The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics) | 
| Author: Alexandre Dumas Pere
Creator: Robin Buss
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $8.23
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Avg. Customer Rating:  112 reviews
Sales Rank: 1907
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1312
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 2.3
ISBN: 0140449264
Dewey Decimal Number: 843.7
EAN: 9780140449266
ASIN: 0140449264
Publication Date: May 27, 2003
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Product Description
Translated with an Introduction by Robin Buss
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| Customer Reviews: Read 107 more reviews...
An AMAZING book! July 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wow. I am so glad to have bought this book. I cannot put it down! At first I must admit I was intimidated by its size as well as the period it was written. I find that many period books are really dense and difficult reads. Not this one at all!!! Easy to read and such a gripping tale! It draws you in and you do not want to put it down. I am so glad that I am reading the unabridged version because I cannot imagine it any other way. I am also so happy that it is so long because I do not want the story to end!
The perfect story July 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"The Count of Monte Cristo" is a literary masterpiece. It has everything one could want in a book and more: adventure, fighting, planning, tales of riches, tales of suffering, tales of ultimate betrayal and revenge, and even a little love.
This book may be long, but every single page is worth your time. It is written so perfectly and the story put together with such great design...an epic tale perfect for any reader.
Long and Worth It June 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had never read Monte Cristo before and was at first reluctant to invest the time needed for this modern, unabridged version. I'm glad I did though, because it was a great story that moved along quickly in spite of its length. The freshly translated language helps, and because it's unabridged, it's satisfying to know that you're getting the full text that Dumas intended.
The archtypal revenge story. May 17, 2008
"The Count of Monte Cristo" is a phrase that most people are familiar with; the broad outlines of his story have become a part of everyone's general understanding via cultural osmosis: Edmond Dantes, wrongly imprisoned by the contrivance of four men, escapes jail after decades, and, armed with essentially limitless money, plots his revenge. With this in mind, those revisiting the original novel have a general idea of what happens with the principal characters. While it would perhaps be optimal to begin reading with no preconceptions, the novel does not suffer for knowing the general outline. In particular, adaptations always end up significantly cutting the original story, which clocks in at nearly 1300 pages in this edition; so there are plenty of story points normally omitted for the reader to discover.
An English professor once related that in the Renaissance genre of revenge tragedy, there were only a few that really examined the toll taken on the revenger (Kyd's "The Spanish Tragedy" and Shakespeare's "Hamlet" being the notable ones), while most simply offered a black-and-white story of wronged men slaying the demons who haunt them. Alexander Dumas' story, which has become perhaps the archtypal revenge novel, also falls into the more complex category. It is perhaps telling that while the novel follows Edmond Dantes' perspective from the beginning to the point where he escapes from prison and finds the treasure that will finance his scheme, as soon as Dantes becomes The Count of Monte Cristo the perspective largely shifts to other characters; Dantes, a young and happy man, becomes something different and less human; the Count is almost automaton-like in his calculations and actions, though, as the story wears on, pricked by resurgent emotions. It is the conflict between his assumed roll as the wrath of God and his mere humanity that serves as the major conflict in the novel's climax.
Dumas offers a panoply of other characters, generally well-drawn, and absurdly interconnected in the best traditions of the Victorian novel; particularly notable is the oblique sketch of a lesbian couple who ride off into the sunset, a risky inclusion for the time period (and generally sanitized from most versions of the story).
This is by no means a quick read, but it is very much recommended for fans of classic literature.
 A classic story May 13, 2008
There are a handful of traits that make a book a "classic". They can stand the test of time from 10 years to 100 years beyond, due to their meaningful story lines which everyone can both relate to and have different interpretations of. The Count of Monte Cristo has all these characteristic of a classic story. It is a story of revenge, love, hatred and the second chances in life one may be lucky enough to receive. Even though this story is almost 200 years old it still appeals to people of all ages and walks of life.
Edmond Dantes is wrongly accused and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. After spending 14 years in a horrendous prison he miraculously escapes and uses his new fortune given to him by a prison mate to live out his new life of enormous wealth and his quest for revenge. This seeking of revenge captured me along the ride with Edmond Dates' use of wit and internal hatred towards others to seek revenge on those who destroyed his life. It came to my discovery through the Count of Monte Cristo's experiences and actions that people back in 1800's were just as devious, greedy, deceitful, manipulative and vengeful as people can be today in modern times.
Alexandre Dumas builds a captivating and rich plot throughout his story which makes the reader wonder what will happen next and what the consequences may be. The theme of love, hatred, happiness, vengeance and forgiveness is something everyone can relate to since they are feelings we have all felt. My negative critique for this book is the fact that it was a struggle to keep all the 40+ characters in order. The French names I am not familiar with as an English speaker, were confusing at times.
I found this book intriguing because this story portrays the evil nature of the human spirit while at the same time teaching a lesson in the possibility of Karma and how eventually people will end up paying for their wrongdoings. It was at times a struggle to get through, but I was glad I did.
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