Book review: “The count of Monte Cristo” by A. Dumas
September 9th, 2009 at 4:55 amThe first time I read this book was about 10 years ago. I liked it a lot, so it was a natural choice for re-reading in Spanish. The book is huge - 1300 pages in the English edition. I read the Spanish one from my Palm so I don’t know how many pages it would take, but I do know it too me months to finish.
I must say my impression from the past hasn’t changed. “The count of Monte Cristo” is a wonderful book, one of the best works of fiction I can think of. The plot is captivating, though not in the disgustingly eye-catching way modern fiction writers use. Chapters don’t end with “and then the phone ringed…” - the reader knows most of the time what’s going on and what will happen, but the book is still hard to put down.
Apart from the plot, Dumas skillfully uses the large page budget to develop all the main and secondary characters in just the right way. Everyone fits into the plot artfully and the interactions are great. The plot is not the main thing here - this book is about human nature, and this doesn’t change in 150 years, and makes no difference whether the character live in the USA in 2009 or in France of the 1820s.
The book does suffer from some small amount of naivete (which is typical for Dumas), but other than that I have no complaints. It is host highly recommended. IMHO every book lover must read this one, it can serve as a model for a good novel.
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September 10th, 2009 at 19:12
Have you considered reading War and Peace? I think you might enjoy Tolstoï, as he displays a great deal of depth and richness without romanticizing his characters, unlike Dumas. As a russophone, I’d expect you’d be predisposed to Tolstoï.
September 12th, 2009 at 16:05
José, here’s my review of War and Peace
September 22nd, 2009 at 14:32
Very nice review, by the way. Do you feel War and Peace (or is it War and Society?) is significantly better in Russian than in English? I’m currently reading Pevear’s and Volokhonsky’s translation, and I feel completely mesmerized by their work. I’ve heard that many Russian works are far too nuanced to be translated. Is there some truth to that?
September 23rd, 2009 at 05:31
I couldn’t say - always try to read in the original language. I don’t recall reading Russian books in English, and I’ve only read War in Peace in Russian, both times.