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The Count of Monte Cristo
The ultimate story of escape to riches, revenge and redemption by 'the Napoleon of storytellers'. Falsley accused of treason, Edmond Dantes is arrested on his wedding night and imprisoned in the grim island fortress of Chateau d'If. After staging a dramatic escape he sets out to discover the fabuouls treasure on the island of Monte Cristo and uses it to exact revenge on those responsible for his incarcaration. The sensational narrative of intrigue, betrayal, escape and triumphant revenge moves at a cracking pace. Dumas' novels present a powerful conflict between good and evil embodied in an epic saga of rich diversity that is complicated by the hero's ultimate doscomfort with the hubristic implications of his own actions. A novel of enormous tension and excitement, The Count of Monte Cristo is also a tale of obsession and revenge, with Dantes, believing himself to be an Angel of Providence, pursuing his vengeance to the bitter end before realising that he himself is a victim of fate
1280 pages, Paperback
Published May 8, 2008
About the author
Alexandre Dumas
6,830 books13.2k followersThis note regards Alexandre Dumas, père, the father of Alexandre Dumas, fils (son). For the son, see Alexandre Dumas fils.
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 22, 2020
Dumas in full flow of inspiration is a glorious thing to witness. I know that he had a team working with him for the grunt work and help in developing the plots, but to produce this, the first two Musketeers novels and La Reine Margot (plus others) in a 12 month span around 1844-1845 is stupendously productive - and we don’t consider Rembrandt or Titian somehow lesser artists because they had a team working under their instructions (or a film director, to take a more modern comparison).
For all its ridiculous length, this was a gripping read. To savour it and stop myself growing tired, I read it one volume at a time, leaving space between to read other novels. And o never grew bored. Like the Musketeer novels, there’s a period between the middle of volume 3 and early in volume 4 where the pace slows and Dumas allows time for the romance of the youngsters to blossom in between the gloriously deranged plans for revenge, but they just finish in time for the denouement to develop - and what a denouement it is.
The story itself is as epic as anything I’ve read, and yet it’s an entirely human plot - the crimes that lead to Edmond Dantès’ false imprisonment are as minor and as everyday as you can imagine: a jealous love-rival (Fernand), a man who believes he’s been unjustly overlooked for promotion (Danglars), and a man who wishes to protect his good name from being linked to revolt (de Villefort). Of themselves, these motives could have amounted to nothing, but the combination of the three and their doubling down when they have the chance to put them right, leads to a revenge of operatic proportion over the course of the following 24 years.
This revenge is a dish served very cold indeed.
For all its ridiculous length, this was a gripping read. To savour it and stop myself growing tired, I read it one volume at a time, leaving space between to read other novels. And o never grew bored. Like the Musketeer novels, there’s a period between the middle of volume 3 and early in volume 4 where the pace slows and Dumas allows time for the romance of the youngsters to blossom in between the gloriously deranged plans for revenge, but they just finish in time for the denouement to develop - and what a denouement it is.
The story itself is as epic as anything I’ve read, and yet it’s an entirely human plot - the crimes that lead to Edmond Dantès’ false imprisonment are as minor and as everyday as you can imagine: a jealous love-rival (Fernand), a man who believes he’s been unjustly overlooked for promotion (Danglars), and a man who wishes to protect his good name from being linked to revolt (de Villefort). Of themselves, these motives could have amounted to nothing, but the combination of the three and their doubling down when they have the chance to put them right, leads to a revenge of operatic proportion over the course of the following 24 years.
This revenge is a dish served very cold indeed.
May 6, 2010
This book has three distinct parts: pre-imprisonment, imprisonment and post-imprisonment. Pre-imprisonment is a good introduction to all the characters, especially Dantes who is just a lovely guy. Pretty much everyone likes him and he's happy living a simple life as long as he can support himself and his father and marry Mercedes.
During his imprisonment you see him harden and change. He goes through believable cycles of hope and despair, even going so far as trying to starve himself at one point. Escape and the return to those he loves is the one thought in his mind for most of the fourteen years of his imprisonment, even when he is befriended by the Abbe Faria, who is quite clearly a 'good guy'. The Abbe sets out to pass on his vast wealth of knowledge, and Dantes proves an apt pupil. It is also the Abbe who passes on the secret of a vast fortune he has discovered.
While these two sections are very good, they are basically quite a long pre-amble section which is giving the tools for Monsieur le Comte de Monte Cristo to get his revenge. Though for all this they are probably some of my favourite parts, possibly because they are very easy to read.
