Name: The Count of Monte Cristo
Rating: 4.221774193548387 (868 reviews)
ISBN: 9780141392462

Alexandre Dumas

Robin Buss

This translation originally published: 2003.

The Count of Monte Cristo

This book is considered to be one of the most iconic french classics and I can totally see why. This book is about Edmond Dantes, a sailor who is wrongly imprisoned by 4 people. The book leads to how Dantes escapes and disguises himself into many identities with one of them being The Count of Monte Cristo as he takes his revenge on the people responsible. The book's first half was very strong with the character descriptions and how well the idea of revenge was framed. The second half gets abit dragged and focuses alot more on dramatisation alongside a deeper perspectives of the secondary characters. I like the fact that the revenge is shown to be complex with unforeseen obstacles alongside the character introductions not being a negative but a better addition to the story bringing new elements. I did feel one of the subplots abit too dragged and expected abit more depth regarding certain subplots which I feel was just brushed away.

Aside from this I feel that not only this book is really good but this is also a timeless piece of literature which is still referenced in many means of entertainment, directly or indirectly.

Aarush Arora

This book is considered to be one of the most iconic french classics and I can totally see why. This book is about Edmond Dantes, a sailor who is wrongly imprisoned by 4 people. The book leads to how Dantes escapes and disguises himself into many identities with one of them being The Count of Monte Cristo as he takes his revenge on the people responsible. The book's first half was very strong with the character descriptions and how well the idea of revenge was framed. The second half gets abit dragged and focuses alot more on dramatisation alongside a deeper perspectives of the secondary characters. I like the fact that the revenge is shown to be complex with unforeseen obstacles alongside the character introductions not being a negative but a better addition to the story bringing new elements. I did feel one of the subplots abit too dragged and expected abit more depth regarding certain subplots which I feel was just brushed away.

Aside from this I feel that not only this book is really good but this is also a timeless piece of literature which is still referenced in many means of entertainment, directly or indirectly.

Highly recommended

Translated with an Introduction by Robin Buss

Sinny

First book of 2026, and I know it’s already my favorite of the year. Such a beautiful piece of work. Amazing. 

Hope. Justice. Vengeance. A classic tale you don’t want to miss! Best-selling author Alexandre Dumas--who also wrote The Three Musketeers--tells this heartbreaking yet heroic tale of Edmond Dantes who takes revenge on the men responsible for his unjust fourteen-year imprisonment, keeping him from the woman he loved and the life he was supposed to live. * This widely popular classic, originally written in French, tells a tale of devastating consequences for the innocent as well as the guilty. The Count of Monte Cristo is a must-have for any home library or literary aficionado.

Dumas should have made this book twice as long actually 

Jacque

Bárbara Borba

Absolutely perfect (except for the romance, which was a little gross, but who cares).

The epic tale of wrongful imprisonment, adventure and revenge, in its definitive translation Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to use the treasure to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas' epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s. Translated with an Introduction by ROBIN BUSS

Now that was quite the read. I don’t think it’s ever taken me that long to read a book. I absolutely LOVED this! I cannot believe it was written so long ago. I can’t however, completely understand why it’s a classic. What an absolutely brilliantly epic ride. A take of love and jealousy, revenge and karma! What on earth I’m going to follow this up with though lord only knows! 

Aims

WOW!! ♾️⭐️ 

Now that was quite the read. I don’t think it’s ever taken me that long to read a book. I absolutely LOVED this! I cannot believe it was written so long ago. I can’t however, completely understand why it’s a classic. What an absolutely brilliantly epic ride. A take of love and jealousy, revenge and karma! What on earth I’m going to follow this up with though lord only knows! 

A brilliant story of intrigue, retribution, revenge and redemption. Imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, Edmond Dantès spends fourteen bitter years in a dungeon. When his daring escape plan works, he uses all he has learnt during his incarceration to mastermind an elaborate plan of revenge that will bring punishment to those he holds responsible for his fate. No longer the naïve sailor who disappeared into the dark fortress all those years ago, he reinvents himself as the charming, mysterious and powerful Count of Monte Cristo...

