The Count of Monte Cristo (Wordsworth Classics)
With an Introduction and Notes by Keith Wren, University of Kent at Canterbury.
The story of Edmund Dantes, self-styled Count of Monte Cristo, is told with consummate skill. The victim of a miscarriage of justice, Dantes is fired by a desire for retribution and empowered by a stroke of providence. In his campaign of vengeance, he becomes an anonymous agent of fate.
The sensational narrative of intrigue, betrayal, escape, and triumphant revenge moves at a cracking pace. Dumas' novel presents a powerful conflict between good and evil embodied in an epic saga of rich diversity that is complicated by the hero's ultimate discomfort with the hubristic implication of his own actions.
Our edition is based on the most popular and enduring translation first published by Chapman and Hall in 1846. The name of the translator was never revealed.
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Community Reviews
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?
This French Classic is THE best, THE most entertaining, THE most patient and well thought out revenge story I have ever read. I finally decided to tackle this beast when a few channels I watch on YouTube hosted a 3 month long readalong for it.
I will also mention that I listened to this one on audiobook, narrated by John Lee, which was amazing. John Lee made this story come to life and I really just enjoyed his voice. I tried to read some of it physically and couldn't make it. The audiobook is the way to go!
We follow the character Dantes - we meet him as a young man who is hard working, well liked and loved by his employer and fellow sailors, about to marry the love of his life: Dantes has everything going for him. Until a jealous admirer of Dantes' fiance takes it upon himself to follow through with a plot to get Dantes out of the way of another sailor who wanted his position on the ship he works on.
Dantes is arrested and falsely accused and we spend the next several YEARS as Dantes lays down intricate plans to get revenge on all those who were involved. It was perfection. Absolute perfection. Will definitely reread in the future!
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