The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is a slow, but exciting revenge story. I try to read a classic each month, and this was an excellent choice. So, there's a lot that is unbelievable, and some of the language is a bit strange, but I think that's because it is translated from French. However, it was really a wonderful story. Obviously, not what I had expected based on what I recalled from the movie. I was totally taken aback by the very ending of the story. Near the end, it seemed to be over the top, and he realized it. I sort of felt badly for those who had wronged him, but they would always do something stupid and selfish, so that sorrow I felt from them dissipated pretty quickly. Dantes is such a kind, honorable person, you only want the best for him. I started out slowly, then read more and more the past couple of days (I'm on spring break). I saw the movie many years ago, but, honestly, there is much more to the story. I have heard that the unabridged is better, but will have to read THAT over the summer. I discovered, after I started reading this version, that it was the abridged version. I have been meaning to read this book for a few years and finally got around to it. I thought that this was a great book because it was complex and very descriptive. One thing I didn't like is how the story kept going off in completely different directions, but it all came together in the end. Eventually, he gets revenge, and he helps his friend reunite with his fiancee.Īt times, this book was a little confusing, but I really liked it.It kept me interested to see Edmond's cunning plan to get revenge unfold. This problem is resolved when he escapes and gains a massive fortune.He starts planning his revenge on his enemies, which involves a lot of thought and careful planning. He becomes the Count of Monte Cristo, and begins plotting his revenge on the people who got him sent to prison.Ī problem shown in this book is how Edmon Dantes is betrayed and thrown in prison. One day, he makes a daring escape and finds the hidden treasure. While in the prison, he meets an old man who tells him of a huge hidden treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. The main character is a sailor name Edmond Dantes, who is framed for a crime he didn't commit, and he is thrown in prison. The story takes place in France during the 1800's. I thought that this was an great and captivating story. You have to have patience and let the book do its magic. If you have watched the movie first as I did then please don't expect the revenge to be as small as it was in the movie. The middle part was kinda slow partly due to the introduction of so many new characters and their lives and because we don't immediately know the plans of Monte Cristo for them. Overall, I loved it, especially the first and last thirds as they were so so thrilling and I read them quite fast. I Wish Danglers too had finally found that it was Edmond who caused his ruin but actually he fleas before that. I wish Edmond had ended up with Mercedes as he does in the movie and I actually found myself feeling pity for the Villefort family. I was disappointed at first to read the different characters (there are many characters) which weren't in the movie and seemed irrelevant but actually they are completely relevant owing to the fact that the next 2 thirds of the book are nothing like the movie. The movie was merely a third of the book and although the basic plot was same, the vengeance that Edmond Dantes takes is quite different. It was not at all what I expected after watching the awesome movie.
He became one of the leading authors of the French Romantic Movement, in Paris. At age 14 Thomas-Alexandre was taken by his father to France, where he was educated in a military academy and entered the military for what became an illustrious career.ĭumas's father's aristocratic rank helped young Alexandre Dumas acquire work with Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, then as a writer, finding early success. His father, General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti) to Alexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie, a French nobleman, and Marie-Cessette Dumas, a black slave. Dumas also wrote plays and magazine articles, and was a prolific correspondent.ĭumas was of Haitian descent and mixed-race. Many of his novels, including The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne were serialized. For the son, see Alexandre Dumas fils.Īlexandre Dumas, père (French for "father", akin to Senior in English), born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. This note regards Alexandre Dumas, père, the father of Alexandre Dumas, fils (son).