The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Clothbound Classics)

I'm reading this book for the second time. I first read it about 13 years ago and forgot some of the details. Since I love this book so much and forgot some of the details, I decided to read it again. I have read many classic and modern novels and this is my favorite. The free Kindle version is abridged and a lot of the free and purchased copies out there are. I started reading the free Kindle version and noticed I got to 4% complete pretty fast. This surprised me, as I remembered it being a very long book. I also felt like some intricacies were being left out. I then compared it to my paperback copy of this very edition (Penguin Classics, translated by Robin Buss), that I had read before, and noticed the free Kindle version to be abridged. A lot of the finer details are cut out of the abridged version. The Project Gutenberg version is abridged too. Some people may prefer the abridged version. It is shorter and the main plot is still intact. I am sure it is still entertaining and it will take less time to read. Others, like me, prefer to read the unabridged version for all the details, like the author intended. Some adult themes and subplots are missing in the abridged version. The book is a masterpiece and altering it is destroying a piece of art. At least you have a choice to which version you would rather read. I just want to inform you to be aware that many versions are abridged and not appropriately labeled so. The unabridged version is over 1,000 pages, small print. The Penguin Classics version, translated by Robin Buss, is the unabridged version. The plot involves a young and poor man, Edmond Dantes, who recently gets news of a big career promotion and promptly makes plans to marry a young woman he is infatuated with. She is infatuated with him too. Some jealous acquaintances scheme to ruin his recently found success, because doing so means success for them, instead. The scheming results in Edmond Dantes being imprisoned for many years and his love, thinking him dead, marries one of the scheming acquaintances. The other schemers profit by his misfortune too. Dantes escapes from prison, after many years, and comes upon a great fortune. The fortune makes him extremely wealthy. He is not very happy though and is not willing to just move on and live his live in lavish comfort. He wants revenge! It is the only thing he cares about. He uses his fortune and also a new well-rounded education to plot and execute revenge, methodically. Will vengeance ultimately be worth it or not? Will it finally make him happy? Read this book and find out!

I never thought a revenge story would be so engrossing. From the first chapter to the last, there's enough drama, intrigue and action in each page that I was always looking forward to continuing where I left off. This is not just a "revenge story". The subplots are seamlessly interwoven and the character development is amazing. From Edmond Dantes,to his enemies, even a prick like Andrea, they're all interesting characters that I was always wondering what will happen to them as I was reading. The only other books I've read with so many interesting characters and subplots are "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina", but minus Tolstoy's occasional preaching. To those who are on the fence about reading this classic I say go for it. The 1079 pages are totally worth your time. I haven't read any other translation than this unabridged Buss translation so I can't judge if this is the best one. The general consensus is however that this is the best translation. I can't also say how much you'll miss by reading the abridged edition. But why take an abridged version just for a few hundred pages less?

“I too have been carried up by Satan to the highest mountain on earth. Once there, he showed me the whole world and, as he did to Christ, said to me: ‘Now, Son of Man, what do you want if you are to worship me?’” (p477) What a spectacular adventure story! I thought I knew what to expect from this novel. I imagined I’d end up writing a somewhat banal review contrasting Monte Cristo (“wrongfully imprisoned protagonist becomes consumed by bitterness and the need for revenge”) and the nearly contemporaneous Les Misérables (“protagonist in comparable circumstances shows what redemption looks like”). I was wrong. I’m delighted to report that this rich, multi-layered novel upended my expectations. This isn’t “Rambo” or “Kill Bill”. Instead, the Count is the nineteen century’s Raymond Reddington, protagonist of the TV series Blacklist. He’s infinitely powerful, obscenely rich, extraordinarily connected, all-knowing, mysterious, and intentional. He has a strong though quirky moral core combined with a delicious dash of ruthlessness, curious mannerisms, and uncomfortable predilections. He’s the ultimate puppet master. He’s always up to something, and things are often not what they seem to be. You may or may not like him, but you’ll certainly find him interesting. You might root for him, but he’ll also give you (along with most of the novel’s characters!) a queasy sense of discomfort bordering on fear. He’s fascinating! This novel is certainly morally messier than Les Misérables. But is it also a redemption story? Answering that question would constitute a spoiler, so I’ll leave it to you to discover the answer yourself. If you use a Kindle, I highly recommend the Penguin version available on Amazon. It’s not a full critical edition, but it helps keep you grounded with a little background material and a sprinkling of footnotes. The text is clean and easy on the eyes – not at all like low-budget eReader versions of the classics that do a bad job with OCR.

