The Count of Monte Cristo in WACKY READING CHALLENGES

Sep 27, 2008 Angie H rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, best-100-novels-list, book-project, books-i-own, readathon-day-2015, favourite-classics

Personally I don't agree with revenge, but I will say it was entertaining to read about! I was blown away reading this book and seeing the masterful plans unfold. The plot was incredible. The characters were diabolical ( mostly, some characters had some redeeming qualities) and you kind of wanted them to get what they deserved.

Now don't get me wrong, this IS a classic over 1400 pages long, so there were some dry areas, but overall I found myself flagging all sorts of foreshadowing, quotes, plot ...more

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Jun 24, 2017 Nancy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, france, still-owned

How on earth can a book which is so long, and written so long ago be so utterly absorbing, compelling and exciting? I admit, this is the first time I've read this book and I was so engrossed in the story I simply couldn't put it down. I do love a good story about someone who gets their revenge on people who wrong them - don't we all? Our innate sense of justice takes over and we cheer when the underdog becomes the victor. But it was the complexity of Dantes' revenge which I loved, as well as how ...more

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May 28, 2018 Jody rated it liked it

Shelves: bbc-100, bbc-big-read, guardian-100, penguin-classic-100, rory-gilmore, 1001-before-you-die, guardian-1000, goodreads-top-100-literary-novels, book-bub-100-classics, aty-2018

I'm a little at a loss at to how to rate this one. I did enjoy it, for the most part. It started strongly - it was exciting, compelling, and read super quickly. And then, after he escapes from prison ... well, that's where it faltered for me. It meandered. There were parts which seemed pointless (the Italian part particularly). Thankfully it picked up with around 30% to go, and finished well.

But, the characters. I liked Edmond, but apart from a few others, I didn't find them well-drawn enough to ...more

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Aug 04, 2008 Tien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, france, classic

I bought this book a number of years ago on account of it being on sale and therefore, cheap & affordable. Of course, I have seen the movie and was, therefore, curious about the actual story. I should have known better!! Very disappointed to find that they are vastly different! It's almost like 2 different stories!

The movie has the romantic adventure tone but the book is so much more complex. There is, of course, some romance but not from the quarter you expected (again movie's influence). Whils ...more

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Aug 12, 2013 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics

This was my own Big Read for the year - started it in January or February? Loved every minute of it. Keeping all the characters straight over such a long reading period is really my only complaint. Definite issues with suspending disbelief, but in keeping with the time and way it was written, serialized for the masses, I had no problem with that. I read this as part of my subscription with The Hardcore Literature Book Club and Ben McEvoy's lectures were excellent. On to The Three Musketeers! ...more

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Jul 03, 2019 Joy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own, library, 1001-books, serial-reader, ebook, classics

I cannot praise this book enough. I was promised adventure, tears, laughter, wit, love, hate and more, and this book delivered and then some. It is 1200+ pages long and it didn't drag for a second. Absolutely fantastic. ...more

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