We rejoin the story nine years after Dantes' escape, and his transformation into the Count of Monte Cristo is complete. He is well established in society, has furthered his education and established a coterie of servants (and slaves) about him. And this is where the fun begins. You know who he's going to go after, but he sets in motion these incredibly complex events to try and bring about their downfall without the least suspicion falling on him, and while you know this is what he is doing at the start it is very difficult to see how his actions will lead to this.
One thing I particularly like is that not everything goes to plan. Things go wrong with what the Count planned through information he doesn't know (though he does seem to know pretty much everything), unexpected relationship and pleas. But similarly there are some lucky coincidences that make things easier. At least I think they were coincidences...you never quite know with the Count. He could just be that good. Which is actually one thing that's a little annoying - he is amazing at, like, everything.
And then there's the characters. In the 23 years between his imprisonment and his arrival in Paris to gain his revenge (isn't it lucky they all live in the same city now?) they've got married and had children and lost spouses and remarried and had more children who are now engaged to people (sometimes each other). There are an awful lot of names thrown at you in quite a short space of time, and an awful lot of relationships established. I found it quite confusing at first, and still had blank moments towards the end of the book, having to work hard at who someone's father was, what he'd done to Dantes and how his downfall was being brought about. And it was at this point that my reading of the book fell off for a week or so.
The end of the story, though, is rather wonderful. Seeing the consequences of some of his actions shocks the Count into change, and there is a happy ending for some (though nowhere near all) of the characters, often in spite of the actions taken by Monte Cristo. The ending - sailing away into the sunset - was a little cliched, but it was a nice end to a rather amazing book.
Though a little dry in places, the story is amazing and generally easy to read. It might take a while, but I'd definitely recommend it.
A full review of this book can be found on my blog :)
http://bookaholicsbookcase.blogspot.c...
During his imprisonment you see him harden and change. He goes through believable cycles of hope and despair, even going so far as trying to starve himself at one point. Escape and the return to those he loves is the one thought in his mind for most of the fourteen years of his imprisonment, even when he is befriended by the Abbe Faria, who is quite clearly a 'good guy'. The Abbe sets out to pass on his vast wealth of knowledge, and Dantes proves an apt pupil. It is also the Abbe who passes on the secret of a vast fortune he has discovered.
While these two sections are very good, they are basically quite a long pre-amble section which is giving the tools for Monsieur le Comte de Monte Cristo to get his revenge. Though for all this they are probably some of my favourite parts, possibly because they are very easy to read.
We rejoin the story nine years after Dantes' escape, and his transformation into the Count of Monte Cristo is complete. He is well established in society, has furthered his education and established a coterie of servants (and slaves) about him. And this is where the fun begins. You know who he's going to go after, but he sets in motion these incredibly complex events to try and bring about their downfall without the least suspicion falling on him, and while you know this is what he is doing at the start it is very difficult to see how his actions will lead to this.
One thing I particularly like is that not everything goes to plan. Things go wrong with what the Count planned through information he doesn't know (though he does seem to know pretty much everything), unexpected relationship and pleas. But similarly there are some lucky coincidences that make things easier. At least I think they were coincidences...you never quite know with the Count. He could just be that good. Which is actually one thing that's a little annoying - he is amazing at, like, everything.
And then there's the characters. In the 23 years between his imprisonment and his arrival in Paris to gain his revenge (isn't it lucky they all live in the same city now?) they've got married and had children and lost spouses and remarried and had more children who are now engaged to people (sometimes each other). There are an awful lot of names thrown at you in quite a short space of time, and an awful lot of relationships established. I found it quite confusing at first, and still had blank moments towards the end of the book, having to work hard at who someone's father was, what he'd done to Dantes and how his downfall was being brought about. And it was at this point that my reading of the book fell off for a week or so.
The end of the story, though, is rather wonderful. Seeing the consequences of some of his actions shocks the Count into change, and there is a happy ending for some (though nowhere near all) of the characters, often in spite of the actions taken by Monte Cristo. The ending - sailing away into the sunset - was a little cliched, but it was a nice end to a rather amazing book.
Though a little dry in places, the story is amazing and generally easy to read. It might take a while, but I'd definitely recommend it.
A full review of this book can be found on my blog :)
http://bookaholicsbookcase.blogspot.c...
September 19, 2009
I recommend this book to everyone; but only if you have a week to kill. Don't start reading this book if you have other work to do because the other work will languish. The Count of Monte Cristo can be a daunting book if one judges by the size of it (more than a thousand pages) but I promise you that you will lament that there isn't more pages when you reach the end of this epic tale. This book is the ultimate love and revenge book and never has an author made revenge more sweet. It is also a powerful love story that spans a generation and concludes with another of my favorite themes, redemption. This book is a grand journey through the social circles of southern Europe in the time of Napoleon and it never disappoints or fails to educate. I was hooked by page 3. Another one that I can't wait to share with my daughter.
