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GAF Book Club (Aug 2011) - "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas

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C

Cyan

Banned
wRAub.jpg


Best served with style, flair, and utter ruthlessness.


The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

The original revenge novel! Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantes is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration.

"A piece of perfect storytelling."
—Robert Louis Stevenson


Recommended version:
Kindle
Amazon Paperback

Free public domain version:
Kindle
Gutenberg Project edition

Let's read!


Guidelines:
-If you read ahead, use spoiler tags! [spoiler]text goes here[/spoiler]
-When using spoiler tags, please mark them--put a page or chapter number, or otherwise indicate just how far ahead you are.
-Unspoilered discussion of anything through the latest milestone is allowed and encouraged. If you’re not caught up, read the thread at your own risk!
-Suggestions for the next book club selection are welcome at any time. We'll vote on the next book once we're finished with this one.


Reading Milestones:
Tues, Aug 2 - Ch I - XII
Thur, Aug 4 - Ch XIII - XXIII
Sat, Aug 6 - Ch XXIV - XXXII
Mon, Aug 8 - Ch XXXIII -XXXVIII
Wed, Aug 10 - Ch XXXIX - XLVIII
Fri, Aug 12 - Ch XLIX - LIX
Sun, Aug 14 - Ch LX - LXXII
Tues, Aug 16 - Ch LXXIII - LXXX
Thur, Aug 18 - Ch LXXXI - XCI
Sat, Aug 20 - Ch XCII - CIV
Mon, Aug 22 - Fin


Future Book Club Possibilities:
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Dubliners by James Joyce
[your recommendation here!]


Previous Book Club Threads:
Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian (July 2011)
The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin (June 2011)
A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (May 2011)
The Afghan Campaign, by Steven Pressfield (Apr 2011)
Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein (Mar 2011)
Flashman, by George MacDonald Fraser (Feb 2011)
 
C

Cyan

Banned
For the regulars: I'd like to try something a little different this time. The milestones will be there as usual, to help people keep pace. But feel free to discuss what you feel like, wherever you are in the book. No need to wait around for the slowpokes! Just remember to use spoiler tags where necessary.

Also, a note on translations: this book is in the public domain, and it has a translation from 1846 which is also public domain. Many of the versions you'd find in the bookstore (and, of course, the Gutenberg Project one) are based on this old translation. Some are abridged. The recommended version for the GAF Book Club is the more recent Robin Buss translation, which is the version in the Amazon links above. It updates the language and removes the bowdlerization of the 1846 version. You are free to read the old version, of course, but watch out for abridgments!
 
B

Big-E

Member
Finished reading this about a month ago. Truly amazing and a must read. Can't believe it took me so long to get around to reading it.
 
E

Edmond Dantès

Dantès the White
Seems appropriate for me to post in this thread. :)

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of reading the unabridged version of the story, it‘s so much more rewarding.

I‘m in.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Edmond Dantès said:
Seems appropriate for me to post in this thread. :)

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of reading the unabridged version of the story, it‘s so much more rewarding.

I‘m in.
Click to expand...
Ah good, I hoped you would join us. :)
 
bengraven

bengraven

Member
I will be reading this. I have had it shoved down my throat for YEARS how good this book is and I just didn't understand the appeal, but now I will read it.

BTW, I've finished all the books we talked about though I haven't talked here much. Sometimes I'm a few days or a week or two late though.
 
M

Mumei

Member
bengraven said:
I will be reading this. I have had it shoved down my throat for YEARS how good this book is and I just didn't understand the appeal, but now I will read it.
Click to expand...

Yes, you will! Either that or you will be an awful person with awful taste. No pressure! :D

I am about 50 pages out from finishing Don Quixote, so I'll try to do this and keep pace. I was going to read something new, but... it'd be nice reading it a second-time. I'll probably remember all the names better this time.
 
bengraven

bengraven

Member
Mumei said:
Yes, you will! Either that or you will be an awful person with awful taste. No pressure! :D

I am about 50 pages out from finishing Don Quixote, so I'll try to do this and keep pace. I was going to read something new, but... it'd be nice reading it a second-time. I'll probably remember all the names better this time.
Click to expand...

WOW, though, unabridged version from Penguin is like George RR Martin length. lol Oh well, I'll stock up on caffeine, this will be the last monster of a book I can finish before school starts and the only monsters I have are textbooks.


I'm really debating against soft or Kindle. I find it's easier to flip to appendixes in books vs. Kindle (which is why I never get spoiled in books on Kindle vs. actual books), and I feel I may need to read up on the references despite having read several books from the period before. I don't know.
 
M

Mumei

Member
Glad to hear you're taking the plunge! =)

I'm starting to read this today. I think I'll be able to keep up by reading on break at work.
 
V

Vard

Member
This has been on my to-read list but I unfortunately won't be joining in. Darn. Curious to hear people's impressions though!
 
E

Echoes

Member
Should I get the Kindle or the Paperback? I'm from the Middle-East so I won't get almost all the references (different educational system and all). I do hope I won't get lost. Never read a book of that length before and I'm just checking my grounds.
 
E

Edmond Dantès

Dantès the White
Echoes said:
Should I get the Kindle or the Paperback? I'm from the Middle-East so I won't get almost all the references (different educational system and all). I do hope I won't get lost. Never read a book of that length before and I'm just checking my grounds.
Click to expand...
It‘s a pretty hefty book, but if space and storage isn‘t a problem, go for the paperback.
 
J

John Dunbar

correct about everything
Quite a choice. I just started reading Pride and Prejudice (my third Austen), so I don't think I'll be taking part in this because I'm not a particularly fast reader, so The Count of Monte Cristo in less than a month would be quite a challenge. I read it as a kid (though I have no idea was it abridged or not) and some of my most vivid memories of my early readings are about this book. I also bought the unabridged Worthworth Classics edition couple month ago from a second-hand book shop, so it would have been a nice coincidence.

Anyway, have fun reading it. Even all those years ago I recognized what a great book it is.
 
V

viciouskillersquirrel

Member
Coincidentally, I was reading this book for the first time while on my honeymoon (while lounging on beach recliners and sipping 150 bhat cocktails, natch) and I'm maybe a few days away from finishing it.

I have the unabridged version, by the way, 1846 translation. I think the little notes section is really invaluable, but they really ought to be footnotes rather than endnotes - flipping to the end to find out that one of the characters was referring to the 19th century Brad Pitt or Lady Gaga as a joke really breaks up the pace of reading. This is especially true for what are meant to be fast, savvy and witty conversations.
 
G

gate777

Member
My favourite novel of ALL time.

I first read this while I was living in Greece, in Greek obviously. Read it again 5 years after that. Most recent read was around 6 years ago, in English this time. Also watched the movie, numerous times.

Excellent excellent story.
 
V

Versipellis

Member
Disliked by some for the verbose style of its author (and his assistants) but loved by many for its undeniable charm, The Count of MC is a great read.

I'll be following this thread. Let's see what GAF have to say about one of my favourite books.
 
S

sruckus

Member
I'm in! I've made it a goal this year to actually get back to reading after being embarrassed I have watched the last two Harry Potter movies without reading the books, so I am not only reading that, but going to start trying to read at least a book a month. I have heard good things about this book so excited to have this kind of thing.
 
V

viciouskillersquirrel

Member
By the way, is there some kind of pronunciation guide for some of the more difficult names
like Haidee
? With all those accents and modifiers, some of the names end up looking wrong.
 
J

joseranulfo

Member
Count me in as well.

I have tried two times to read this book before but never found a good rythm at the start and never got past the firs few chapters, lets see if with this thread and the recommended version I can finish it.

It's my older sister favorite book btw, maybe I just didn't trusted her judgement as she is a big fan of trashy romantic/erotic novels.
 
M

Mumei

Member
*sigh*

God, I love this book. I was at the Borders nearby, scavenging its corpse, when I saw a section of books for reading. I was rather happy when I saw that some school was requiring this book for its students, until I saw that - ugh - it was requiring merely an abridged version. And this abridged version brought it down to sub-600 pages. It was more than cut in half! Awful.

Anyway! I finished up Don Quixote this morning on my first break, and I started reading The Count of Monte Cristo. I'm using the Robin Buss translation and I'll be sure to note the chapter I'm through for any updates that include spoilered thoughts / impressions. Wouldn't want to spoil any new readers!

As of right now I am on Chapter IV, and I plan on getting through Chapter XII by the end of the day tomorrow. Keeping to the schedule might be a bit of a struggle, though, as I find this book to be so compulsively readable.
 
E

Edmond Dantès

Dantès the White
Mumei said:
*sigh*

God, I love this book. I was at the Borders nearby, scavenging its corpse, when I saw a section of books for reading. I was rather happy when I saw that some school was requiring this book for its students, until I saw that - ugh - it was requiring merely an abridged version. And this abridged version brought it down to sub-600 pages. It was more than cut in half! Awful.

