Author Topic: The Count of Monte Cristo  (Read 9488 times)

the fixer

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The Count of Monte Cristo
« on: March 03, 2014, 09:43:11 PM »
I just got the idea of posting here that I'm in the middle of reading this. I saw the movie years ago so I vaguely know the plot. I was looking for something to read a couple weeks ago and found this free ebook on my reader, and it looked more appealing than the other free titles. I'm on chapter 8 right now, but I read slow so if anyone else wants they should easily be able to catch up to me.

fallstoclimb

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2014, 06:37:30 AM »
I'm reading this too!  Unfortunately 30% in I realized I was reading an abridged version (hard to tell on my kindle but I'm pretty sure I am - its still long, but not 1200 pages long) and now I'm not sure what to do.   To be honest its gotten sort of slow and I'm not sure if I want to lose 30% of progress just to start rereading an even longer and slower version of it.  But reading the abridged version seems like such a cheat! 

arebelspy

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2014, 07:13:24 AM »
I read the unabridged version a few years back.

It's possibly the only book where I say "the movie is better."

I want to say more, but I don't want to spoil anything.  Bump this in a few weeks or months when you finish so we can discuss.
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MissStache

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2014, 07:32:09 AM »
I read the unabridged version a few years back.

It's possibly the only book where I say "the movie is better."


I was coming here to say literally the exact same thing.  The book disappointed me!

Paul der Krake

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2014, 07:33:03 AM »
I read the unabridged version a few years back.

It's possibly the only book where I say "the movie is better."

I want to say more, but I don't want to spoil anything.  Bump this in a few weeks or months when you finish so we can discuss.
Weird, maybe the English translation isn't that great? It's a phenomenal book, I re-read it every couple years.

arebelspy

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2014, 08:47:30 AM »
I read the unabridged version a few years back.

It's possibly the only book where I say "the movie is better."

I want to say more, but I don't want to spoil anything.  Bump this in a few weeks or months when you finish so we can discuss.
Weird, maybe the English translation isn't that great? It's a phenomenal book, I re-read it every couple years.

Spoiler text small and in white on the line below this.  Highlight and cut and paste into notepad to read, if you don't want spoilers.
I hated the whole slave girl stuff, both throughout the story and choosing her in the end to be with,  the rejecting mercedes who goes to live alone, the Maximilian stuff thinking his love was dead was so romeo and juliet, adding nothing to the main story, etc.  The basic story is great overall, and it's actually one of my favorite movies.  Which is odd, because normally I dislike movie adaptations.  It is literally the only book I can think of in which I think the movie is better.  /shrug.  Just my opinion.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
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Paul der Krake

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2014, 09:13:40 AM »
[Spoiler text]
Ha, no worries, the grandiloquent emotional stuff is not for everyone. Dumas had quite a larger than life reputation (even for a Frenchman!), most of his writing tends to be live in hyperbolic territory, even the novels read as theater plays.

arebelspy

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2014, 09:15:45 AM »
[Spoiler text]
Ha, no worries, the grandiloquent emotional stuff is not for everyone. Dumas had quite a larger than life reputation (even for a Frenchman!), most of his writing tends to be live in hyperbolic territory, even the novels read as theater plays.

Yeah, that's an unfair criticism of my critique.  It has nothing to do with that.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Spork

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #8 on: March 04, 2014, 09:17:57 AM »
I read the unabridged version a few years back.

It's possibly the only book where I say "the movie is better."

I want to say more, but I don't want to spoil anything.  Bump this in a few weeks or months when you finish so we can discuss.

I'd say: The sandwich is better.

Paul der Krake

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2014, 09:33:05 AM »
[Spoiler text]
Ha, no worries, the grandiloquent emotional stuff is not for everyone. Dumas had quite a larger than life reputation (even for a Frenchman!), most of his writing tends to be live in hyperbolic territory, even the novels read as theater plays.

Yeah, that's an unfair criticism of my critique.  It has nothing to do with that.
I must have have misunderstood what bothered you with it then. The lost love and the suffering is key to the unfolding of his revenge, IMHO. :)

arebelspy

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2014, 10:21:04 AM »
The lost love and the suffering is key to the unfolding of his revenge, IMHO. :)

Agreed.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
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the fixer

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2014, 11:49:39 AM »
So far I'm enjoying it, and I think at this point I see where Dumas is going with the theme. Dantes in the beginning is young, ambitious, well-liked, idealistic, but also a little naive. All these great things are happening to him, but they're basically falling into place without him needing to work extra hard to achieve them. From Chapter 5:
Quote
"Why, what ails you?" asked [Danglars] of Edmond. "Do you fear any approaching evil? I should say that you were the happiest man alive at this instant."

"And that is the very thing that alarms me," returned Dantes. "Man does not appear to me to be intended to enjoy felicity so unmixed; happiness is like the enchanted palaces we read of in our childhood, where fierce, fiery dragons defend the entrance and approach; and monsters of all shapes and kinds, requiring to be overcome ere victory is ours. I own that I am lost in wonder to find myself promoted to an honor of which I feel myself unworthy..."
It can be hard for us to truly appreciate what we have if it comes so much easier for us than it does for others. I have this problem sometimes, so the thought resonates with me. It also reminds me of many problems people face with money, and it's how I got the idea to post here that I'm reading the book.

fallstoclimb

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #12 on: March 20, 2014, 06:45:32 AM »
Still reading this, but it made me smile when the Count met up with the couple ( I won't say who they are, to avoid spoilers) who saved up until they had a pre-agreed upon amount of money, and then retired early to live on their investment dividends, even though it was a modest amount.  They are described as financially limited but very happy.  They also rent out part of their house to lower housing costs.

