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Monte Cristo,
This is my favorite book of all time. There is action, mystery, intrigue, suspense...it does take a while to get used to the language and it can be helpful to take notes on who`s who. This book is nothing like that horrible movie! A classic read.
Monte Cristo,
I'm only about 225 pages into the book so far and have no regrets about buying it. The story is wonderful, not the kind of thing you'd want to rush through but just take your time and enjoy. My only surprise is that this edition was advertised as being "Deckle Edge Paper" whereas my copy is definitely not. You're paying more for this version so if that is important to you beware.
Monte Cristo,
Forget any other translation of this novel, this is the now the definitive English version of this great classic of French literature. Robin Buss skillfully translates 19th century French into 21st century English without compromising Dumas' prose. Ample footnotes have been provided to help the modern reader with the details of French history between the Revolution and the rise and fall of Napoleon that are an important part of this novel. Yes, this is long but it will be time well spent! I purchased this as a Kindle download and found it quite easy to access the footnotes and return to the story. Unfortunately, there are a couple of places in the novel where Dumas includes some Greek text that renders poorly on the Kindle.
Monte Cristo,
This was an unbelievable book. I had read shorter versions in school and seen diferent versions in the movies over the years but now that I have read this unabridged version I feel truly slighted. The size of this book put me off at first but once I got into the book I couldn't put it down.Dumas manages to capture probably the best account of human emotions that I have come across in a written form in a long time. Love, jealousy, hate, despair, revenge, remorse, pity, grief, and the list goes on and on. Through our beloved Count, Edmond, we see all of these thing that make us human. We find by each turn of the page that it isn't these emotions that are bad or good but how we put them to use in our lives.I was truly stunned by this book and all that is contained within...and as the Count said in his last words I am left to "wait and hope".This book is a must read for everyone.
Monte Cristo,
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.
Monte Cristo,
I just recently finished reading this 600+ page novel and was very disappointed in it. With the Count of Monte Cristo being considered such a classic - I was left asking "why" after reading this version? Apparently, it is not the entire book and that would explain some of my confusion with the relevance of many characters who are introduced and then left out.I'm very disappointed that this book is not listed by the publisher as "abridged" (nowhere on this book does it say abridged). After spending all the time to read 600 pages, I feel obligated to go back and read the recommended version, so I can find out what makes this a "Classic" and so many people's favorite book.I find it very beneficial that Amazon provides the reviews - this is an excellent resource that I use before I purchase almost anything. My wife purchased this book at a local bookstore and now I am purchasing the full version from Amazon after reading the reviews to see what I am missing. The version I read can't be so many people's favorite book, so they must have left out some important information. Thanks for the reviews, Amazon.