I read the book because of its legendary reputation, everyone kept saying "You have to read this, it's epic bla-bla," but I'll admit I was a skeptic. In the early chapters, the plot felt ordinary tale of betrayal and to make it worse, the sheer size of the book felt like a mountain I wasn't sure I wanted to climb, jk (overdramatic). I almost gave up and dismissed it as just another classic that wasn't for me. Tho, everything changed in the damp cell of Château d'If. :) Abbé Faria didn't just save Edmond, he saved the story for me! Through Faria, we see that first spark of hope in the darkness.

Even at a slow pace, I began to grasp the philosophical weight of the narrative. The way Edmond executes his revenge as the Count of Monte Cristo is beautiful, but it made me ask: "What is the actual difference between justice and revenge?" Edmond believes he’s a tool of Providence, sent to punish the wicked and reward the virtuous, yet through his journey, we see the true cost of trying to play God.

Dumas doesn’t just give us "evil types," but he gives us diff flavors of moral failure. Danglars, driven by greed and envy, who loses everything he values, showing us that greed empties a person long before it actually ruins them. Fernand with his jealous love and ambitions, wins everything Edmond loses, only to face public disgrace. To me, he's the clearer Villains, but the most cowardly. Villefort, with his hypocrisy, believes he's righteous which makes him the most terrifying of them all. Even Andrea, tho Edmon didn't push him, he's a product of a society, he shows what happens when the world rewards appearances over truth.

Above all, the most dangerous villain is actually the Count himself. He's in danger of becoming his enemies. All the villains share one trait: they use people as means to an end, justifying harm as necessary, and putting their goals above everything else. Edmond believes he's been chosen to reward the good and punish the wicked, but no human can wield that kinda power without corruption, right? The moment he stops asking if he's right and starts saying he's right, he risks becoming another ver. of Villefort.

Edouard's death, Valentine's "death" and Maximilian's despair. Even if Edmond didn't intend for them to suffer, neither did Villefort when he chose his career over justice(?). At his coldest, Edmons speaks in absolutes and hides behind "fate," just like how villains are. Dumas gives Edmond “brakes” by putting people in his path, Mercedes (reminding him of love and guilt), Albert (forcing him to show mercy), Valentine & Maximilian (forcing restoration) and Haydee (unmanipulated love). Without them, the Count wouldn't have stopped.

Even with a big age gap between Haydee and Edmond, I honestly prefer them over him going back to Mercedes. A few movie adaptations put Mercedes and Edmond back together, but it never feels right. Mercedes loves the memory of her past lover, but she can't fully face what he has become and she's frightened of the Count (rightly so). Love can't grow where there's fear and silence. Mercedes lives with the guilt of Edmond, Fernand, and Albert; her love is defined by loss, and reuniting her with Edmond would just trap them both in grief. Meanwhile, Haydee represents healing after revenge. He doesn't groom or test her, either. The story of Maximilian and Valentine also reminds me of who Edmond could have been if prison and betrayal hadn't happened. And the great Eugénie, love her independence. It’s so respectable that she wants to do her own thing, which was basically every woman’s dream at the time. The stories of Andrea, Ali, and the others are so perfectly connected that I could yap about them forever.

By the end, I realized revenge isn't the only plot, but mercy, waiting, and hoping are. I feel like I didn’t just read a story, but lived through a lifetime of wisdom lol. Dantes completes his revenge and finally understands what vengeance actually costs. All human wisdom is contained in these two words: "Wait and Hope." The ending is full of moral complexity. It’s a near-perfect masterpiece, and I’ll carry it with me forever.

I read the book because of its legendary reputation, everyone kept saying "You have to read this, it's epic bla-bla," but I'll admit I was a skeptic. In the early chapters, the plot felt ordinary tale of betrayal and to make it worse, the sheer size of the book felt like a mountain I wasn't sure I wanted to climb, jk (overdramatic). I almost gave up and dismissed it as just another classic that wasn't for me. Tho, everything changed in the damp cell of Château d'If. :) Abbé Faria didn't just save Edmond, he saved the story for me! Through Faria, we see that first spark of hope in the darkness.

Even at a slow pace, I began to grasp the philosophical weight of the narrative. The way Edmond executes his revenge as the Count of Monte Cristo is beautiful, but it made me ask: "What is the actual difference between justice and revenge?" Edmond believes he’s a tool of Providence, sent to punish the wicked and reward the virtuous, yet through his journey, we see the true cost of trying to play God.

