Le Comte de Monte-Cristo: adapté pour les étudiants de français (Progress in French by reading) (French Edition)

--IMPORTANT NOTE - this is only the first part of the text (first 20% or so). I gather Fred is working on the rest of the text over time--I enjoyed this. It's normally frustrating trying to read proper literature in another language, especially when it's hundreds of years old, as there tends to be a lot of unknown vocabulary, and often even if you laboriously learn the unknown words, they may often not be used in modern colloquial speech (imagine a Frenchman studying Shakespeare or Chaucer and then using those words to order a sandwich or chat with a cab driver). The only fun way is to read an adaptation that preserves most of the grammar and the feeling of the text, but uses lower-register words so you don't spend half your time in a dictionary. Finding such adaptations isn't easy. Fred's approach of using truly classic texts that are in the public domain is a great idea. I hope Fred and others do more of this - much more fun than reading an English translation.

These translations are very approachable for someone with intermediate French language skills. They are fun to read, and give you reading confidence. The notes and translation of some key words are useful. Purchasers should be forewarned (but are not) that this translation is only of the first quarter/half or so of the book. If I'd been warned, I would have given this a 5-star rating. The author said he's working on completing this and the other books he's translating. I'm looking forward to hearing about those. In the meantime, I'll continue by reading the first part of Les Miserable, then the Three Musketeers, and Candide. I really appreciate this author's efforts. So much better than reading children's stories.

What a great idea! I hope to one day have the skills to read the original, but in the meantime, this version is a great way to read this classic story in French without the passé simple and with easier vocabulary. I only wish it was the full book (it contains only the first 6 chapters, part 2 should come out next year). Highly recommend to anyone who loves to incorporate literature into their language learning. Merci beaucoup!

I absolutely love this translation. When learning French through reading, you worry about whether you're learning standard and useful French. Frédéric does a perfect job of translating The Counte of Monte Cristo into words and phrases used in modern French while keeping with the intrigue of Alexandre Dumas' great story telling. It is a real page turner!! If you're learning French, I definitely recommend this book. The clip-notes at the bottom translate some tricky colloquial phrases used in today's society and it truly is an easy read. You will find yourself hearing these words and phrases througout modern French TV shows on Netflix and YouTube which has done wonders for my learning French. I hope Frédéric does this with more French works. I'm definitely ready to read more.

I’m learning French (currently at intermediate level) and got this to listen to a good story and practice my listening. It’s read at a slow pace - perfect for my level - and it’s clear and easy to understand.

Fred has done an excellent job adapting this classic for the intermediate reader. The sentence structure is easy to follow, and he has taken care to gloss words that may be unfamiliar to the reader. I have the Kindle version, and it's great just tapping on the footnote to see the gloss.

I speak and read French at an upper intermediate level. Reading these adaptations of French classic literature by Frédéric de Lavenne de Choulot helps to improve my French because they are written in a more modern conversational language that I would use in speaking today. The originals often use language that is archaic and difficult. It’s great to have access to these great writings at my level of the language.

Currently, I am at an intermediate level (self taught) when it comes to my knowledge of French. I enjoy studying French each day. A primary way for me to study French is by reading and listening to French. I truly appreciate this book. It is excellent. With my present level of French, I am unable to fully read/understand the original version of Le Comte de Monte-Cristo. Fortunately, Fred has provided French learners with a wonderful adaptation of this classic work of literature. I purchased the paperback book and the Audible version. (I am not sure why, but Amazon does not have this review listed under the verified purchase category.) I sometimes listen while simultaneously reading the book which is quite helpful. I highly recommend that you read the book and, if possible, listen to the audio version more than once. Doing so will help you increase your expose to rich French content which is tremendously beneficial and enjoyable. Hats off to Fred! Merci ! Merci ! Merci !

This book was exactly what I was looking for, Fred took all the difficult and outdated words and replaced them with words that a beginner- intermediate french learner could understand. I was really surprised at how perfectly this was done. Even the more difficult sentences where expressed in a way that was understandable, it makes you feel good when you can read and understand it.The story of Monte Cristo itself is a wonderful read, you will be hooked from the first few pages. The language used is just challenging enough so that you're always learning new words but not too challenging to read.I've added so many words to my vocabulary reading this, and the best thing is that learning them in context makes them easy to remember.Overall this book was EXACTLY what I needed to get me into French reading. I am definitely buying his other books once I finish this one. I RECCOMEND IT TO EVERYONE

I am studying for my DELF B2 and bought this book to practice my French reading. Excellent adaptation. Very pleased. Looking forwards to part 2

Je suis en train d'étudier la langue française et j'ai eu une bonne expérience avec ce livre et je veux le recommander! Le livre se lit bien, les dialogues coulent vite et en général je suis heureux de mon achat.Un salutPier Francesco*J’en profite pour écrire un peu en français :)