September 12, 2024
who let alexandre dumas yap for 1300 pages
January 23, 2019
Did I really like The Count of Monte Cristo - yes.
Do I have some really big problems with the Count of Monte Cristo - also yes. I mean, seriously, that dude is a jerk.
You befriend some douchey-but-harmless 21-year-old kid while you sabotage his dad and then are totally willing to kill the kid in a duel after first exposing to him that the father he idolizes is a cowardly treacherous evil-doer?
You let your son (in feelings) think that his fiancée is dead for a month to prove himself a decent person?
And, last but certainly the absolutely freaking most - you sail off into the sunset with your 18-year-old Grecian slave/daughter/girlfriend/Stockholm-syndrome victim while the narrative leaves Mercédès alone, miserable and aged-shamed? FFS.
This gigantic book read surprisingly quickly and I was surprised at how engaged I was in nearly every of all 15,6200 sub-plots. Though serialized, unlike Dickens and his constantly padding the word count, I really rarely felt that here. Maybe because if there were any obnoxious made up words and stupid names I just got to write them off as being something French I didn't understand. Ma foi!
The ending is really beautiful; Edmond's last letter is wonderful and ends the story in such an optimistic place. Wait and hope, it is such a simple and haertfelt message and so surprising challenging. But, then the books over and it is hard to come back down and wrap your head around the laundry list of horrible things that Edmond has done in the name of vengence. Unlike an anti-hero, we're totally supposed to forgive him because in the end he realized he's a fallible dude and not an avenging angel of God/Providence. But... DUH. His realization may absolve him in the narrative, but I'm not sure it was enough for me (despite the fact that I'm fairly bloodthirsty, I love me a good payback story, but) - the last couple hundred pages of this book are just life after life being destroyed at his hands, and while a lot of those lives belonged to shitty people, not all of them... And, then Benedetto and Danglar just get to walk away? Seriously? Fernand kills himself after losing his family and Villefort is driven mad with grief after, like, literally everyone related to him ever is killed by his 2nd wife (seriously, lesson is - keep the first one. Just sayin'), but Danglar-every bit as culpable-is just forgiven because he's the last one standing?! FFS.
And, I know Mercédès is a one-note character and it was never going to be like the movie where they get to be happy together after all because she still has the twine (*sobbing with feels*), but I am so not okay with her last chapter. She's ruined, fiscally, in terms of pride, and emotionally, which yeah, that all sucks, but then she's all like, 'you ruined everybody but me, but I'm the most guilty' - like hell you are, woman! Grow a spine! And then, 'I'm 39 but I look 50-I'm dead inside-my eyes don't sparkle anymore.' Just yuck.
Seriously, this book doesn't have a single worthwhile female character except Eugénie, who is fan-freaking-tastic and deserves so much better than what the book allows her. Every single other woman in the books is just there to cry a bunch while men press each others hands in deep feeling. Oy.
It really doesn't sound like I liked the book, but really - I did, I think I liked it so much that the suffering is more acute because there was barely a single female character I could pull out of it and be like, 'look. here. interesting. dimensional. relatable.' - and selfishly, I just wanted that. If I rewatch Revenge will it make me feel better?
Do I have some really big problems with the Count of Monte Cristo - also yes. I mean, seriously, that dude is a jerk.
You befriend some douchey-but-harmless 21-year-old kid while you sabotage his dad and then are totally willing to kill the kid in a duel after first exposing to him that the father he idolizes is a cowardly treacherous evil-doer?
You let your son (in feelings) think that his fiancée is dead for a month to prove himself a decent person?
And, last but certainly the absolutely freaking most - you sail off into the sunset with your 18-year-old Grecian slave/daughter/girlfriend/Stockholm-syndrome victim while the narrative leaves Mercédès alone, miserable and aged-shamed? FFS.
This gigantic book read surprisingly quickly and I was surprised at how engaged I was in nearly every of all 15,6200 sub-plots. Though serialized, unlike Dickens and his constantly padding the word count, I really rarely felt that here. Maybe because if there were any obnoxious made up words and stupid names I just got to write them off as being something French I didn't understand. Ma foi!
The ending is really beautiful; Edmond's last letter is wonderful and ends the story in such an optimistic place. Wait and hope, it is such a simple and haertfelt message and so surprising challenging. But, then the books over and it is hard to come back down and wrap your head around the laundry list of horrible things that Edmond has done in the name of vengence. Unlike an anti-hero, we're totally supposed to forgive him because in the end he realized he's a fallible dude and not an avenging angel of God/Providence. But... DUH. His realization may absolve him in the narrative, but I'm not sure it was enough for me (despite the fact that I'm fairly bloodthirsty, I love me a good payback story, but) - the last couple hundred pages of this book are just life after life being destroyed at his hands, and while a lot of those lives belonged to shitty people, not all of them... And, then Benedetto and Danglar just get to walk away? Seriously? Fernand kills himself after losing his family and Villefort is driven mad with grief after, like, literally everyone related to him ever is killed by his 2nd wife (seriously, lesson is - keep the first one. Just sayin'), but Danglar-every bit as culpable-is just forgiven because he's the last one standing?! FFS.