Anyway! I finished up Don Quixote this morning on my first break, and I started reading The Count of Monte Cristo. I'm using the Robin Buss translation and I'll be sure to note the chapter I'm through for any updates that include spoilered thoughts / impressions. Wouldn't want to spoil any new readers!

As of right now I am on Chapter IV, and I plan on getting through Chapter XII by the end of the day tomorrow. Keeping to the schedule might be a bit of a struggle, though, as I find this book to be so compulsively readable.
Click to expand...
Look out for
Caderousse's prophetic statement about Edmond gaining revenge if he were ever to find out about the plot.
It's very poignant at this stage in the narrative.
 
M

Mumei

Member
Edmond Dantès said:
Look out for
Caderousse's prophetic statement about Edmond gaining revenge if he were ever to find out about the plot.
It's very poignant at this stage in the narrative.
Click to expand...

I'm looking forward to it.

When I read Monte Cristo for the first time, I sort of lost track of some of the characters, relationships, secondary names, alias, and subplots. When I reached a point where I was having a bit of trouble remembering, "Oh, wait, what is this guy's relationship to the guy he's talking to?" or something, I would simply continue onward until I figured it out from the context. There were still parts, particularly with regards to stuff after Chateau d'If, where I spent some time a bit confused about certain things.

This is one of my favorite parts about rereading a book, though: having a better sense of who the characters are, since scenes that seemed somewhat opaque on the first reading can be read with clarity on the second reading. And it's easier to notice things that are funny or cool when you aren't so worried about keeping track of who's who. At least, that's how it is for me. I'm enjoying the beginning more this time than I did the first time already, and it is probably my favorite novel - at the very least top three.
 
A

ag-my001

Member
Mumei said:
Keeping to the schedule might be a bit of a struggle, though, as I find this book to be so compulsively readable.
Click to expand...
I had the same "problem" the first time I read through CoMC. I finished the unabridged in six days. The last day extended to around 3:30 in the morning, as the plot kept moving and I kept feeling that end of the book get thinner and thinner. Excellent read for anyone at anytime.

Also, if you're reading for the first time and get about half way through and have met all the characters, check out the book page on Wikipedia if you're losing the connections. There's an excellent chart of how all the characters interact with each other (
Lord Wilmore, you make life so confusing
). It does have some ending spoilers, so try to hold off if you can.
 
S

spiderman123

Member
I'm gonna play the devil's advocate and say I hate the book. Seemed a bit cliche and over dramatic. The way Dante goes about getting redemption and his ripple effect during his Monte Cristo facade seems in my view makes him, for lack of a better word, a douche.


edit: but I won't mind reading the book again b/c truthfully I loved it.
 
M

Mumei

Member
spiderman123 said:
I'm gonna play the devil's advocate and say I hate the book. Seemed a bit cliche and over dramatic. The way Dante goes about getting redemption and his ripple effect during his Monte Cristo facade seems in my view makes him, for lack of a better word, a douche.


edit: but I won't mind reading the book again b/c truthfully I loved it.
Click to expand...

Have you ever heard the story of Pierre Picaud? He is the man that the story was based on, and his story of revenge was almost as awesome as the book's. I wouldn't recommend anyone looking him up if they haven't read the book, though, since it will indirectly spoil some of the plot.
 
E

Edmond Dantès

Dantès the White
Mumei said:
Have you ever heard the story of Pierre Picaud? He is the man that the story was based on, and his story of revenge was almost as awesome as the book's. I wouldn't recommend anyone looking him up if they haven't read the book, though, since it will indirectly spoil some of the plot.
Click to expand...
The fact that Alexandre based the story on a case real life retribution is one of my favourite aspects of The Count of Monte Cristo.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Ah, poor naive Edmond! Kind of wistfully sad to see him so upbeat, so happy, so trusting in others.

Some things: I note that there are many references to revenge in these early chapters. The revenge of the Bonapartists, the revenge of the wheels of justice on those who commit crimes, the revenge of a man wronged. Could this be... foreshadowing? Dun dun dun!

The three conspirators (plus one!) are different in interesting ways. We have Danglars, motivated by hatred, who acts in cold calculation, knowing exactly what he's doing and doing it with no regrets. We have Fernand, motivated by jealousy, who acts in passion and anger, driven by emotion and later regretting his actions. And we have Caderousse, motivated at first by envy, which melts away in the open friendliness of Dantes. He knows not what he does, and is only pulled into the conspiracy out of fear and cowardice.

