The Count of Monte Cristo

My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo, and my son had seen me read it to myself on several occasions and would summarize the story. He then saw the movie and loved it. This version of the book allowed me to read a much more kid friendly and summarized version to my nine year old and he loved it. In a world where so many classic books are being completely overlooked. I was so happy to be able to share this version with my son.

My only complaint is the ~150 pages devoted to Franz. If you were to simply delete any pages dedicated to Franz's part in the story and alter nothing else, no other parts of the book would less understandable. He added absolutely nothing to the book. There's this weird section where he's introduced, we follow him around for ages then he's gone. He's mentioned a few other times but those parts are just more unnecessary fluff. I have no idea why this character is in the book. Other than that, one of the best books I've ever read!

It was what I expected . It is easy to read and understandable, my son is happy with it. We have almost all the books by great illustrated

Classic reading. I love that there is an illustration on every other page. My kids love it too.

My son is a bit young to be able to read and enjoy the original so this book was a perfect substitute for him. Good-sized font, great illustrations and great content - it was not simplified too much or too little, just enough for a 9-11 year old

I bought used. The only thing wrong with the book was a small hole on the front. Other than that, it was perfect

Well written for kids...

Great condition.

A wonderfully gripping and adventurous plot and a multifaceted insight into human nature. A beautifully written masterpiece that I struggled to put down.

How sad it was that the hero of the story had to spend so much time in prison.

The Count of Monte Cristo may have been written in the 1800s, and yes the language does take time to get used to, but once you understand the sentence structure and use of formal language it is a story that jumps from the pages. It is a story of vengeance and forgiveness that unfolds slowly. The reader gets to fully understand just how powerless Dantes feels with his situation and how helpless he is. It is difficult not to feel for the character and the treatment he has received for simply being what, I perceive at least, to be a pleasant, non-offensive, person. For this reason, I also saw it as a romantic love story of sorts. During the time of his incarceration the only thing keeping him alive is the thought of one day being reunited with the love of his life, Mercedes. It is his love for her that drives him forward, demonstrating the power that true love can have on the human psyche. His will to return to the arms of a loved one kept him going during those long years in solitude, without that hope he probably would have lost his fight for life. It is however, also a story reflecting that revenge does not always satisfy. We often feel that when we are wronged we need to retaliate and then we will feel better but that is often not the case and The Count of Monte Cristo definitely highlights that. Dantes does in fact exact his revenge but is he any happier afterwards? Finally, I suspect that the story also reflects the despair Dumas could have feeling at the time of writing. Perhaps, he was not simply noting down a story but also in an indirect way, was highlighting what was going on around him. The financial, political and judicial systems in France, during this time, were all corrupt and therefore The Count of Monte Cristo could also be demonstrating just how unsettled the country was. Without worrying about the hidden meaning of the novel however this is a fantastic classic that more people should read. I know it is daunting to pick up a book with over 1200 pages, but I promise you this one is definitely worth it. The story is descriptive, no lagging, the dialogue is colourful and insightful and the main characters are all so well thought out and developed that you can visualise each and every one of them. As a classic it encompasses many different genres – crime, historical fiction, fantastical melodrama and gothic romance, and therefore appeals to the masses. If you have yet to read any of Dumas’ work, and I know The Three Musketeers is his most popular novel, I strongly recommend you pick The Count of Monte Cristo up first.

such a good read, really love it. been a few years so looking forward to reading again

How a good man becomes monster:the author described it in an excellent way.It is very lengthy but we don’t feel in Such a way as this story takes us along with it without giving us any tiredness.One must learn that “as we sow,so shall we reap.This is the moral.