Le comte de Monte-Cristo

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E. L. James: Le comte de Monte-Cristo (French language, 1963, Éditions Gallimard)

French language

Published Nov. 19, 1963 by Éditions Gallimard.

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4 stars (14 reviews)

The original revenge story, The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure story set in France and Italy. The story commences just before the Hundred Days of Napoleon and continues on to the reign of King Louis-Philippe. Edmond Dantes, a young merchant sailor is falsely accused of being a Bonapartiste and imprisoned on an island. It takes 14 years for Dantes to escape, during which he befriends an ageing fellow prisoner who bequeaths him a fortune hidden in a cave on an Italian island. With this fortune Dantes reinvents himself as the Count of the title and returns to France to seek revenge against the men who ruined his life.

78 editions

Review of 'The Count of Monte Cristo' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The seminal revenge novel, with themes of redemption and justice.

Wow, it's freakin' long. Took months to read all 117 chapters. Oddly though, pretty well paced. At no point was I bored with it, which is not something that can be said for novels of a significantly shorter length.

Understandable how this has never been well transferred to either the small or big screen. The intertwining plots and motivations are so multitudinous, that it requires a notebook just to keep track of all that's going on. Very much enjoyed the conclusion, care was taken to wrap up all the story lines and unlike many novels I've read recently, the ending is heart-warming.

Well worth the time. All of it.

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