All About Books discussion

Please discuss our winner here.

Thanks Alannah. I have been wanting to read this for some time. Now I'm motivated. And committed.

I read it in January. It’s a 5 star read. Even with its length the book is centred around the central character and never wavers from its prime plot.

I’m happy this won so I can read this book with others. Looking forward to reading and chatting with others.

I just read this last year so won't reread such a long book yet, but am looking forward to the discussion.

ETA Wow, it was in 2017! I was thinking of something else, I guess. I just put a hold on this at my library to reread it.

I’m hoping to join in the group read! I should start now.

I read an abridged version not realizing it was abridged, so am thrilled this won giving me the chance to break out my new copy. The 1992 movie has to be one of my favorite movies, and I loved the book until I’d realized my mistake. Can’t wait to start this next week

I found a free version on the book's page, I will hopefully take part. This has been nominated quite a few times so I look forward to reading it.

I’m a horribly slow reader, 😖 so I don’t think I’ll be able to participate, but I’d love to give it a go, since TCOM has been on my to-read list for ages. ☺️

I read this classic by Dumas a few years ago and would love to participate in the discussion. It's such a long novel that I won't re-read, but that's rarely necessary unless it's been so long a reader has forgotten many of the details.

I'll assume most people have gotten past the escape sequence (not a spoiler, since it's an obvious outcome from the very nature of the book's own description). Probably the most exciting and suspenseful escape plot I've ever read. Thoughts on this, or any other aspect of the book's beginning..?

I found out today is the 177th anniversary of the first publication date! How serendipitous!

I read this decades ago when I was teenager, and I loved it. I think I've reread it once since then. I'm looking forward to revisiting it and hearing what others think as they work their way through it. :)

Virginia wrote: "I’m a horribly slow reader, 😖 so I don’t think I’ll be able to participate, but I’d love to give it a go, since TCOM has been on my to-read list for ages. ☺️"

That's fine if you are. I never close the monthly group reads so you're more than welcome to come back long after October is over and post your thoughts.

I'm reading and listening this time. The audiobook by Bill Homewood is really good. I have sped it up some, but it lets me keep moving forward in the story when I can't sit and read.

I’m at The Italian Scholar and realize again just how much I enjoy this book.

“Sighs united together are almost prayers; prayers coming from two hearts almost acts of grace.” This may have to be my quote of the week!

As I read I'm reflecting on how Dantes various "friends" are reacting to his arrest. Dumas shows us their characters in their actions very clearly.

And, as it's been decades since I read this, I'll be looking for how his enemies reap the consequences or rewards of their actions.

a great classic very exciting but also quite moralistic. about love honour and revenge and betrayal . It is quite complicated the plot worth persevering .

My plan is to read two chapters a day. As my week is busy I play catch-up on the weekends. This may help those who feel they are slow readers or feel overwhelmed by the size. Luckily it reads quite easy in the beginning.

First impressions:
because it was written as a serial, it is quite accessible and engaging. There is some political setup but you don't need to have all the details known as what is necessary is explained.

Onto the story: There are quite a few characters that stand out - Edward Dantes, Danglers, Villefort. Dantes is quite young and naive but there are hints that he has a formidable temper. And i feel sorry already for certain plotters.
And because it is so engaging I may increase the amount I read cause I need to know. I know it gets quite convoluted but I am sure this will be worked out in the end.

June, I agree it “reads well” and if not for the length, I think more people would be engaged with it. I haven’t set a chapter goal for my days yet and don’t read every day, but I make fast tracks because it’s so engrossing.

I’ve just finished the chapter September the Fifth which is total anxiety. The red purse here such a cool touch. I also appreciated Caderousse’s Story prior.

Maggie, you are blazing through at chapter 30. I completed chapter 14 today. I was tempted to do a rabbit hole of Hundred Year War, Waterloo. But it’s not necessary to understand the story.

There’s a couple episodes of OverSimplified on YouTube that focus on the Napoleonic Wars that I rewatched, because I felt like a little background would serve as a great reminder too!

Just reached 35, La Mazzolata. I’ve forgotten so much of the story and am interested to hear how others think of Franz and Albert.

Thanks for the video reference, Maggie. Will watch it shortly.
I will soon be reading chapters 21 and 22- after Dante’s escape from Chateau d’If.

I'm reading 2 chapters a day, also. I find it very hard to get totally lost in a book like I did when I was young. I don't know if my brain has changed or if it's just the fact that I now have a lot more responsibilities that are always in the back of my mind. Still, this book has no trouble holding my attention.

I enjoyed watching Dantes mature some during his time in prison. I only remember a few bits here and there so I'm interested in seeing how all of his "friends" lives turned out.

I didn't remember exactly how he escaped. Very clever!

I just finished rereading The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré. It's an excellent, but very different, book. So I was tickled to see this line in Ch 12 of Count. It could have been in Spy, too. “In politics, my dear fellow, you know, as well as I do, there are no men, but ideas — no feelings, but interests; in politics we do not kill a man, we only remove an obstacle, that is all.”

Just finished Chapter 30, and all I can say is WOW. I can't wait to hear other people's reactions.

Are we supposed to hide spoilers? I assume so, as they're hard to avoid in a book this long. So here goes: (view spoiler)[ I didn't remember how this turned out and I was really worried that Morrel would kill himself before the money arrived. I can't think of any reason Dantes made him wait except that it makes a great story, which it did. The tension just ratcheted up throughout the chapter. Whew!

I loved the "Farewell, kindness, farewell humanity..." paragraph. Dantes and the book are definitely turning a corner here. (hide spoiler)]

I’ve just barely got started and am on chapter IV The Plot. (I’m trying to finish Pride and Prejudice before getting into this one.) So far, I really like it!

I finally started this earlier this week, but it will be a slow reread for me as I am reading a number of other books at the same time. Since I have read it before I can savour it rather than racing to see what comes next :)

I read that this book was originally published in 18 sections, - that's 6-7 chapters per section. Sometimes it helps me orient myself in a long, old book to look for these sections. I like to try and understand what the author is doing. A new section may introduce new characters or a change of theme, then it will build to some type of climax or cliff-hanger to keep the reader excited for the next issue of the story. (This is not meant as a lecture, just an explanation of my thinking.)

I'd definitely say one section stopped after Chapter 30, and the next few chapters read as a separate tale to me, giving us (view spoiler)[glimpses of Dantes' past ten years without coming out and just describing them. Morcerf is Fernand's son, but I wonder how significant Franz will be as the book progresses? Also, Gaetano says he has to smuggle to survive, and the smugglers even help each other out. We're definitely seeing an Italy where people break the law as a matter of course. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Checking in - how are folks doing with reading this? I'm on Chapter 54. The story is spreading out, bringing in lots more people, and Dantes is definitely weaving his revenge, though I don't pretend to know exactly what he's up to. lol

Life happened during my reading, so I haven’t read much more than my last update. Luckily I am still invested so hopefully in October it will have my full attention on weekends.(Being realistic, this time around).

I finally finished 2 books that I was reading so now I can devote all of my reading time to this book! I'm at the point where Dantes is imprisoned. I love the writing and the way the plot moves along. Can't wait to get into the revenge action!

June wrote: "Life happened during my reading, so I haven’t read much more than my last update. Luckily I am still invested so hopefully in October it will have my full attention on weekends.(Being realistic, th..."

I understand life happening. I'm glad you're going to keep reading. I switched to an audiobook for a while a listened while I was driving. That helped.

Pam wrote: "I finally finished 2 books that I was reading so now I can devote all of my reading time to this book! I'm at the point where Dantes is imprisoned. I love the writing and the way the plot moves alo..."

Great! I love that part. It's so fascinating, and you get to see how Dantes reacts in a tough situation.

Hi all, I paused at chapter 42 and am about to jump back in.
Château-Renaud’s Islamophobic comment about trying out his new pistols on Arabs disturbed me and I hope the character isn’t recurring.
Too, I did wonder why the “astonished reaction” to Monte Cristo‘s comment about Morrel having a noble heart. Anyone understand this and can shed some light for me?

Finished this Classic last night! The story has its ups and downs. I feel like the characters all had lessons to learn. So glad I made it through all those pages and I really like how many genres are included: romance, adventure, mystery and history.