Dumas doesn’t just give us "evil types," but he gives us diff flavors of moral failure. Danglars, driven by greed and envy, who loses everything he values, showing us that greed empties a person long before it actually ruins them. Fernand with his jealous love and ambitions, wins everything Edmond loses, only to face public disgrace. To me, he's the clearer Villains, but the most cowardly. Villefort, with his hypocrisy, believes he's righteous which makes him the most terrifying of them all. Even Andrea, tho Edmon didn't push him, he's a product of a society, he shows what happens when the world rewards appearances over truth.

Above all, the most dangerous villain is actually the Count himself. He's in danger of becoming his enemies. All the villains share one trait: they use people as means to an end, justifying harm as necessary, and putting their goals above everything else. Edmond believes he's been chosen to reward the good and punish the wicked, but no human can wield that kinda power without corruption, right? The moment he stops asking if he's right and starts saying he's right, he risks becoming another ver. of Villefort.

Edouard's death, Valentine's "death" and Maximilian's despair. Even if Edmond didn't intend for them to suffer, neither did Villefort when he chose his career over justice(?). At his coldest, Edmons speaks in absolutes and hides behind "fate," just like how villains are. Dumas gives Edmond “brakes” by putting people in his path, Mercedes (reminding him of love and guilt), Albert (forcing him to show mercy), Valentine & Maximilian (forcing restoration) and Haydee (unmanipulated love). Without them, the Count wouldn't have stopped.

Even with a big age gap between Haydee and Edmond, I honestly prefer them over him going back to Mercedes. A few movie adaptations put Mercedes and Edmond back together, but it never feels right. Mercedes loves the memory of her past lover, but she can't fully face what he has become and she's frightened of the Count (rightly so). Love can't grow where there's fear and silence. Mercedes lives with the guilt of Edmond, Fernand, and Albert; her love is defined by loss, and reuniting her with Edmond would just trap them both in grief. Meanwhile, Haydee represents healing after revenge. He doesn't groom or test her, either. The story of Maximilian and Valentine also reminds me of who Edmond could have been if prison and betrayal hadn't happened. And the great Eugénie, love her independence. It’s so respectable that she wants to do her own thing, which was basically every woman’s dream at the time. The stories of Andrea, Ali, and the others are so perfectly connected that I could yap about them forever.

By the end, I realized revenge isn't the only plot, but mercy, waiting, and hoping are. I feel like I didn’t just read a story, but lived through a lifetime of wisdom lol. Dantes completes his revenge and finally understands what vengeance actually costs. All human wisdom is contained in these two words: "Wait and Hope." The ending is full of moral complexity. It’s a near-perfect masterpiece, and I’ll carry it with me forever.

The Three Musketeers (Signet Classics)

i had so much fun with all 650 pages of this book—they flew by at such a speed that, as a huge fan of other serially published novels like anna karenina, i can't believe these chapters were published back when serial publishing was a thing—but what really elevated the story for me was the ending, which came as unexpected for me. athos' final words to d'artagnan punched me in the chest. dumas moves so deftly between lively wit and poignant sorrow; there is such a love of life throughout the story, from the loving details of food and clothing, to the highs and lows of love itself. the characters all quickly endeared themselves to me. they became like good friends to me, even the villains, and i already miss these losers.

a personal detail: i am so lucky to have started reading this book in nyc and finished it while visiting friends who live in paris. days before i traveled to france for the first time, i visited the met's superfine: tailoring black style exhibit and was moved upon seeing a pair of dumas' trousers. seeing dumas in the context of black dandyism and the racial dynamics of his france made me look at his thorough descriptions of porthos' and other characters' clothing in a new light. at after walking through the real, historical anne of austria's summer apartments in the louvre merely an hour before, i read the chapter in which the duke of buckingham sneaks through the halls of the louvre to meet dumas' anne of austria. the historical basis was a real surprise as i went into this novel with no foreknowledge, but it made the setting all the more powerful to me. i also very much appreciated the intro and afterword of this edition illuminating dumas and his father's lives; it gave me much greater appreciation for the context in which dumas was writing, even as he wrote what was, for him, already a historical fiction of two centuries past. it's so wonderful to read a classic and understand why it is so beloved.

