The Count of Monte Cristo (Wordsworth Classics)

"On what slender threads do life and fortune hang." Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read

Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantes 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 serialized in the 1840s.

Robin Buss's lively English translation is complete and unabridged, and remains faithful to the style of Dumas's original. This edition includes an introduction, explanatory notes and suggestions for further reading.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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928 pages

Average rating: 8.58

121 RATINGS

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10 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Ashku7
Nov 30, 2024
10/10 stars
4.5 Stars

Well, holy hell.

Edmond Dantes is one of the most adorable MMCs I have ever read. What happened to him was a travesty—unacceptable and deplorable —dealt to him by some damn dirty vipers (no offense intended to the Azemiopinae, Crotalinae, and Viperinae).


***********SPOILER ALERT!************
But the big question is, "DID HE GET HIS REVENGE? "
Yes, he did. Four traitors met their end, but not without some unexpected twists and turns in the plot and mistreatment of characters- some of which I found disagreeable and even disliked.

Now, after reading this, one of the takeaways just may be:

Money cannot buy you happiness- BUT it can fully fund one of the most elaborate revenge plots known to humankind and allow for endless flexes while doing so.
AKA
----Get that money, and then make them pay

....right?
Jessie85
Aug 30, 2023
10/10 stars
I've never read a more satisfying revenge novel than this one. Fantastic
mjex19
Jul 18, 2023
10/10 stars
One very long, very good book
teetalena
Jun 14, 2023
6/10 stars
Definitely read the Pacemaker version! But still a great story!
E Clou
May 10, 2023
8/10 stars
Despite the insane length, this book was fun, and once I got into the rhythm of it I looked forward to returning to it. There are deeper topics of enduring suffering, man seeing himself as God, pride, love, loyalty, and keeping promises. Still, for me, it lacked some depth in those topics.

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