I was not expecting this classic novel about revenge to also be ironic, sarcastic, funny, witty, and based on a true story. The Count of Monte Cristo is about more than just revenge, especially in the unabridged edition that I read. As long as this story is, I really can’t see how you would abridge it without losing something. A few of my favorite funny moments were when this love sick guy talks about dying for love and the drunk guy responds, ‘There’s love, or I don’t know it (pg. 34).’ I also thought it was hilarious when Albert is trying to hook up in Italy and finds that Italian women are faithful in their infidelity and so not at all interested in him. I’m pretty sure that this is the funniest line in the whole novel: Do you think that, if I did, I would lead you to the answer inch by inch, like a dramatist or a novelist? - Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo (pg. 741). There’s nothing quite as funny as an author making fun of themselves. The irony that shows up every now and then could be summed up in this one perfect line: No one likes a free box as much as a millionaire. - Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo (p. 597) Revenge shows up and not just from the Count. When I saw this line I just couldn’t help being reminded of the Princess Bride movie. “I am Giovanni Bertuccio! Your death is for my brother, your treasure for his widow: you can see that my revenge is more perfect than I could have hoped.” - Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo p. 499 Every one talks about this plot being about revenge, but I found it interesting that the Count just kind of gives them a tiny, little nudge and they bring about their own destruction. I like the introduction’s description of the Count as an early detective. All the Count really did was uncover the truth for justice to come about. Well, except for maybe the last revenge which was my favorite because it was very fitting and kind of funny. Speaking of descriptions of the Count, I found the frequent comparison of him to a popular literary vampire hilarious. Vampires were popular in the 1820s. Who knew. I also found it interesting that there were numerous chapters and story lines where the Count of Monte Cristo was actually a side character. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that done before. I found some of the themes and topics in this novel surprisingly modern. Chapter 31 was all about getting high. There’s a lesbian character that says to heck with marrying who her father says and runs away instead. There’s commentary on sexism and how men can be elevated by scandal and women ruined by the same scandal. As modern as the themes were, I did have a few issues with predictability and writing that drove me nuts. It was obvious to me why a character got kidnapped which made it slightly tedious, but it was funny to see that characters reaction to it. I think every character went pale every other page. For shock, for illness, for fear, for kicks, for giggles etc. And it was stretching it a little too much when a man who can’t move or speak could say “obey” with his eyes. This roll of my eyes means “give me a break.” Despite a few moments of bad writing (that could very well have been from the fact that this was a translation), I did enjoy the writing overall and it’s many witty moments. The Count puts a pompous guy in his place with verbal sparring about titles that was perfect. And when the Count takes a tour of some apartments owned by another pompous idiot, he describes it as “characterized by tedious ostentation and expensive bad taste (pg 537).” Overall, it was a great classic novel about much more than revenge with modern themes, humor, wit, and was enjoyable to read even unabridged.

I love the classics, but for a long time I held off on reading this due to its length and the ordeal of carrying around such a heavy book. Well, the Kindle version has made the second reason a non-issue and pretty much taken care of the first as well. For anyone who does love the classics or simply a rippingly-good read, this spectacular tale of love, politics, 19th-century hypocrisy (by the boatload) and plain old revenge is a must. Dumas, the son of a black slave~~whose last name he took~~and a father he barely knew had few compunctions about showing the sanctimonious sham that was much of post-Napoleonic France at all social levels. And seeing as how many of the same injustices and favoritism of the well-connected are still very much with us today, this makes The Count a very modern novel. As others have already pointed out, this translation by Robin Buss puts everything back that was apparently left out in previous translations, and does so in a way that is true to the language of the time, but still sounds more or less natural to us today. There is something for everyone in this wonderful book: for those who love fantasy, there is the island of Monte Cristo itself, where time seems to stand still; for those more into politics, there is post-Napoleonic France, with all of its intrigues and power-plays at all levels of society; and for those who just love a great story well-told, it is on every page. Not to mention that there is also a fairly hefty erotic charge through much of the book. So if you love adventure, romance, intrigue, great characters and enough plot twists to keep the tension ratcheted up almost nonstop, consider spending a few weeks or however long it takes~~with The Count. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Such a legendary book. One of my favorites.