alice

i had so much fun with all 650 pages of this book—they flew by at such a speed that, as a huge fan of other serially published novels like anna karenina, i can't believe these chapters were published back when serial publishing was a thing—but what really elevated the story for me was the ending, which came as unexpected for me. athos' final words to d'artagnan punched me in the chest. dumas moves so deftly between lively wit and poignant sorrow; there is such a love of life throughout the story, from the loving details of food and clothing, to the highs and lows of love itself. the characters all quickly endeared themselves to me. they became like good friends to me, even the villains, and i already miss these losers.

a personal detail: i am so lucky to have started reading this book in nyc and finished it while visiting friends who live in paris. days before i traveled to france for the first time, i visited the met's superfine: tailoring black style exhibit and was moved upon seeing a pair of dumas' trousers. seeing dumas in the context of black dandyism and the racial dynamics of his france made me look at his thorough descriptions of porthos' and other characters' clothing in a new light. at after walking through the real, historical anne of austria's summer apartments in the louvre merely an hour before, i read the chapter in which the duke of buckingham sneaks through the halls of the louvre to meet dumas' anne of austria. the historical basis was a real surprise as i went into this novel with no foreknowledge, but it made the setting all the more powerful to me. i also very much appreciated the intro and afterword of this edition illuminating dumas and his father's lives; it gave me much greater appreciation for the context in which dumas was writing, even as he wrote what was, for him, already a historical fiction of two centuries past. it's so wonderful to read a classic and understand why it is so beloved.

this is so much fun. i went on this journey with him

Chit

What a story! Feels like years that I’ve been accompanying the adventures of Edmond Dantès. As the journey comes to an end, it feels like saying goodbye to dear friends, who I’ll miss until I read it again. And I will read it again! Until then, all there’s to do is “wait” and “hope”. 😌

eryc

Pretty great read! A long one, but it kept my attention and I enjoyed the ride! 

Ryan Moore

Bella Baxter

Oh Monsieur Dumas, you shaped my youth with your swashbuckling tale of adventure and revenge.  The summer I read this book was probably the best summer of reading I ever had. Absolutely mesmerizing. I have to read it over and over again.

ÊOn the 24th of February, 1815, the look-out at Notre-Dame de la Garde signalled the three-master, thePharaonÊfrom Smyrna, Trieste, and Naples. As usual, a pilot put off immediately, and rounding the Chateau d'If, got on board the vessel between Cape Morgion and Rion island. Immediately, and according to custom, the ramparts of Fort Saint-Jean were covered with spectators; it is always an event at Marseilles for a ship to come into port, especially when this ship, like theÊPharaon, has been built, rigged, and laden at the old Phocee docks, and belongs to an owner of the city. The ship drew on and had safely passed the strait, which some volcanic shock has made between the Calasareigne and Jaros islands; had doubled Pomegue, and approached the harbor under topsails, jib, and spanker, but so slowly and sedately that the idlers, with that instinct which is the forerunner of evil, asked one another what misfortune could have happened on board. However, those experienced in navigation saw plainly that if any accident had occurred, it was not to the vessel herself, for she bore down with all the evidence of being skilfully handled, the anchor a-cockbill, the jib-boom guys already eased off, and standing by the side of the pilot, who was steering theÊPharaonÊtowards the narrow entrance of the inner port, was a young man, who, with activity and vigilant eye, watched every motion of the ship, and repeated each direction of the pilot. The vague disquietude which prevailed among the spectators had so much affected one of the crowd that he did not await the arrival of the vessel in harbor, but jumping into a small skiff, desired to be pulled alongside thePharaon, which he reached as she rounded into La Reserve basin. When the young man on board saw this person approach, he left his station by the pilot, and, hat in hand, leaned over the ship's bulwarks. He was a fine, tall, slim young fellow of eighteen or twenty, with black eyes, and hair as dark as a raven's wing; and his whole appearance bespoke that calmness and resolution peculiar to men accustomed from their cradle to contend with danger.

Tobias V. Langhoff

This is a really long book (probably because it was serialized and paid by instalment), but it's a relatively easy and riveting read.

Most people know the framework of the story: A strapping young man with everything going for him, Edmond Dantès, is imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. 14 years later he escapes, becomes rich, infiltrates the aristocracy of France, and enacts his revenge against the people who had him falsely accused.