Patty wrote: "Finished this Classic last night! The story has its ups and downs. I feel like the characters all had lessons to learn. So glad I made it through all those pages and I really like how many genres a..."

Good for you! I'm not quite done. I'll confess I felt it was slow in some parts, because I didn't care too much about some of the characters. But you're right, there are lots of lessons for people to learn. Even Dantes.

I paused at chapter 39 (he just arrived in Paris). The part before this was kind of slow for me and I put it down to read 2 sci-fi books for my library book club. This is my problem with really long books - I get distracted by short books. But, I’m getting back to it today!

Pam wrote: "I paused at chapter 39 (he just arrived in Paris). The part before this was kind of slow for me and I put it down to read 2 sci-fi books for my library book club. This is my problem with really lon..."

I took a week and read nothing but fantasy, so I know how that goes. :)

Somewhere around Chapter 60 I realized I was losing track of who some of these people were. Usually I don't worry about that, the MCs sort of "float to the top". But there are so many characters, some of them change names, and they are so intertwined, I was getting confused. (For instance, I thought Eugenie was Villefort's acknowledged daughter, not Danglers', and that messed me up for a while.)

So I made a character chart, listing families, names and titles, etc. That helped me keep track as I read. It also let me see more clearly how Dantes was playing the people against each other and their families, which was interesting.

I like how Dantes is using each man's vices against himself. He's not just getting revenge for what they did to him, but letting their abuses ruin them. And in the process a lot of other wrongs are being avenged, too.

Teri-K- A character chart sounds like a good idea. I like the way you describe his revenge tactics. I haven’t gotten into that part yet but am more interested now!

Pam wrote: "Teri-K- A character chart sounds like a good idea. I like the way you describe his revenge tactics. I haven’t gotten into that part yet but am more interested now!"

Oh, good. Before I made the chart I confess I didn't realize how much all the different characters were interacting, and I didn't catch all that Dantes was doing behind the scenes to tangle them up even more. It really helped me enjoy the rest of the book a lot more. No more reading chapters that felt like they didn't add to the story, as I could see how they mounted up.

If you can keep track of it all in your head, then more power to you. I found I couldn't. Too much other stuff in there, I guess, or just not as much brain power as when I read this about 50 years ago. :)

I finished it! The last 30 chapters really flew by for me, I'm glad I had time this weekend to read a lot. I'd forgotten all of the Valentine plotline at the end, it felt like weeks for the poor girl. lol

I've never been crazy about the Haydee ending before, but it made more sense to me this time. I don't want to spoil anything, so don't read this till you finish the book - (view spoiler)[My take is that she, like Dantes, lost everything through no fault of her own. She has no family or people to return to, also like him. And in a way he was as enslaved to revenge as she has been a literal slave. By loving Dantes, and his coming to love her, they allow each other to leave their lives of sorrow and loss and enter a future of happiness and love. (hide spoiler)]

I've been wanting to reread this for some time. Thanks for everyone who stuck it out. If you're not done, be encouraged to keep reading. It's worth the time it takes. :)

I finished this last week, but by then forgot why I was reading it and got mixed up with an earlier-this-year read of this in another group that I missed. I have been busy and remiss at checking in here.

It was a reread and stays at 4 stars for me. I love many things about it, but a few parts are boring and then there the Haydée ending is always a bit irksome to me, but I'll wait until more people are finished.

Karin wrote: "I finished this last week, but by then forgot why I was reading it and got mixed up with an earlier-this-year read of this in another group that I missed. I have been busy and remiss at checking in..."

Yeah on finishing it again! I'll look forward to hearing more about your opinions. I'm always interested in what others have to say about what I've read. :)

I’m about 40% done! I keep stopping to read much shorter library books. I am reading a chapter here and there. But, at some point soon, I need to devote more time to it.

Pam wrote: "I’m about 40% done! I keep stopping to read much shorter library books. I am reading a chapter here and there. But, at some point soon, I need to devote more time to it."

Don't stop! It's worth sticking with it.

The 40-60s chapters were where I really benfited from my little cast list. Keeping track of who was related and how they were interacting makes everything clearer later on. Just know that none of these chapters are filler - they're all contributing to Dantes revenge somehow. Or to his redemption.