The Count is interesting really because he seems to be this all knowing, powerful, terrifying entity when in reality he’s fragile, then cracked and by the end he’s completely shattered. Thanks for the review I needed it today.🥰

I just finished the book and am now searching the interwebs for closure 😂. I find peace with this commentary! Now a subscriber, I like how you intelligently describe the book.

Dumas was inspired by the poisoning plot in the Annals of Tacitus. He even makes reference to the poisoner Locusta. Agrippina poisoned Emperor Claudius so that his son, Nero, inherited the Empire. Heloise acted like Agrippina so that her son would inherit the entire family fortune. And the count provided her with the necessary poison to carry out her project. The orientalism in the book was borrowed from the Arabian Nights and the history of Cleopatra. Possibly Dumas, reading a lot of history, avoids many literary absurdities, such as the protagonist discovering that he has a son and they form a happy family together or the girl who falls in love with her enemy's son. Possibly Dumas reading the history of Alexander the Great and his troubled relationship with his father and even the history of Brutus and Caesar caused Dumas to never write that Albert was the count's son, the count with him and Mercedes formed a happy family. Reading the history of the queen Boudicca in the Annals of Tacitus, she, to avenge the abuse and torture suffered by the Romans, wanted to take revenge indiscriminately on all Romans. After everything that happened with Haydee, it is unlikely that she would fall in love with her enemy's son. More likely she will be taken over by an uncontrollable hate like Boudicca. And the History of Julius caersae Cleopatra may have influenced the relationship between the count and Haydee. Where they both become allies against Fernand and then lovers.

I loved it, was sad when it ended, as I felt the heaviness of his heart, but also the redemption of forgiveness was beautifully represented by the pure white sail on the sea. I appreciated so much how real the world created was, and loved the Haydee character too, mysterious though she remained... overall a total page turner drama. The english wasn't the most poetic, lacking the grace and elegance of War and Peace.. But amazing still is the magic of a real world created in pages! Same, Jane Eyre is my allll time absolute favourite on every level... pure genius xxx

I just found your channel and I’m so glad I did!! I’m always looking for someone who likes to read more of the classics and not just the new romance /YA. Keep up the good work!!🙌🏼👍🏼

I love you perspective and dialogue. I’m glad I found you. Thanks sis. I love hearing lovers of ideas talk about ideas.❤❤❤

Some Adaptations from Novels and Stories: 1. Jane Eyre (1983) 2. Les Misérables (1998) 3. The Great Gatsby (1974) 4. Wuthering Heights (1992) 5. Anna Karenina (1997) 6. The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) 7. Pride and Prejudice (1995) 8. Moby Dick (1956) 9. Sense and Sensibility (1995) 10. A Farewell to Arms (1932) 11. For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) 12. Of Mice and Men (1992) 13. War & Peace (1972-1973) 14. The Three Musketeers (1993) 15. The Brothers Karamazov (1958) 16. Crime and Punishment (1998 TV Movie) 17. Oliver Twist (2005) 18. East of Eden (1955) 19. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) 20. Cannery Row (1982) 21. Treasure Island (1950) 22. Lord of the Flies (1963) 23. The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) 24. The Invisible Man (1933) 25. Howards End (1992) 26. All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 TV Movie) 27. Gulliver's Travels (1996) 28. The Man in the Iron Mask (I) (1998) 29. Beowulf (2007) 30. Fellini Satyricon (1969) 31. The Decameron (1971) 32. Taras Bulba (1962) 33. A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) 34. The Age of Innocence (1993) 35. The Bostonians (1984) 36. Catch-22 (1970) 37. A Christmas Carol (1999 TV Movie) 38. The Citadel (1938) 39. David Copperfield (1999-2000) 40. Far from the Madding Crowd (1967) 41. Daisy Miller (1974) 42. The Killers (1964) 43. The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) 44. Great Expectations (2011-2012) 46. House of Usher (1960) 47. Doctor Zhivago (1965) 48. Notes from Underground (1995) 49. The Plague (1992) 50. 1984 (1984) 51. The Hunger Games films 52. Harry Potter films 53. Sleepy Hollow 54. The Count of Monte Cristo 55. The Secret Garden 56. The Shawshank Redemption 57. The Green Mile 58. The Maze Runner films 59. Christine 60. It part 1 and 2 61. Salem's Lot 62. Carrie 63. The Running Man 64. The Green Knight 65. The Odyssey 66. Sherlock Holmes (2009) 67. Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) 68. Excalibur ( 1981 film) 69. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory 70. Frankenstein (1931 film) 71. The Dark Half ( 1993 film) 72. Little Women (1994 film) 73. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film)

Enjoyed your fun review of this hugely entertaining classic. I just finished it myself. I've never read so many pages so fast. The plot is amazing, though I did have that same 'wrap it up' feeling toward the end.

Six weeks is certainly a triumph. I finished it tonight and it took me four years. (A lot of that time the book sat while I got distracted by other books, though.)

Do you have a video on how you annotate your books? Also, are those pics of your book journal with quotes written in them? I just love that!

Another great review! I've had this on my tbr for a minute. Maybe I'll tackle next year. I know you have war and peace on your tbr for the year, I started that one last year and got about 450 pages and just never finished it. No fault of the book, I was enjoying it and plan to return. I think because it was the first huge book I attempted I just ran out of steam. Im excited to hear your thoughts on that one too!