Abbé Faria, whom Edmond meets in his prison, is the novel's deus ex machina. He is a very intelligent man, and from Edmond's story he correctly guesses all the details of his betrayal, and who the culprits are. Before his imprisonment, he also discovered clues leading to the giant buried treasure that Edmond later unearths after his escape, and which enables him to enact his revenge at all.

This setup takes surprisingly little time. The bulk of this long novel is about Edmond's plans within plans to enact the most perfect and fitting revenge. After his escape and treasure hunting, the main character Dantès is relegated to the background as the novel skips forward in time. For a while, we don't see his thoughts and his new, adopted persona is as mysterious to us as the other characters. In fact, the first time we see the older Dantès after this time skip is from the viewpoint of a completely new character. When Dantès ceases to be the sole focus of the plot (and narrative voice) after he becomes Count, it allows many interesting subplots to emerge, most of them encircling the drama of the aristocracy in general and in particular the families and friends of the people who had Edmond imprisoned all those years prior.

Even more interestingly, Dantès, who seemed the epitome of youthful perfection before his imprisonment, is eventually even portrayed almost as an antihero, or at least in a much less favorable light. There's never any doubt that he's the protagonist, but his revenge takes on a cruel nature with collateral damage. He is willing to sacrifice the children of two of his enemies, and ends up sacrificing the entire family of one of them (although mostly through negligence).

I was also surprised at some of the subjects tackled by this classic, including lesbianism, infidelity, attempted infanticide and filicide. The historical backdrop is also very interesting. The Napoleonic wars are important to the plot, and we actually meet King Louis XVIII at one point. The death of Ali Pasha of Ioannina is also an important event in the book, although we don't see it first hand; characters in the book are involved in these historical events.

This is not as slow a burn as the page count indicates, but there's still a lot of filler and repetition (perhaps, again, because it was originally serialized). For example, the reader is told (at great length) the truth of Dantès's betrayal three times (once when it occured, once when deduced by the Abbé Faria, and now once when recounted by Caderousse).

I partly read this as a Kindle book, and partly listened to Bill Homewood's narration. He's an outstanding narrator, managing to give each character their own unique voice. In particular, he makes Noirtier sound very menacing, and Danglars sly and weasely.

no me gustó el final, de resto esta increíble

andrea valentina 

Yaffa

One of my favourite classics and also a MAMMOTH of a read. Took me several months (and a huge amount of willpower) to actually finish its entire 1600s pages. The enormity of it aside, this is one of the best revenge stories ever-written. Although written with endless flourishes, as writers of the 1800s often do, Alexandre Dumas manages to pour so much knowledge and philosophy in the dialogues, especially through The Count himself, which easily makes him my most favourite character ever.

Erika

lenkiuosi prieš Diuma talentą ir keikiu šito puslapio vertinimo sistemą, kuri leidžia duoti tik penkias varganas žvaigždutes, kai šita knyga oi kaip nusipelno jų šimtą kartų daugiau

Most definetly one of my favourite books I've read this year. It may have taken me a whole month to read it, but these 1500 pages have been some fun. Goodness, doesn't Alexandre Dumas have an imagination? Some of the plottwists in this book had my mouth hanging open catching flies, and the linking of all the characters, all of them being uncovered as somehow being relevant to one another truly blew my mind. The incredible mind of Alexandre Dumas is very alike to the mind of our main character, Monte Cristo, or, Edmond Dantes. The cunning and smart and slyness of both the author and character are one and the same in my opinion. Edmond and his revenge story is so smart it's a living version of good things comes to those who wait, just rather Edmond most probably replaced good things with revenge. This book was so frantic and chaotic and full of murder and death and robbery and evil and wrongdoings and so many crimes were made public and so many scandals were revealed, it felt so real to me I found myself shocked for words. Something I found even more shocking was one particular circumstance left me in tears, which is honestly something special; a novel of such length, or such age, and of such writting has never made me on the verge of tears. This is the first of this genre to ever make me so emotional. I found it even more shocking how well I understood everything going on! If you're daunted by the concept of maybe the context of the Spaniards and the French and Italians, don't worry, I feel like this book does a wonderful job of making it easy to understand. And if you're daunted by the length of this book, don't worry yourself, it's truly a book which makes you wish it never ended. If you pick it up, you surely won't regret reading it. 

The Count of Monte Cristo

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