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.BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
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?
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 is my second book by Alexander Dumas - my introduction to this author was first made by The Three Musketeers, which remains a favorite to this very day!
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!
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!
My favorite book of all time! I read this in middle school and it’s what made me fall in love with books to begin with!
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.