I did not realize that this book was abridged until after I was into the second chapter, but since there are notes throughout the book, I don't think I missed too much of the story. This is my first Barnes & Noble Classics book but hopefully I will buy several more. This is such an exciting story that I found it very hard to put the book down each time I sat down to read it. ( )

Favorite book of all time.

I love this book because it is a great example of how a good person can be changed by certain events in their life. The progression of the counts life being taken over by the need for revenge is spellbinding. A true classic ( )

A novel for the ages and one of my favorites. You almost already know what will happen, and having that knowledge makes you want to continue all the more. A better revenge novel has never been written. ( )

A rollicking adventure story. ( )

This is what life, and therefore the novel, should be. This exact thing. If it weren't for...air conditioning, indoor plumbing, and modern medicine, I would fervently wish to live in this time period. Dumas covers pretty much all relevant themes: love, hate, loss, God, revenge, war, forgiveness, honor. And you never feel like you're trudging through an epic. That's the one problem I had with War and Peace; the historical bits seem so out of place. But Dumas weaves history in so perfectly. The characters are deeply developed, as are the themes. This is actually a very Christian book, with a very Christian message...similar to War and Peace, and not just because it's long. ( )

The Count of Monte Cristo is the tale of Edmond Dantès, a young man facing a bright future. Even though he is barely twenty, the young sailor is looking forward to rapid promotion in his job and a joyous marriage to the love of his life. Unfortunately Edmond has rivals for each and these men conspire to get him out of the way. Through their actions, Edmond is falsely accused of conspiracy and imprisoned. Years pass and life passes Edmond by. Eventually people assume that he is dead. The truth however, is that Edmond eventually escapes imprisonment and finds the means in which to prepare an elaborate revenge. Upon a second reading, it occurred to me that this really is a big, fat, honkin' melodrama that really doesn't offer deep insights into the human condition. But, oh, what fun! I truly enjoyed the story, though it was a bit disillusioning to discover that Batman, the Shadow and Captain Christopher Pike weren't quite as original as I thought.
--J. ( )

This is one of my most favorite books! Edmond Dantes, a young sailor from Marseilles is betrayed by his "friend" Fernand Mondego and is incarcerated (with his under handed help) in Chateau d'If, a cruel prison not fit for animals. While there, Edmond makes friends with Abbe Farrira who mentors him, teaches him and helps him thrive against the harshness of the prison. It is a story that makes one see survival is possible against the harshest of circumstances. His prison friend Abbe dies in prison, but before his death, he tells Edmond where to find a vast treasure. Edmond makes a successful daring escape, recovers the treasure and sets on a course of revenge only to realize in the end what is most important. ( )

Wonderful story of betrayal, determination and revenge. I was surprised by the ending.

Absolutely loved this book. It is very different from the movie version I saw.

A masterpiece of revenge, adventure and destiny; if it were to be compared to a painting it would be sort that despite filling a whole wall managed to contain as much detail per inch as a good painting of ordinary dimensions. The eleven hundred plus pages that make up this novel are not superfluous, and like the expansive fresco it is difficult to appreciate the brilliance of the whole and the individual brush stroke equally and at the same time, the problem being that if one is engrossed in each page as it comes, it becomes easy to lose track of the pages left behind, and due to character names changing, diligence must be applied to appreciate the significance of events that play out decades after their cause.
I have read novels recently, and over the years, that despite being excellent otherwise, simply do not satisfy, I am left wondering why things were not resolved, not put right, and questioning the point of any of it, but here I could not help but feeling almost complete satisfaction. The wrongdoers are made to regret their actions, those wronged return to happiness, justice and noble sentiments abound. Aside from that, the novel contains plenty of the things that make a story exciting: smugglers, ships, duels, murders, betrayal, buried treasure, poison, plots, love, and hatred – all the classic ingredients. ( )

I can't believe this is such a readable book, compared to the sometimes convoluted, not purple but perhaps violet prose of George Eliot from a similar period. In fact I have to get off the computer and go read it right now.
Finally finished it, it is a bit long but a fabulous read with so many little plot climaxes it just keeps you coming back for more. I think it was the pulp fiction of its day but it's lived on so there must be some universal truths in there somewhere. ( )

This is a true classic. It is the story of Edmond Dantes, a young man in love, who is caught up in a web of lies and betrayal which results in his harsh imprisonment. Here he meets the Abbe Faria, another prisoner who most people believe is insane. They form a friendship that lasts until the old man's death. Then Dantes escapes, and makes plans to get revenge on those who hurt him.

