Here I am, on the other side of The Count of Monte Cristo...there was a time there when I thought I wouldn't make it. Literally falling apart in my hands from the moment I picked it up at a hotel, it's a miracle I actually managed to read the whole thing- at least I think I did!
I love a novel that continues to surprise me throughout- especially one that is so famous. Before picking this book, I had only the faintest idea of what would happen- which made me even more taken in by the many twists and turns. So, to offer a similar reading experience, I'll offer the most basic description.
During France's Bonapartist era, Edmund Dantes- a nineteen year-old sailor about to marry the love of his life- is imprisoned through the actions of three jealous comrades. After his miraculous escape (the style of which is literally my worst nightmare- should give you a clue!), does our Edmund forgive and forget that these three scoundrels stole the best years of life? Of COURSE he doesn't; bearing a grudge doesn't even begin to describe it. Cue a revenge plot that builds, little by little, into a masterplan of the most epic proportions...
Edmund Dantes- the Count himself- is probably one of the most complex, yet focused characters I've ever come across. His relentless pursuit for revenge is both terrifying and admirable...even if it does go a little too far at the end. If the Count didn't show signs of some kind of conscience, then it could have made for very uncomfortable reading- but the human side to the Count revealed at the end left a less bitter taste in mouth. All that being said, I defy anybody not to be astounded by the Count's planning and patience- and of course, Dumas' equally patient portrayal of the whole plot. Even the elements that I thought were just sub-plots were linked to the Count's revengeful master-plan, such as making the Greek princess Haidee his slave.
So, all in all, a must-read- but one requiring the kind of patience that would make the Machiavellian Count proud.
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