The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics)
One of the grandest tales of adventure, Alexandre Dumas’s epic novel of revenge, perseverance, lost love, and self-invention—now a PBS Masterpiece miniseries starring Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons
“My desert island book . . . No matter how many times I revisit it, I find new lines to appreciate, new narrative corners to explore.”—V. E. Schwab, The New York Times Book Review
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of the Château d’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 use the treasure to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration.
Robin Buss’s lively translation is complete and unabridged, and remains faithful to the style of Dumas’s original. This edition includes an introduction, chronology, explanatory notes, and suggestions for further reading.
Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing 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.
“My desert island book . . . No matter how many times I revisit it, I find new lines to appreciate, new narrative corners to explore.”—V. E. Schwab, The New York Times Book Review
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of the Château d’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 use the treasure to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration.
Robin Buss’s lively translation is complete and unabridged, and remains faithful to the style of Dumas’s original. This edition includes an introduction, chronology, explanatory notes, and suggestions for further reading.
Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing 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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Readers say *The Count of Monte Cristo* is a timeless classic celebrated for its thrilling adventure, rich themes of justice, revenge, love, and human...
this is my favorite book in the world. Honestly I always hear people recommend classic books but I’m used to reading all these new books than I tend to start these older books with a mindset of “I’m gonna be so bored.” And the language, the lingo, the specific way of writing is much different than anything I’ve read recently but the story was phenomenal.
I do want to say, there’s times I had to reread certain parts cause I got lost, or even google aspects of the story that lost me which made me feel like I was dumb but it’s hard to comprehend certain things from a book written in the 1800’s!! So no shame if you start it and get a little lost and have to look things up.
It’s a story about love, revenge, passion, hope, grief. A looooooong game of chess or a puzzle that gets put together slowly. When everything finally clicks at the end, you get such satisfaction, it was just beautiful.
I do want to say, there’s times I had to reread certain parts cause I got lost, or even google aspects of the story that lost me which made me feel like I was dumb but it’s hard to comprehend certain things from a book written in the 1800’s!! So no shame if you start it and get a little lost and have to look things up.
It’s a story about love, revenge, passion, hope, grief. A looooooong game of chess or a puzzle that gets put together slowly. When everything finally clicks at the end, you get such satisfaction, it was just beautiful.
I like it because it was about revenge and he did his revenge, but then...like...the lesson is revenge isn't everything and he wasn't even happy about it in the end, also an innocent child died???? SMH.
I guess at least he helped those two lovebirds get together and he had his hot slave to keep him company in the end.
Regardless, Dumas does it again. Bro can't miss. Best book ever, I read it every year.
The Count of Monte Cristo is not just a great book; it's a total reading experience. It's adventure, melodrama, psychological study, philosophical novel, and legal thriller all in one volume. Having seen all the versions—from the 1934 classic with Robert Donat to the more recent ones with Gérard Depardieu or Jim Caviezel—confirms one truth: no film can contain the book. The films are forced to cut essential characters (Haydée, Caderousse, Bertuccio), simplify the machinations, and, above all, compress the slow, methodical preparation that is the very essence of the reading pleasure. Cinema can capture the atmosphere, setting, and emotion of some key moments, but the true enjoyment lies in immersing yourself for weeks in Dumas's intricate world, savoring every detail of the plan.
My wife and I watch the 2002 Count of Monte Cristo movie with Jim Caviezel at least once a year. I read The Three Musketeers and enjoyed it but never delved into this book. Reason? The other was a difficult read. However, that was 35 years ago. (And, yes, different translations can affect how easily it reads.) That said, I did not have nearly as much trouble with Monte Cristo as I did with the Musketeers. I guess my brain continued to develop since high school and getting two college degrees. And, as is often the case, the movie is different than the book. Some of the relationships are different in the book. There is also a different feel to the book. The 2002 movie always felt a bit like the Musketeers to me. The Monte Cristo book did not remind me so much of The Three Musketeers as it did say, of Shakespeare or even Phantom of the Opera. There are more sweeping, emotional journeys than in Musketeers (or even in the movie). So don’t expect to read a novelization of the movie and you'll be fine. I still enjoyed it, even if it was not what I expected when I first cracked the cover. In many ways, it allowed me to enjoy it more than I might have otherwise, because I was surprised! Highly recommended!
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