The Final Count Down

'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas (Translated by Robin Buss)

Like any normal person, there's only so much nagging I can take.  "You must read 'The Count of Monte Cristo'!" my friend kept telling me.  In the end, I cracked.  When it arrived, too big to fit through the letter box, I wondered what on Earth I'd let myself in for.  Turned out to be 1300 pages of intrigue, adventure and revenge.

Making Trouble

The future is bright for Edmond Dantès.  A capable sailor on course for a promising career, about to marry the beautiful Mercédès, everything seems to be going well for the honest and hardworking young man from Marseilles.  But others envy his good fortune.  Before he knows what is happening, Dantès is accused of treason and imprisoned in the terrible Chateau D'If.  After nearly a decade, Edmond is on the cusp of insanity, when a chance encounter with another prisoner finally offers him hope.  The Abbé Faria is an educated man, thought mad because he insists he knows where to find a wondrous hoard of treasure.  He begins teaching Edmond all he knows while the pair plan their escape.  When Dantès does regain his freedom after 14 years in jail, the world has changed, and those who accused him have prospered despite their crimes.  With Faria's fortune and the education he's received, Edmond now has the tools to enact God's justice.  Adopting the name of Monte Cristo, he begins to plot the downfall of those who betrayed him...

The Plot Thickens

I've always been a great fan of Dumas adaptations, including various versions of 'The Three Musketeers' and the 2002 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.  Looking at the size of the book, I knew there had to be more to the story than what a two hour film could show, but I had no idea what that might be.  Turns out that it's several more key characters, two romances (one in jeopardy, one lesbian), a Greek princess, and an Italian bandit king.  Oh, and a serial killer.  As well as the lascivious Fernand, prideful de Villefort, and avaricious Danglars, we meet their wives, children, their children's friends, and their servants, plus the villainous Caderousse, and several alter egos of Monte Cristo himself.  I'm not sure if it was just because it took me a while to read, or because Dumas does have a tendency to give a lot of back story, but I did struggle to keep track of who was who and what was what for some of the less central characters.  The internet did come in handy at times!

Words, Words, Words

While the size of the book is partly down to cramming in so much wonderful, melodramatic, and completely OTT story, I still felt there were chunks that wouldn't get past an editor today.  I've learned since that Dumas was paid by the line, so his loquaciousness makes absolute sense in that context.  Doesn't always make for an easy read, though.  Some of the word-for-word conversations were a bit heavy going, plus there was so much panicked sweating going on as each villain got his or her comeuppance towards the end that it became a bit funny.  On the plus side, the fact that this is a classic book in a modern translation is very much to its benefit.  It was easier to get into as a result, and I suspect will give 'The Count of Monte Cristo' greater longevity and a wider readership than some similarly aged English novels trapped in the language of the time.

Overall

I really enjoyed 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.  Yes, it's huge, wordy, and took me ages to read, but the fact I did keep reading says a lot.  I was interested enough in the thoroughly unlikely, almost fairy tale-esque story to want to know what the Count had planned.  It wasn't swashbuckling, like the films I've grown up with, but it was cleverly plotted with engaging characters and a moral message that was somehow still uplifting, even in these secular times.

Now, what next...?

This review is based on the Penguin Classics edition of 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas.  It was translated by Robin Buss and this version was published in 2003.  Thank you to Penguin Random House for providing the cover images.