With regards to the length of the book, most of Dumas' books were published serially. That is, they were published a few chapters at a time in periodic journals. The more chapters one writes, the more paychecks one receives. Personally, I love Monte Cristo and it certainly drags at times. However, I feel that most of the side stories eventually come full circle and tie themselves off nicely. Definitely near the top of my Dumas list. If you want a book with limitless side stories that seem to drag on forever, try Le Vicomte de Bragelonne! 😉 That being said, Monte Cristo is fantastic. And for those who are willing to brave some of Dumas' longer works, Joseph Balsamo (approximately 2000 pages) is just the beginning of a long series of "Marie Antoinette Romances" which will keep you busy for quite a while. I recommend anyone with an interest in french literature to seek out his many other great works. Thanks for the review ✌️

I just found your channel and looking forward to viewing your other videos and future content. I read the book and plan to re-read it as my nightstand read. Enjoy the book, and what I find even more fascinating is he used his father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, as his inspiration. I read The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss a few months back for a book discussion which is a biography about his father. His father's contributions are little known; Reiss writes in the introduction his experience of finding the research writing the book. I couldn't help to think that Dumas wrote his novel as a way to keep his father in the minds of readers and, in a way, he can have some justice using a literary device that his father didn't have during his life.

Just started reading The Count of Monte Cristo. So far I’m liking the episodic style. Thanks for giving me interesting things to think about as I read!

An interesting cross comparison is to "Les Miserables" - another 19th century French novel about a guy (Jean Valjean) who spends a long time in jail. Since Valjean spent the entire Napoleonic era in jail, he emerges in 1815 as a political "newborn" that cannot be accused of suspicious sympathies - so he is able to reinvent himself within French society. Edmond Dantes goes to jail right at the time Valjean is released and returns as the Count right when Valjean dies.

I really enjoyed this. I'm glad you made the comparison to Raskolnikov, I hadn't thought about their similarities before.

“Dumas, I’m gonna need you to rap it up!” 😆😂

I agree that Haydee is an interesting character that I would like to hear more about. I was pulling for Albert and Haydee to somehow end up together. I was also hoping that Albert was secretly the Count's son and Mercedes was just waiting to reveal that fact. On a side note, the story of Luigi Vampa and Cucumetto was so fascinating to me. I was so intrigued by the Carlini and Rita love story. I felt stabbed in the heart when I realized Cucumetto was an absolute monster. Overall, Edmond Dantes will always be a hero of mine. How he hoped, how he waited. Brilliant story in my opinion.

They say that vengeance is a dish best served cold, but the part between Dantes prison suffering and the actual act of justice is so long, you almost forget how much he suffered, so all the misery he causes the other characters in the end seems like a huge overkill.

Loved hearing your thoughts on this, and I would totally agree with you overall! I enjoyed my time and have no regrets reading it, but a bit more editing would have been nice.

Oh gosh, just about to start this!

I finished this recently too!! Always very thoughtful. I loooved the first half so much and felt a bit let down by that interminable “secondary” revenge thing with the poison in the house and all that. I was just like fuuuuhhh. Took a bit of the wind out of the sails for me.

Awesome review!

I gave it a 3 when I read it this summer but after the fact I want to reread it and I think it should be a 4. At the time I was feeling it was taking too long (that's on me)... and I wanted..... can't say due to spoilers. (Deals with Mercedes) Great review and thoughts!!

I actually want to read this book!

💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

Excellent video.

And to think some people don't consider this high literature. Guess it's too popular?

But please do a best of 2022 of course once the year is over.

Well, the central protagonist in Crime and Punishment has been fated (by the author) to commit a crime which (reasonably) repulses him. After which he feels as if his mission in life is complete, and he need not ever do anything again. Dantes, OTOH, needs little coaxing from Dumas to work his wild schemes, which he not only seems to enjoy but for which he's rewarded. So, one character is an extremely dynamic person of action dropped down into a weirdly contorted milieu of contrived co-incidence: the other is forced to suppress his free-will and act in a strange but generally realistic world.

No one reviews books like you 😂 specially classics. He got haters! 😂 BooThang! Now I want to read it. On another note, I love what you said about human justice, so right. Keep it up and would love a tag but I get it. You busy.

good but... all story, no insight. if you like revenge, the best work of revenge is the film I Saw the Devil (2010)

I agree that his live interest should have been more fleshed out. Perhaps a bit of male author ignoring female characters as underwhelming and unimportant and only there as a play piece for male characters. I'll give Dumas a pass due to his era but not current authors who play that card. I read this book years ago and now I think I may reread it

#justicefordantes😂

I didn't care for this woman's review at all. She goes off on tangents political, religious, social and paints Monte Cristo as semi-mad. She tells us about the sweater she made as an homage to the French sailor's clothes. WHO CARES. Between her critique and tossing her hair, her review, in my opinion left a little to be desired. My compliments to her though, my hats off, kudos for her reading list. She is a prodigious reader, rare in these days of watching the movie and skipping the book.

Thanks for this. Dumas never crossed my eyeballs' path, but I know a bit about his father. Anyhow, I recently bumped into Ester Anderson (in a movie, that is). You might dig her filmmaking career, if you can track them down... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Anderson_(Jamaican_actress)#Filmmaking_career