I have the Robin Buss translation of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO in paperback, but that copy was old and worn. I wanted a more durable hardcover edition to read and to display on my bookshelf in my new house. The hardcover I bought from Total Books arrived in near-perfect condition, exactly as advertised, and looks gorgeous on the shelf. Why Robin Buss' translation for Penguin Classics? That's a reasonable question since Alexandre Dumas has been dead long enough for his works to enter the public domain. Several translations of his major novels are not only available in cheaper editions (such as Barnes & Noble Classics), but for free on Project Gutenberg. These are inferior and, in the case of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, censored translations. Most of them date back to the Victorian period, and render Dumas' evergreen French into English prose that feels old-fashioned and stilted today. Furthermore, because these are translations from the Victorian period, the translators filtered Dumas through their own moral sensibilities to give us Bowdlerized versions of a novel that ran on sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll a century before rock 'n roll was something you could do without a machine gun. Robin Buss' unabridged translation comes directly from the original French and renders Dumas into fresh, readable modern English. Material previously omitted by Victorian-era translators such as Franz' hashish-fueled sexual fantasies and the strongly implied lesbian relationship between Eugenie and Louise remain intact and uncensored. As another reviewer pointed out, Buss will provide footnotes to explain subtleties that aren't easily translated from French to English, such as insults delivered by using the formal you (vous) rather than the informal/friendly/intimate you (tu). A detailed appendix provides valuable historical and cultural context that aids the reader in understanding Dumas' masterpiece, and includes a primer on the rise, fall, return, and final downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte that is crucial to making sense of the politics driving the novel's plot. If you cannot read Dumas in his native French, and you want a definitive English version, Robin Buss's unabridged and uncensored modern English translation is essential reading. No other translation will suffice.

This is a great Classic of a tale! It should be read by everyone who enjoys reading the best of books!

Absolutely phenomenal. The Count of Monte Cristo is a masterclass in storytelling. It is rich, well paced and immensely rewarding. Alexandre Dumas weaves justice, revenge, and redemption into a mature epic that never loses its pacing despite the length of the novel, over 1,000 pages in this kindle edition. It’s a long read with many characters, that can be tricky to keep track of, but every chapter is compelling in it’s own way, making it a classic that has matured with age and is as relevant now as when it was written all those years ago.

The Count of Monte Cristo is a wonderful, compelling story of love, loss, revenge and friendship. It is a long book but in the end, it wasn’t long enough because I would have loved for the story to keep going. I decided to read this book on the recommendation of a friend and also partially as a challenge for myself to see if I still had the focus to read something so long, given my modern day struggles with a short attention span. I did not find it difficult to read at all. I thought that this translation was easy to understand and the footnotes highly helpful given it was written in a much different time period. Do give this book a go. It might take you shorter to finish than you think.

Livro lindo .Não veio com a etiqueta presa no livro não. Ao invés disso veio adesivada no papel celofane que envolve o livro….

This is about the clothbound edition by penguin. It is the only version I could find with the Robin Buss translation. It is the most modern and most readable translation in English. Highly recommended. I hope that one day Penguin will publish a bit more elaborate edition of this version. I think this book deserves it.

A beautiful book that needed a proper protected cover! The sticker should have been on the cellophane!!! I'm very angry about the damage...seriously. I've bought a lot of books like this from penguin and none had the sticker directly on he cloth. This is a waste of a perfectly good hardback cover and subtracts value from an edition that is NOT economical. Shame to Penguin.