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A review by meowreads
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Justice can no longer be called as such when taken into the hands of man.
The Count of Monte Cristo was a challenging read - not because of its language and syntax - but because of the questions it surfaces and begs its reader to answer. My journey with this book was a long one and as I was getting to know Edmond and his world page by page; I, too, was learning a lot more about myself and the world around me - how fairness, justness, and justice have different layers and how they all take on different roles and meanings from the individual to the societal level.
Edmond Dantes was wrongly accused of treason, captured, and imprisoned without trial on his wedding day at 19 years old. Sounds like a telenovela, doesnt it? In some ways, it is like a telenovela - with its plot twists and cliff hangers - theatrical and nearing absurdity as it was first published in serial form; hence, the need for M. Dumas to leave his readers on the edge of their seats week after week in 1844.
It has pirates, bandits, a forbidden love, a bloody fight for a single piece of diamond, a treasure trove of jewels and gold, so much poison-making and antidote-crafting, elaborate displays of wealth, a Byronic hero looking more like Lord Byron himself, young women avoiding marriages, parents hastening said marriages but hating their own, reminiscences of ghastly memories, conversations on life and death, revenge, and regret.
Day by day, my thoughts on this book change - what does Edmond deserve? Some days I find myself hating on how he found his humanity back a little too late, at the expense of irrevocable tragedy. Some days I find myself pleased that he regained his humanity and a chance to finally live his life.
The Count of Monte Cristo was a challenging read - not because of its language and syntax - but because of the questions it surfaces and begs its reader to answer. My journey with this book was a long one and as I was getting to know Edmond and his world page by page; I, too, was learning a lot more about myself and the world around me - how fairness, justness, and justice have different layers and how they all take on different roles and meanings from the individual to the societal level.
Edmond Dantes was wrongly accused of treason, captured, and imprisoned without trial on his wedding day at 19 years old. Sounds like a telenovela, doesnt it? In some ways, it is like a telenovela - with its plot twists and cliff hangers - theatrical and nearing absurdity as it was first published in serial form; hence, the need for M. Dumas to leave his readers on the edge of their seats week after week in 1844.
It has pirates, bandits, a forbidden love, a bloody fight for a single piece of diamond, a treasure trove of jewels and gold, so much poison-making and antidote-crafting, elaborate displays of wealth, a Byronic hero looking more like Lord Byron himself, young women avoiding marriages, parents hastening said marriages but hating their own, reminiscences of ghastly memories, conversations on life and death, revenge, and regret.
Day by day, my thoughts on this book change - what does Edmond deserve? Some days I find myself hating on how he found his humanity back a little too late, at the expense of irrevocable tragedy. Some days I find myself pleased that he regained his humanity and a chance to finally live his life.