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Le Comte de Monte-Cristo / The Count of Monte Cristo #1/5
The Count of Monte Cristo, Volume I
With the post-Napoleonic era as the back-drop, the novel covers the life of a young sailor, Edmond Dantes. The narration follows him from near-triumph to complete disaster and then his swashbuckling adventures to get freedom and revenge. The blustering journey of the protagonist keeps the reader on the edge.
492 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2007
About the author
Alexandre Dumas
7,012 books13.3k 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 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 17, 2020
Espectacular. Aventura, venganza, intriga... Me encanta.
July 12, 2024
Banger
February 28, 2023
I'd told a dear person I'd read this book years ago. Then, I started it some days ago when another person mentioned it. "Let's read the Count of Monte Cristo," he said. "Okay, let's do it." I answered. My memory is awful and I didn't check the summary so until I had the book in front of me I didn't even know it was 1462 pages long. "This is a murder weapon,"
Anyway, I started reading the book and soon I was into the story. My comments to my partner were simplistic; mostly emotions that were invoked by the story. A lament about human greed. Sorrow about people lost. I must admit I didn't expect Villefort's betrayal, even though by the time it happened we hardly knew him. I also expected Faria would escape with Edmond. I was deeply touched by both Edmond's father's death and Faria's death.
Finishing volume A, I feel that even after all those years, it's a fortunate thing A-Ying chose this book for us.
Anyway, I started reading the book and soon I was into the story. My comments to my partner were simplistic; mostly emotions that were invoked by the story. A lament about human greed. Sorrow about people lost. I must admit I didn't expect Villefort's betrayal, even though by the time it happened we hardly knew him. I also expected Faria would escape with Edmond. I was deeply touched by both Edmond's father's death and Faria's death.
Finishing volume A, I feel that even after all those years, it's a fortunate thing A-Ying chose this book for us.
January 28, 2026
Ok, yeah, screw Caderousse, screw Ferdand, screw Danglars.
But, from the bottom of my toes, to the top of my skull, EEFFFFFFFF YOU VILLEFORT.
When I catch you it's OVER.
Also RIP Abbé Faria and your glorious tunnel. Not fair that both of you had to go.
But, from the bottom of my toes, to the top of my skull, EEFFFFFFFF YOU VILLEFORT.
When I catch you it's OVER.
Also RIP Abbé Faria and your glorious tunnel. Not fair that both of you had to go.
July 8, 2010
After three months, I finally finished this behemoth! I knew this would be a great book but just never got around to putting in the time to read it. I am so glad I did. I read this on my Kindle, but there are so many threads and characters that I kinda wish I had been reading a hard copy so I could more easily flip around to remind myself of characters or scenes. It is an interesting perspective on revenge, humanity, how no one is completely innocent and the unexpected consequences of actions. By the time I finished it, I decided to go back and remind myself how it started. So, I re-read the first several chapters. It made the reading experience even more deep to have gone back and seen where it all began after having read how it all ended up. I would definitely recommend this book!
April 5, 2021
I can only provide a naive review as I haven't done extensive research about which translated version might be the best. I bought a vintage edition of part 1 which, as far as I can tell, is an unabridged/uncensored version.
Part 1 on its own is honestly might be the most enjoyable book I've read in the last couple of years, despite only being 1/4th of the whole story. It definitely lives up to the billing.
The story is compelling and the characters are very well developed. Nothing feels rushed or belabored.
Part 1 on its own is honestly might be the most enjoyable book I've read in the last couple of years, despite only being 1/4th of the whole story. It definitely lives up to the billing.
The story is compelling and the characters are very well developed. Nothing feels rushed or belabored.
February 19, 2008
"Exciting in parts, but held back by so much reliance on social structure and norms of early 1800s. Today I suppose he would blast them all with a bazooka, so the deeper revenge is significant, but still the long book lags compared to The Three Musketeers."
March 22, 2008
Loved, loved, loved this one. Oh, the betrayal! You get into the characters pretty easily, then I had a hard time putting it down. I'm recommending the abridged version, just because that in itself was 800 pages
August 8, 2026
I am reading this book in volumes. I could not commit to read it all at once and was thrilled to find it in 5 volumes. It was originally published in 18.
It took about 10 chapters to hook me but now I’m hooked. I look forward to the rest of the volumes!
It took about 10 chapters to hook me but now I’m hooked. I look forward to the rest of the volumes!
November 12, 2009
A page turner.. unputdownable...Alexandre Dumas an incredible authorl
December 12, 2009
Revenge is not always sweet. Thoroughly enjoyed it but found some of the descriptive narrative too flowery and longwinded.
August 23, 2012
Read this in French. It's really wonderful.
September 15, 2019
Spannend en fascinerend boek met ontzettend sterke hoofdpersonen en een hoge herkenbaarheid.
June 15, 2020
Diversión pura, emoción, tour de forcé, drama, altamente recomendable, que no os asuste el tamaño del libro
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews