The Count of Monte Cristo

As of now, I’m still reading this one at bedtime (nobody spoil the end). It might be the only physical book I’ve bought for myself all year. So far it’s one of my favorites. I know the general outline, but I’m enjoying the sneaking around, the treasure hunting, and the prison escape. The set up is a bit outlandish but that suits me.

It still feels believable, even with the chain of unlikely events. There’s a certain truthfulness that comes from the idea that a few people might conspire to ruin someone's life out of envy, and perhaps boredom. The… show more.

I read this adventure novel when I was feeling vengeful against society. When I still hadn’t managed to get past being labeled as a murderer.

It focuses on the themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness. It made me think about the future and that the mindset I had at that moment wasn’t helpful to me. Nor was it one I needed to hold on to. It also taught me about the difference between being ignorant and dumb. This gave me hope for my own future and helped motivate me to get educated.

Like Ulysses of the Odyssey and Jean Valjean of Les Miserable, Edmond Dantès, The Count of Monte Cristo has been etched into our collective consciousness by writer, Alexander Dumas.

Dantès’ betrayal by Girard de Villefort, Dantès’ loss of Mercedes, his escape from the infamous Château d’If, and the noble way he honored the freedom and gold bequeathed by Abbé Faria make him a timeless hero whose strength in the presence of evil and kindness in the presence of greed inspires those who read Dumas’ book.

When teaching creative writing to prisoners with life sentences, I offer a copy of The… show more.

The Count of Monte Cristo (Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel by French author Alexandre Dumas (père) in 1844. The book is timeless, and that’s why I am recommending it. It is as relevant today as it was a century ago. It also inspired me to fall in love with the revenge genre. But, of course, having the burning desire to settle a few scores myself was the primary reason I started writing.

Bonjour mes amis et bienvenue sur l'île de Monte Cristo! I have read and reread this book in all the different platforms: print, digital, audio. And each time, I find myself completely immersed in the multitude of plots, characters, twists, and adventures. Some might find they need a road map to keep everything together. And to them I would say, welcome to reality in a fictitious world! How expertly Dumas brought this world of pirates, love, treason, and vengeance to life! The many plots drive the story in a truly radical and miraculous way, keeping its reader glued page… show more.

Said to be one of the best books ever written, this huge novel is very hard to put down. Dumas had an incredible knack for telling complex tales that are still easy to read. This is a tale of adventure with the main character being imprisoned for many years and his cunning escape and plans for his future go on a journey of many paths. I read this during lockdown and it was a pleasure to do so as there were so many cliffhangers that were believable. An astonishing author and well worth devoting a couple of months to.

The Count of Monte Cristo is the ultimate revenge book. Our hero, Edmond Dantes, is wrongfully thrown in prison for the rest of his life, and (spoiler alert) he beats the odds, and manages to escape. He then makes a completely new life for himself and exacts the most delicious revenge imaginable. I love a story where tremendous forces are working against the protagonist, and yet they continue to fight. You will be cheering for Edmond!

The ultimate revenge story! At its core, this novel is an adventure story, but it also has a huge Gothic undertone, from the gloomy atmosphere of the prison to the dark psychology of seeking personal justice. While I loved the movies, I loved even more how the novel was darker, with Edmond Dantes setting up his nemeses like dominoes just to watch them fall. He not only inflicted justice, but he did it in such a psychological (and financial) way that it became even more damaging to those who wronged him, to the point that most succumbed to their own… show more.

Whenever someone asks, c’est mon roman préféré. Un adventure sans égal – le drame, les personnages, les enjeux. It’s hard to imagine a serialized novel like this one capturing the public imagination to the degree that Game of Thrones did recently back in 1845, but that’s exactly what happened. You had to get the next chapter quickly because you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing spoilers about the latest installment.

My top picks will end with The Count of Monte Cristo and its fascinating protagonist, Edmond Dantès - one of my favourite characters to this day. The young sailor who starts out naive and innocent, deeply in love with the girl of his dreams, is falsely accused of treason and gets shoved into a prison on a remote island, only to find out that it was his love rival and his crewmates who turned him in. Filled with the will for revenge, he escapes the prison, finds a treasure, and goes to Paris to destroy the people who have wronged… show more.