I finished the book in four days after reading the first half in about three weeks because I couldn't get on the net and didn't have anything elso to do.
Great recap cyan, I agree with much of what you said. But, and bear with me because I'm bad with characters names, short on memory, and english is my second language....
The chapter where the Count is preparing for the duel with Albert and receives the visit from Mercedes to beg for the life of her son, it's one of the most unbelievables from the whole book.
Starting with the offense. I don't know why Albert don't speak with his father when he finds out that Danglars is diffaming him on the paper or why Fernand doesn't lift a finger when he finds out that his son is going to risk his life to defend his "honor". Or why in fact Albert is still willing to do it when he knows everyword in the paper is the truth.
And why the fuck did the Count would be willing to stop his almost two decades old plan to get revenge just because Mercedes went crying to him. Let alone his plan. He is willing to die just because Mercedes is asking him to. I couldn't keep reading without stoping every few paragraphs and yell in my head "What are you doing?, you just need to kill her to and end her sadness!, do it! DOOO IITT!"... but no. he is already saying goodbye to his almost adoptive son Morrel and waiting for Albert to arrive for the duel.
And did my copy of the book somehow missed the chapter where Mercedes tell Albert everything?, It's hard to believe it's not included, I wonder if it was even written and just left out because there is no way to explain a proces in which Albert goes to be willing to die in a duel to defend the inexistent honor of his traitor and murderer father, to reject him, his name and his fortune when your mother tells you that he send a innocent person to prison 24 years before to marry her. I mean I know it makes it worse but not enough to do an 180 and go crying to the duel the next day and call everything off.
And the whole "Have hope and wait for me one month" that the Count uses to torture Morrel just after saving whats her name, it's just way too theatrical, especially when he finishes it with "you needed to know what it was to die to enjoy living" or something like that, I was like.. WTF, he had a fucking pistol pointed to his head a month ago, you should have given the pill there and avoid all the drama. I hate drama. But anyway.
Any book that makes me react like that is good even when I'm not happy when I finish it.