This was a long one...at first I started reading it - but then I switched over to audiobook and it went much faster. That being said, I think the first third (half) of the book was also unnecessarily long. I do understand we had to truly know the characters and the situations...and how they got to where they are later in the story. But the entire part pre-arrival in Paris felt like an entirely different book. It wasn't until all the connections started coming together that I really began to enjoy the story (and appreciate all of the detail in the first third/half).

*I read this as part of the 2023 Popsugar Reading Challenge (advanced) - "The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list"

Read Book through Chapter 23, then switched to audiobook.

En af de bøger, jeg har læst flest gange

Esta novela del siglo XIX lo tiene todo.

Toca, aunque sea superficialmente, todas las tropes de los libros más modernos. Novela histórica, lo tiene; suspenso, lo tiene; romance (el viejo y confiable, el de realeza, el age gap y el sáfico), los tiene o los insinúa. Tiene aventuras, aires de terror, familia encontrada y mucho más… todo plasmado en la escritura de manera hermosa y eso es lo que lo convierte en un clásico que sigue vigente casi 180 años después de publicado.
Por momentos tan correcto, y en otros tan irónico, me hizo reír en voz alta y me estrujó un poquito el corazón.
Sin embargo, sin perder de vista que tiene todos estos años, a la lectura toma un poco de tiempo acostumbrarse por lo lento, lo formal de sus diálogos y, a veces, lo repetitivo (por haber sido un libro publicado en entregas).

El comienzo; la presentación de Edmundo y sus conocidos y el ardid para encarcelarlo, me pareció muy elaborado y bastante lento.
La transformación del personaje; su estancia en la prisión y su amistad con el abate Faria, el escape del Castillo de If… impresionantes. Todo es muy emocionante.
La llegada del Conde al mundo; el carnaval de Roma, la asociación con los delincuentes y la presentación con la alta sociedad de París me aburrieron un poco… La inclusión de cada vez más personajes, aunque parte esencial de la historia, me abrumó y me impacientó. Igualmente, el Conde es un personaje impresionante que conoce a todas las personas indicadas para lograr sus cometidos, los más pequeños y los más grandes.
Al comenzar la quinta parte los eventos se precipitan y el ritmo se vuelve frenético; llegó el momento de la venganza y, si fuera posible, de la redención.

El final no decepciona.

4.5/5 rounded up

Do not be terrified of this beast of a book or its label as a classic. It's surprisingly readable, and it will take you on for a ride. 
 
Like most old classics, the characters lean towards a rather dramatic flair in their actions and dialogues. Yet its beautiful prose over the smallest revelation or emotions makes reading them very enjoyable. I also loved that various historical and cultural elements were sewn through the story, either as a plot device or little Easter eggs, making it seem more realistic and I learned a lot through reading the notes as well. The story, while taking its time to set things up, never felt like it's dragging or filling pages, and it's clear that there's a purpose for each scene presented. This leads to a rather satisfying revenge arc, but what I loved most was the exploration of how personal revenge affects the innocent and one's outlook in life. It gave the book more complexity and a reflective aspect for readers as well. 
 
Sometimes you do get whiplash as the change in POV can be rather abrupt, given that it was published in installments back then. And then there's, of course, the occasional sexist and racial moments that I side-eyed, despite knowing the publication date. I do appreciate that it was kept in to preserve the social atmosphere of that time. To erase that is to erase history.  
 
Overall, this behemoth of a book took me a long time to finish, but it was completely worth my time to fully immerse myself, soak in the story and digest its words. It is a masterpiece of patient story crafting and I hope that you will give it the time of the day as well. 
 

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I'm exhausted in the best possible way from finishing the highly emotional journey of Edmond Dantes, The Count of Monte Cristo. What a beautiful, challenging, provocative, and thrilling story! Although the plot is complex and contains a huge cast of characters, the talent of Dumas (and the translator) shines as he steadily maintains the reader's interest throughout. Even during the slower moving portions of the book, there was never a dull moment. What a remarkable classic!

Delightful but verbose. The story was initally published in 18 installments - he must have been milking that serialization for all it was worth. I suppose that's why people usually read the abridged version. The abridged version I saw, however, left out some pretty important information from the story. I guess if you want the whole story, you have to read the whole story. Despite its length, Monte Cristo rightfully survives in popular culture today as one of the best stories of revenge ever told.

Post-Napoleonic gossip girl

It's a classic, so it's kind of beyond critique, right? I'm not going to say anything about this book that hasn't already been said. So, rather than a traditional review, consider this advice to future readers.

Firstly, I started this book with certain expectations. I assumed the book would closely resemble some amalgamation of the movies bearing this book's title I've watched and liked. Not so! The book is drastically more complex. Our protagonist's vengeful schemes go beyond simple duels and bankruptcies. Rather, Dantes manipulates an insanely intricate web of relationships to turn against itself, forcing lovers, relatives, and friends to unwittingly backstab, poison, and embarrass to the point of social demise. I'd encourage a perusal of the image below to get an idea as to the complexity of Dantes' scheming.



With that in mind, I implore potential readers, take your time with this book. I made the mistake of renting this from my library and being held to a 2-week time frame to make it through this 1200 page book (~50 hour audiobook). I learned, towards the end of my reading, this book was originally published in 18 parts, over the course of ~18 months. It was not meant to be consumed in one sitting. So, if you plan on reading it, please, do yourself a favor and just buy it. Tab it. Highlight it. Don't put yourself on a deadline. I hope you enjoy it even more than I did.