This is a book you can't put down. ( )

http://thebookwormslibrary.com/?p=350... ( )

This classic tale of the life, seemingly death, and life again of Edmond Dantes. The book beautifully illustrates the story of the betrayal of Dantes by his best friend, Dantes' struggle through years in prision, and then his decisions to choose either revenge or love. Dumas created real characters who experience the highest forms of love, pain, struggle, and forgiveness. A timeless story for anyone looking to experience an adventure that will stay with them for a long time. ( )

infantile rubbish. avoid if you value your time ( )

One of my family's classical novels; mom used to read us from it, during the long, winter evenings...
Great story, very well written. ( )

First read this when a college freshman during winter break. Was so mesmerized with the diverse characters and so eager to learn how the darker ones get their comeuppence that I read all through the night, several nights to finish. It has always been my favorite adventure/romance. I unknowingly re-read an abridged version more than a decade later. It was flat, the sub-plots less detailed, and an overall dissapointment. Not many novels can be compared with the original. ( )

Beware the Collector's Library version of this book. It is an abridged version which is so badly abridged that I spotted that large chunks were missing as I read it. This was bad enough that I felt almost sure I had actually skipped parts of the book without realising it, even though I knew I hadn't. I got the unabridged Penguin classics version from the library and read that afterwards, because otherwise it's a great story. ( )

Uno di quei libri che tutti dovrebbero leggere almeno una volta nella vita... ( )

This is actually a re-read for me. This is my second go with this book, as I've decided that this is one of my favorites, if not my all time favorite. This book has it all .... love ..... betrayal ..... adventure ...... history ....... and of course revenge. I can't wait to finish it so I can read it a third time. ( )

300/ 1312 pages

Summary-

So far, this story is about a man named Dante, who is on the peak of this success, he is going to become a captain of a ship and marry a woman, named Mercedes. However, three mean by the names of Danglers, Fernand, and Caderousse start to become jealous of Dantes success and they all accuse him for holding a letter to Napoleon, thus he is sent to a large prison called the Chateau d'If for a lifetime of imprisonment. There, he met Abbe Faria, a priest who begins teaching him.

Major Character-

Dante is a very important character in the story because before going into prison he was a very kind and gentle man on his road to success. However, when he was greatly impacted with the realty of betrayal and the fact that he had to go to prison had a large effect on him. In prison, he is so thirsty of justice and to get back at the people who set him up, which starts to give him this very nasty and bitter towards life.

Does this connect to events in life-

Yes, every one has approached a time where they encounter betrayal in their lives. I have to with my friends, who just back down from you, which makes you go crazy and it gives you so much hatred in your mind and all you think of is that.

Was there anything you didn't like about this book? Why?-

All there is in the book is that it is pretty slow and it gets really complicated. The author likes to give a lot of description,which is hard to understand, especially when he adds a lot of confusing analogies.

To whom would you recommend this book, and why? Which kinds of readers would enjoy it?

This book is like an all-rounder book, if you get the story it really portrays reality and thats why I really like it so far. It has a lot of drama, here and there, but overall, the book seems pretty good.

Who would play the main character in a movie version of the book?

Clint Eastwood, he always looks mad, so he would best fit the role. ( )

I found this book to be a really exciting piece to read. It kept me surprised after every chapter. The movie is nothing compared to this. Every page felt realistic. I could feel Edmond's hatred towards the one's that did him wrong. It really saddened me that he cared more about revenge than his loved ones. He was willing to lose it all just to fill his revenge's appetite. Even when he gets his revenge he has to leave, which really bothered me. He couldn't stay and still love Mercades? Not to mention spend time with the son he never knew until just recently? I would refer this book to anyone who wants to read about adventure, betrayal, and revenge, but do not refer it to anyone who would read it for revenge. ( )

Great read, full of adventure and excitement! ( )

Ce monument de la littérature française est une oeuvre aux multiples facettes. Tout d'abord roman d'aventure couronnant un héros tout puissant il est également un roman historique et une critique de la société.
Pour soutenir sa réflexion philosophique concernant la vengeance, Dumas utilise dans son roman une part de surnaturel. Le personnage du comte est un fantôme revenu d'entre les morts pour se venger. Sa vengeance est implacable, il l'applique en grand stratège calculant minutieusement chaque coup. Aucune action, si insignifiante soit-elle, menée par le comte n'est anodine, chacune participe à sa vengeance. Ce roman fleuve est un exemple de maitrise magnifiquement écrit. A lire absolument même si la lecture d'un tel roman demande un peu de temps ... ( )

Has everything you could ever want in a book. ( )