The original MMMers?

Tawcan

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2014, 03:31:53 PM »
I really enjoyed reading this book. The part that was a little bit confusing for me was all the titles. :)

fallstoclimb

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #14 on: April 30, 2014, 06:56:09 AM »
Finally finished this, I really lost steam towards the end.  Overall it was a great story but I am not sure it was really worth the time investment.  Also, obviously women were treated/viewed different then but I still found most of the woman stuff troubling.  And the Maximillian thing was ridiculous. 

Moonwaves

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #15 on: May 12, 2014, 07:03:28 AM »
I'm due to read this again soon. I picked it up in Shakespeare and Company when I was visiting my sister in Paris years ago. I just stumbled across the shop while out wandering and thought I was something special for discovering this little gem. It was a couple of years later I found out it's one of the most famous shops for tourists (and non) in Paris. Oh well.
Anyway, because of how I ended up buying The Count of Montre Cristo (from their bargain bin), I didn't allow myself to be put off when I started reading it and was, to be honest, bored. That lasted for a hundred pages or so (about until he meets the priest in prison) and then all of a sudden I got totally swept up in it and couldn't put it down. I've re-read it a couple of times since and it's firmly in place as one of my favourite books ever.
I didn't much like how things turned out in the end either the first time round (as per spoiler in post above) but by the second reading I couldn't see how it could possibly have ended any other way.

unix_kung_fu

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #16 on: June 05, 2014, 02:20:55 PM »
You can read the book, and later watch the movie, or vice-versa, and say "Yeah, I can see how they are somewhat alike".

Chaplin

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #17 on: June 23, 2014, 10:49:44 PM »
This one is firmly in my list of favorites. I'm fortunate to be fluent in french, but I don't get the opportunity to use it much any more, so I occasionally read books in french - this one twice. Forget romance, French is the language of revenge! Well, those two do seem closely related now that I think about it.

Also by Dumas, I've also read The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Man in The Iron Mask. They're all great adventure stories that most people have mistaken impressions of due to poor movie treatments.

A friend noticed when I was re-reading one of these and said: "You're reading a book by someone named Dumb-Ass?"

Cressida

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #18 on: June 24, 2014, 10:21:50 PM »
Also by Dumas, I've also read The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Man in The Iron Mask. They're all great adventure stories that most people have mistaken impressions of due to poor movie treatments.

Poor movie treatments - for sure.

My problem with The Three Musketeers was the switch partway through from Richelieu to Milady as the main villain, presumably because Richelieu was an actual person and nothing particularly bad happened to him in real life, so it had to be a fictional person who was punished. But Milady is way less interesting than Richelieu - she's just a one-dimensional villain. Anyway, the first two-thirds or so are great. I haven't read the sequels.

gimp

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #19 on: July 03, 2014, 05:21:11 PM »
I read the unabridged version a few years back.

It's possibly the only book where I say "the movie is better."

I want to say more, but I don't want to spoil anything.  Bump this in a few weeks or months when you finish so we can discuss.

With due respect, you're wrong. That book is a classic, for a damn good reason. Either get a better translation, or read it again...

Yes, it's a thousand plus pages, and it's an excellent candidate for the argument: learn to read quickly, so you don't lose steam. That book is a day's worth of reading for me. If it takes you a month, don't bother.

arebelspy

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #20 on: July 03, 2014, 07:26:44 PM »
With due respect, you're wrong. That book is a classic, for a damn good reason. Either get a better translation, or read it again...

I didn't realize how I could be wrong on something that's my opinion.  Okay then.

Yes, it's a thousand plus pages, and it's an excellent candidate for the argument: learn to read quickly, so you don't lose steam. That book is a day's worth of reading for me. If it takes you a month, don't bother.

It has nothing to do with the length or time it takes to read.
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SwordGuy

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #21 on: July 03, 2014, 09:02:48 PM »
I saw the movie years ago so I vaguely know the plot.

That's a very true statement of virtually every film adaptation of any of Dumas' stories.


halftimer

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #22 on: January 12, 2015, 09:48:46 PM »
Very excited to see this book buried on the Mustachian Book Club thread, it is one of my all-time favorites. I have read it a half dozen times at least, and all my friends have their own well leafed copies as well.  I find Dumas books are fun to read because although they are long, they were originally written as weekly serials in newspapers so most of the chapters end on a cliff hanger to keep you tuned in next week. It's also interesting to see how many movie adaptations there are - one comes out about every decade so there are probably more than 50 versions (IMDB lists 93 but some of those are just single episodes). The ones I would recommend are the 1934 version with Robert Donat (the part where he is in a wheeled witness stand in court is unintentionally hilarious to me), and the 1998 series with Gérard Depardieu. I also enjoyed the 2002 version with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pierce that I think everyone else here is referring to, but to me it is not as great even though it handled the alternate ending and the simplification of the story lines pretty well.

SwordGuy

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo
« Reply #23 on: January 15, 2015, 04:07:33 PM »
Dantes wasn't one for passive index investing , nor was he one for figuring out beforehand which businesses would do well.

He preferred to make sure businesses made or lost money when and how he chose.