Synopsis
Set against the turbulent years of the Napoleonic era, Alexandre Dumas’s thrilling adventure story is one of the most widely read romantic novels of all time. In it the dashing young hero, Edmond Dantès, is betrayed by his enemies and thrown into a secret dungeon in the Chateau d’If—doomed to spend his life in a dank prison cell. The story of his long, intolerable years in captivity, his miraculous escape, and his carefully wrought revenge creates a dramatic tale of mystery and intrigue and paints a vision of France—a dazzling, dueling, exuberant France—that has become immortal.
Thoughts
This read was an epic journey which left me feeling accomplished! At 1,276 pages, my Penguin Clothbound Classics edition was my constant companion for four days. It is a book that my classic book loving friends had been urging me to read for a very long time. And I am glad that I finally set aside the time to do so.
I will admit that I appreciate brevity, so the book did feel a bit wordy to me, overall. But I also have a lot more books and other luxuries calling for my attention than were available to readers in the 1840s when this book was first published.
This is definitely a story to drink in at a slow pace in order to enjoy all of the personalities, emotions, scenes, and themes. In short, I found Edmond Dantès to be a likeable character, and I highly recommend reading about his experience if you have not already.
Question
Have you read this classic?