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One.

"Yes," she said, " and that love has remained in your heart. One is only really in love once... Did you ever see her again? ...And have you forgiven her what she made you suffer?"

"Her I have forgiven, yes."

"But only her. You still hate those who separated you?"

Me: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Middle of Book 3

The plot thickens

I decided not to read this huge, massive textbook cover to cover. I'm instead opting to read some selected works from it since it's a massive anthology. I'm not actually on page 644.

There are a few pieces I want to read before putting this away for a bit. Rashomon, some Noh dramas, a few diary entries that survived, and the tale of the bamboo cutter. Everything I've read so far has been really fun.

Another villain sits face to face with the Count being showered with condescending praise while painfully unaware of the fierce vengeance that comes.

Dumas writes as if he's in theater. He describes the moments in which the Count meets the people of his past with great attention to the detail that matters: "... said Monte Cristo with one of those smiles that a painter could never represent or a physiologist analyze." This passage is while Monte Cristo sits across from one of his enemies who, in turn, has no idea of the invader in front of him.

I can't believe how much I'm enjoying this story. I'm using Google Maps to look at the areas Dumas is describing and using Project Gutenberg's public domain illustrations to enhance the story; I'm completely taken in with this book.
As long as it sticks the ending, which I'm assured by 200 years of critics saying so, I can see this becoming one of my favorites of all time.

I **actually** had a few tears come to my eyes.