And of course, Villeforte. Motivated by that age-old inducement to evil: ambition. Villefort is a melding of the other three--acting out of calculation, feeling guilt for his actions, but never quite enough to overcome his fear and change his mind.

Any thoughts? How're you folks finding it so far?
 
M

Mumei

Member
Cyan said:
Ah, poor naive Edmond! Kind of wistfully sad to see him so upbeat, so happy, so trusting in others.

Some things: I note that there are many references to revenge in these early chapters. The revenge of the Bonapartists, the revenge of the wheels of justice on those who commit crimes, the revenge of a man wronged. Could this be... foreshadowing? Dun dun dun!

The three conspirators (plus one!) are different in interesting ways. We have Danglars, motivated by hatred, who acts in cold calculation, knowing exactly what he's doing and doing it with no regrets. We have Fernand, motivated by jealousy, who acts in passion and anger, driven by emotion and later regretting his actions. And we have Caderousse, motivated at first by envy, which melts away in the open friendliness of Dantes. He knows not what he does, and is only pulled into the conspiracy out of fear and cowardice.

And of course, Villeforte. Motivated by that age-old inducement to evil: ambition. Villefort is a melding of the other three--acting out of calculation, feeling guilt for his actions, but never quite enough to overcome his fear and change his mind.

Any thoughts? How're you folks finding it so far?
Click to expand...

Loving it. <3

I feel the same about the observations that you made, particularly how bittersweet Dantes' happiness is. He's portrayed almost as an innocent, and it's particularly frustrating seeing, as you said, his goodwill melt away Caderousse's envy only for Caderousse to maintain the conspiracy due to his own fear of association with someone accused of treason rather than any particular investment in what happened. The other three have clear material reasons why they become involved, which makes Caderousse much more frustrating.

I also really love Mercédès in this section, in her interactions with Fernand and with Edmond. I feel like she has a lot more personality and fire in this section than I remember the first time.

Were there any lines you liked in this section? I particularly enjoyed coming to the line on the back cover of the Penguin edition: 'On what slender threads do life and fortune hang...!' that Villefort says.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Mumei said:
Were there any lines you liked in this section? I particularly enjoyed coming to the line on the back cover of the Penguin edition: 'On what slender threads do life and fortune hang...!' that Villefort says.
Click to expand...
There were definitely some good lines. I'll have to make a note of them going forward, as now I can't remember where they were!
 
M

Mumei

Member
Excellent. I came across one by the Narrator that I really liked today in Chapter XIV:

And, as despotic governments have always been loath to exhibit the effects of prison and torture in broad daylight - just as there are few instances of a victim of the Inquisition emerging with broken bones and bleeding wounds - so folly, that ulcer conceived in the mire of dungeons as a result of moral torture, almost always remains carefully hidden in the place of its birth, or else, if it should emerge, does so only to be buried once more in some dark hospital whose doctors can recognize neither the man nor his ideas in the shapeless wreck entrusted to them by its tired jailer.
 
E

Edmond Dantès

Dantès the White
Cyan said:
Ah, poor naive Edmond! Kind of wistfully sad to see him so upbeat, so happy, so trusting in others.

Some things: I note that there are many references to revenge in these early chapters. The revenge of the Bonapartists, the revenge of the wheels of justice on those who commit crimes, the revenge of a man wronged. Could this be... foreshadowing? Dun dun dun!

The three conspirators (plus one!) are different in interesting ways. We have Danglars, motivated by hatred, who acts in cold calculation, knowing exactly what he's doing and doing it with no regrets. We have Fernand, motivated by jealousy, who acts in passion and anger, driven by emotion and later regretting his actions. And we have Caderousse, motivated at first by envy, which melts away in the open friendliness of Dantes. He knows not what he does, and is only pulled into the conspiracy out of fear and cowardice.

And of course, Villeforte. Motivated by that age-old inducement to evil: ambition. Villefort is a melding of the other three--acting out of calculation, feeling guilt for his actions, but never quite enough to overcome his fear and change his mind.

Any thoughts? How're you folks finding it so far?
Click to expand...
Yes, indeed.

It's a stark contrast to the hubristic agent of vengeance that he eventually becomes as the narrative progresses. Although, been incarcerated
for 14 years and preparing for 10 years
will do that to a person.
 
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