stories" I've ever read. It was definitely a page turner all the way through. Dumas tells us of a young man, Edmond Dantes, who has the world on a string but ends up betrayed and wrongly imprisoned. While jailed, he is mentored by a priest who teaches him great knowledge and gives him the secret to find a fortune too incredible to imagine. After the death of his mentor, Edmond escapes, finds the fortune, and turns himself into the Count of Monte Cristo in order to seek out revenge on the men who betrayed him. The most interesting part of the story to me was Edmond believed he was being used as an instrument of God to exact justice on those who had wronged him. The contrast between the man he was at the beginning of the book and the man he became by the end was stark. Yet there was still a promise at the close of the book that maybe Edmond had seen the bitterness of his heart, had realized he was not God nor His instrument, and might now be able to begin again with a new love in a new life.
Our book club had a great discussion on the topic of revenge, God's justice, and bitterness. We rated it an overall 4.75 STARS and several members gave the Count their first '5' rating ever. It truly is a great book. I didn't go with a '5' because I struggled a bit to keep up with all the characters and how they were intertwined with each other which caused me some frustration. That's probably more a reflection of my intellect rather than Dumas' book!
I highly recommend this to you, bloggy friends. I didn't mark a lot of "Good Words" passages, but this is just a really great STORY. And it's a wonderful choice for a book club.
Rating: 4.5 of 5 STARS
Source: Farming of Books Book Club September Selection (See side bar waaay down there)
I thought this was one of the best "stories" I've ever read. It was definitely a page turner all the way through. Dumas tells us of a young man, Edmond Dantes, who has the world on a string but ends up betrayed and wrongly imprisoned. While jailed, he is mentored by a priest who teaches him great knowledge and gives him the secret to find a fortune too incredible to imagine. After the death of his mentor, Edmond escapes, finds the fortune, and turns himself into the Count of Monte Cristo in order to seek out revenge on the men who betrayed him. The most interesting part of the story to me was Edmond believed he was being used as an instrument of God to exact justice on those who had wronged him. The contrast between the man he was at the beginning of the book and the man he became by the end was stark. Yet there was still a promise at the close of the book that maybe Edmond had seen the bitterness of his heart, had realized he was not God nor His instrument, and might now be able to begin again with a new love in a new life.
Our book club had a great discussion on the topic of revenge, God's justice, and bitterness. We rated it an overall 4.75 STARS and several members gave the Count their first '5' rating ever. It truly is a great book. I didn't go with a '5' because I struggled a bit to keep up with all the characters and how they were intertwined with each other which caused me some frustration. That's probably more a reflection of my intellect rather than Dumas' book!
I highly recommend this to you, bloggy friends. I didn't mark a lot of "Good Words" passages, but this is just a really great STORY. And it's a wonderful choice for a book club.
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4 comments:
Thanks for the review. I've been meaning to read this for some time. I've heard it's one of the best books by Dumas. Your review helped me remember to add it to my upcoming list to read. Thanks!
I love this book and have made it a must-read for each of my children. Thus far, three have read it and loved it, too.
Sometime you might want to try Jeffrey Archer's updated version called A Prisoner of Birth. It's about as good, and a little easier to follow as there are not as many characters.
You wrote a fine review!
THis one is one of my favorites of all time. I do enjoy Dumas and want to read more of his novels.
This is a must read for anyone plotting revenge...it will either make you realize your attempts will be amateuristic compared to Dantes, or you'll figure out revenge isn't worth it in the end...
I still haven't made up my mind...
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