Author: Alexandre Dumas
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Genre: Classic
I'm styling this review a bit differently, because I took this book in a little differently than most.
Blurb: 'On what slender threads do life and fortune hang.'
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas' epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialised in the 1840s.
Robin Buss' lively translation is complete and unabridged, and remains faithful to the style of Dumas' original. This edition includes an introduction, explanatory notes and suggestions for further reading.
Me: I really enjoyed this classic novel. It was huge, it was bulky, it was a lot of words and a lot of confusing concepts, but it was a good read.
I think that the most important thing to take away from this book is Dantes' story. Because when he started off in the story, he was a genuinely good person. It was just the horribleness of what had happened to him, what others had done to him that changed him so much. And I think that inside, he was always a good person. He was known to others as a friend, always a welcome guest. He was kind and knew to repay those who had defended him. But I don't think he was ever truly happy.
He had this big thing of revenge looming over his head and he believed that he had to punish these men for what they had done to him.
So why are good people put under circumstances that destroy them when bad people (Danglars and Fernand and Villefort) are allowed to succeed with no problem? Why is that accepted by society?
Also, in the book it makes many references to God and how Dantes believes he is doing the right thing by claiming his revenge on these men. Is he doing the right thing? Is it considered okay to hit back when something has scarred you and changed your life forever?
But there were so many characters. EEP. I kept getting so freaking confused on who was who, especially since they changed names and all that in the middle of the book.
Overall: An AMAZING classic that really got my head spinning, but was also decently easy to get through.
Rating: 4 kisses!
I want to read this book someday, but it's SO massive -- I'm impressed you tackled it! I'm working on Anna Karenina right now, and it feels daunting after only a fourth of the way through. How long did this take you to read?
ReplyDeleteOh I know, I feel you. But I think reading Les Miserables (another 1200 page wonder) helped. It took about 2 weeks total, also because I was reading along with other books occasionally. You should definitely try it!
DeleteThe longest book I've read to date is the 1,000-page Gone With The Wind, which took me maybe two months -- I think I just can't whip through classics, especially big ones, like I can other books! Anna Karenina is lovely, but I always need so much processing time, you know?
DeleteOh yeah I get you. I feel like I can never sit down and read a big classic novel without picking up other books, which is my problem, because I feel like I can't get as much out of the book.
Delete