This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is “Ten Things I Loved About [Insert Book Title Here]” (Pick any book and tell us ten things you loved about it!) (submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext)
I’ve just finished reading The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, so when I saw the topic for this week’s TTT the first book to come to mind was Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, a French classic I love and have read several times, despite the length! Here are ten things I particularly enjoyed about it:
1. Edmond Dantès – Our hero (or anti-hero, at various times in the book) and one of my favourite characters in all of literature. Early in the novel, he is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned for fourteen years. He finally engineers an escape, but we quickly find that the youthful, naive Edmond Dantès we once knew has been transformed into the bitter and vengeful Count of Monte Cristo, out to hunt down the men who betrayed him and make them pay!
2. The exciting plot – With murders, poisonings, court cases, duels, thefts, anonymous letters, illegitimate children and searches for buried treasure, there’s always something happening. Most editions have over 1000 pages, so naturally there are some slower sections, but everything is relevant and I wouldn’t recommend reading an abridged version.
3. The setting – Or rather settings, as there are several. From Marseille with its island fortress, the Château d’If, and the small Catalan community where Edmond’s fiancée Mercédès lives, to Rome during Carnival, they are all memorable.
4. The Abbé Faria – When Edmond is imprisoned in the Château d’If, the Abbé Faria is occupying a neighbouring cell and the two manage to communicate and become friends. Faria passes on his wisdom and knowledge to Edmond and encourages him to never give up hope.
5. Monsieur Noirtier – M. Noirtier is the elderly father of Villefort, one of the Count’s main enemies. After suffering a stroke, he devises a form of communication using only his eyes and forms a special bond with his granddaughter, Valentine, two things that endeared him to me as a character!
6. The revenge theme – Stories of victims getting their revenge against the people who wronged them are usually very satisfying, but in this book the revenge plot has more layers to it. At times Dantès has doubts about the path he has set out on, regretting that “I did not tear out my heart the day I resolved to revenge myself”. When you finish the book you can decide for yourself whether it was all worth it in the end.
7. Monsieur Morrel – Another favourite character is M. Morrel, who makes Edmond Dantès captain of his ship, the Pharaon. During Edmond’s imprisonment, Morrel tries unsuccessfully to get him released, while also taking care of his elderly father in his absence, and his kindness is later rewarded by the Count.
8. The way there’s always something new to discover – The Count of Monte Cristo is a book that rewards multiple readings as there’s so much to take in the first time and it’s easy to miss important details. Re-reading has given me an even greater appreciation for the complexity of the story and how things that initially seem irrelevant are actually crucial to the plot.
9. The entertaining subplots – On re-reading the book, I found that I could slow down and enjoy some of the longer digressions and stories-within-stories that I got impatient with on my first read. During my most recent read I found that I particularly enjoyed the subplot involving La Carconte (the wife of Caderousse, another of Dantès’ enemies) and a valuable diamond ring. It could almost have made a great short story on its own.
10. The writing – It’s not just an adventure novel; there’s also some great writing, with quotes like this:
“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes.”
And this:
“Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget that until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words —’Wait and hope’.”
~
Have you read The Count of Monte Cristo? If so, what did you love (or not love) about it?
She Reads Novels 
I loved this book as a teenager and it made my heart rejoice to see both my sons loving it too when they read it a couple of years ago (in French, which makes me even happier).
I’m glad your sons loved it! I was quite young when I first read it and enjoyed it mainly for the plot, but reading it again more recently I really appreciated the deeper themes and details.
I haven’t read it, but I want to! The size always intimidates me a little!
I did this week’s topic a little differently: https://franlaniado.wordpress.com/2024/07/16/top-ten-tuesday-reasons-i-loved/
The size is definitely intimidating, but the pages go by more quickly than you would expect!
I have always meant to read it! My mother describes being mesmerized by it as a child – finding it in a vacation house where there was nothing else to read or she probably would not have chosen it at 9. The vengeful count was so different from Edmond she was quite unaware they were the same person but she said that taught her a lot about fiction at a young age!
I think you might enjoy it. I can definitely understand why your mother, as a child, would have been unaware that Edmond and the count were the same person – we do get a few glimpses of the old Edmond now and then, but otherwise the transformation is very dramatic!
Those are some great quotes! I’ve seen several movie versions of this book, but have never actually read it. Which is sad. It’s one I’ve always wanted to read. Maybe next year I’ll make it one of my reading goals. Great TTT post!
Thank you! I would definitely recommend reading the book. The adaptations I’ve seen have left a lot out.
Gosh, I didn’t remember The Count of Monte Cristo was so exciting.
Well, probably not everyone thinks it is! I’ve always loved it, though.
I’ll have to reread it. But first I’ve got a lot of him to read for the first time.
I have not read it, but those quotations you included do make it tempting!
It’s a great book and definitely worth the time it takes to read it!
I always here about this book but haven’t sought it out. You make me want to tackle it! I know it is one that people seem to enjoy from the classics.
It’s one of my absolute favourite classics, Shellie. The length can make it look daunting, but it’s so entertaining the pages go by very quickly.
Oh great book choice, Helen! I have read this once but you’ve reminded how wonderful it is and I feel I need to re-read it immediately! 😅
Blessings, Jessica 💌
I’m glad you thought this was a wonderful book too, Jessica. I think it’s definitely worth re-reading, despite the length!