And, I know Mercédès is a one-note character and it was never going to be like the movie where they get to be happy together after all because she still has the twine (*sobbing with feels*), but I am so not okay with her last chapter. She's ruined, fiscally, in terms of pride, and emotionally, which yeah, that all sucks, but then she's all like, 'you ruined everybody but me, but I'm the most guilty' - like hell you are, woman! Grow a spine! And then, 'I'm 39 but I look 50-I'm dead inside-my eyes don't sparkle anymore.' Just yuck.
Seriously, this book doesn't have a single worthwhile female character except Eugénie, who is fan-freaking-tastic and deserves so much better than what the book allows her. Every single other woman in the books is just there to cry a bunch while men press each others hands in deep feeling. Oy.
It really doesn't sound like I liked the book, but really - I did, I think I liked it so much that the suffering is more acute because there was barely a single female character I could pull out of it and be like, 'look. here. interesting. dimensional. relatable.' - and selfishly, I just wanted that. If I rewatch Revenge will it make me feel better?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2018
I was hoping the revenge would begin shortly after Edmond got out of jail, but the revenge doesn't start happening until the end of the book. So if you're expecting to read a book jam packed with revenge then your are mistaken because you will need to read at least 40 chapters of stories relating to other characters, plot lines and a lot of digression before the revenge begins to take place.
I also find it a bit stupid that Fernand and Villefort didn't dob in Edmond once Edmond revealed himself to them, because in all probability if that had happened in real life, I'm sure they would have dobbed him in to the authorities.
When I first started reading this book I was quite happy with myself for choosing something exciting, but, after about three quarters of the way through my rating had dropped from a five to a three, considering the long winding path it was taking to get to the revenge parts of the story.
I would recommend this book to someone with patience but if your are someone who is impatient and wants things to happen quickly, I would recommend reading something else.
I also find it a bit stupid that Fernand and Villefort didn't dob in Edmond once Edmond revealed himself to them, because in all probability if that had happened in real life, I'm sure they would have dobbed him in to the authorities.
When I first started reading this book I was quite happy with myself for choosing something exciting, but, after about three quarters of the way through my rating had dropped from a five to a three, considering the long winding path it was taking to get to the revenge parts of the story.
I would recommend this book to someone with patience but if your are someone who is impatient and wants things to happen quickly, I would recommend reading something else.
December 17, 2025
Like so many older books, it could have done with a good editor, but it's still very clever and very good.
The first portion of the book - up until the end of the prison episode - is absolutely captivating and I loved everything about it. The characters were interesting and the pacing was excellent. I was anticipating a 5 star review.
However, the middle section loses pace dramatically and is, if I'm quite honest, really reasonably dull.
Thankfully, the final third of the novel is worth hanging around for and there is a well planned and satisfying conclusion.
The first portion of the book - up until the end of the prison episode - is absolutely captivating and I loved everything about it. The characters were interesting and the pacing was excellent. I was anticipating a 5 star review.
However, the middle section loses pace dramatically and is, if I'm quite honest, really reasonably dull.
Thankfully, the final third of the novel is worth hanging around for and there is a well planned and satisfying conclusion.
August 20, 2015
This book instantly became an all time favourite of mine and even despite its size I can't wait to read it again. I listened to a free audiobook version of it to ease reading along with the book which also added to the entertainment as the narrator did a brilliant job of doing the all the different accents.
A truly epic adventure and well worth sticking with.
A truly epic adventure and well worth sticking with.
January 10, 2010
'Sublime' is the only word I can think of to describe this novel. It is perfect in every way and any persons reading career is incomplete without it.
The words 'wait and hope' have never had more meaning before than now.
The words 'wait and hope' have never had more meaning before than now.
February 24, 2015
This book has been my white whale, at four separate occasions I have tried to conquer this behemoth, but only after listening to the audio book was I able to get to the end. This is the ultimate revenge/redemption tale, a story that has captured my imagination for years.
March 24, 2020
Started 10 years ago and then left on my unread shelf after I took a break and lost my page. Finally I decided this year was the year I would read Monte Cristo and it was truly one of the best books I've ever read.
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April 21, 2014930 Lexile
June 21, 2020
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews