I have to be honest here, folks. While I was on vacation, I... I read the whole thing! But I took down notes on my reactions to certain events, and I will post them in due course.
In the meantime, let's discuss stuff through the latest milestone chapter, LXXX "The Accusation."
So! Some stuff:
-Chapter LXI, "How to Rescue a Gardener..." I loved this chapter for its random one-off badassery. The Count just walks up, makes some small talk, then bribes the shit out of some dude (and basically turns him into a fugitive). Awesome! No shame, just "here's a pile of money now do what I say."
-Also awesome: the
ice cold garden walkthrough (LXIII, "Dinner") with Villefort and Mme Danglars, where the Count basically taunts them about the dead baby. Bonus points for Villefort's horrified realization that the Count's story can't possibly be true and what that must mean. Bahaha!
-Return of Caderousse. Well, after what happened earlier in the story when the Count came to visit, no surprise he's turning up again. Surely he'll throw a wrench or two into things. (Fun fact! In the real-life events which this story was based on, the guy who became Caderousse actually killed the guy who became the Count/Dantes.)
-Maximilian and Valentine. Uuuuurgh. I have to say, this is the single worst plot thread in the book. If it weren't for the importance of Valentine to the Villefort storyline... well. The saccharine overblown pure love they have for one another when, as far as I can tell, they haven't so much as kissed (or held hands?). Yeah, it just irritates and bores me. Sorry Morrel, your kid needs to man up and grow some damn balls. God his whining is annoying.
-Mercedes is a smart lady.
-Noirtier is fucking badass. The scene where he causes Franz to read through the document that implicates him, knowing exactly how Franz will react and that it will get him exactly what he wants... and all the while, sitting there unable to move, but with his eyes glinting. Gave me shivers, that did. Don't fuck with the paralyzed dude.
-The Correspondent from Janina (LXXVIII), and Haydee (LXXVII). Ah, the seeds are being sown even now.
-The Accusation (LXXX). And here, some earlier seeds are at last bearing fruit. I don't think the Count would have necessarily foreseen or planned for Barrois' death. He's just an innocent victim. And of course, he doesn't know that his young friend Morrel is in love with Valentine, even now being (quietly and behind closed doors) accused of murder most foul. Still, it seems to me the Count's seeds are bearing more or less the fruit he'd hoped for.
Man! A lot of stuff happens in this book, doesn't it. Who else is still working on reading at this point?