4/25/22

I wasn't sure how much I'd like this one - I tend to find reading books by male authors of the 1800s tedious, but it was really good. I didn't know much about the story beforehand, and I'd forgotten it, so when I started reading it and it was all "this guy is so great and everything's going perfectly but ominous portents!" I was kind of thinking that that couldn't happen, alas, it did. So I read the back cover after things were about to go south, and I remembered what little I knew of the story. So I followed along this story wondering how Edmond would get his revenge. I was disappointed with one part of the ending (spoiler), which was that when he had the chance to reunite with his original beloved, he didn't take it, but the rest of it was generally pleasing. It definitely kept me enthralled. ( )

I need to start by saying that I respect this book for what it represents in the realm of classic literature. I recognize that many great works have used this story or elements from it as the foundations of their success. All that said, I was pretty underwhelmed by the book. I blame all those that suggested it to me. All descriptions I'd heard of the book pretty much too be up to page 130, which leaves 400 pages of story. Either these people that recommended the book to me did not read those 400 pages, are they thought so little of them as to not remember or mention them. Many elements of the story I found entertaining but I felt nothing for most of the characters. The melodrama throughout the storyline was distracting and off putting--I frequently found myself wishing for a more modern translation. ( )

Beautifully told story of revenge at its finest. Edmond Dantes went from despair to bettering his life by taking out all those who had harmed him. ( )

Lopultakin tuli tämän klassikon aika... ja kyllä kannatti. Todella mukava lukukokemus. Teksti oli pääosin älykästä ja kiehtovaa. Eniten ärsyttivät päähenkilön lähes ylimaalliset kyvyt ja onnistuminen aina kaikessa. Muuta ärsyttävää kirjassa ei ollutkaan, vain kiehtovia seikkailuja, idän prinsessoja, aatelin loistoa, satumaisia rikkauksia ja mukavasti kulunut viikko todellisen klassikon ääressä. Suosittelen ilman muuta sellaisiin hetkiin, kun haluat helpon juonen ja reipasta menoa! ( )