The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

5 stars

this review contains spoilers!

i don't think I'm capable of writing a comprehensive review for this one. it's a daunting task to summarize a 3-month-long journey into a few paras.

it was an intimidating book to read ofc. 1400 pages is no joke. through it, I had to employ a measure of persistence and determination that I rarely ever have. my interest piqued and fell throughout the journey, with the ups and downs in the book as there are in life. we had the descriptions of mundane days of the 19th century, which, while informative and incredibly interesting for someone who is ever curious of how people lived back then, often broke the narrative. then, there were lores of bandits and betrayals, which again gives us a glimpse of how things were back then in both the Mediterranean and orient. and finally, the exciting bits—these felt like a reward after reading through the extensive, yet eloquent, descriptions. all the times the plot unraveled—and each one was more astonishing than the last, and we understood a little more of the count's plan—genuinely made me applaud Dumas.

ah, there are some parts i would criticize him too, as a woman. a lot of this book was male fantasy ofc; the hero's powerful comeback after he's been through hell and back—the premise itself suggests that it's a male fantasy. he's rich, he's powerful, every eye in the room is on him, all ears attuned and hanging on to every word of his, he's venerated and feared, and he has a beautiful Egyptian slave 20yrs younger than him. yeah. the last part. eh. but alright, since there was not much of it, I'll choose to overlook it.

i think Dumas wrote this as a play too, given how there's a distinguished set for every chapter. talking about chapters, my favourite were definitely the ones where Edmond was interacting with Mercedes as count. The ball, Salt and bread, The night. man, i absolutely loved the angst. and the tension. and the yearning. pivoting to our other beloved couple—max and valentine—i used to look forward for their conversations and hidden meetups! the revelation that max is in love with valentine, of all people? did not see it coming (did not see plenty of revelations coming, actually).

But Valentine, why despair, why always paint the future in such sombre hues?’ Maximilien asked. ‘Because, my friend, I judge it by the past.’

i love how levelheaded and principled max is regarding Franz. he could've done what Fernand did to Edmond, but no, the Morrels' are a gem, aren't they?
the dilemma valentine was facing about the expectations imposed on her by her family and her own wishes... was a tad bit relatable.

i expected the last chapter to be more heartwarming, and I was looking forward to the reunion of max and valentine, but what count did was a little icky. what will stick with me is Departure and The past. the contrast between Mercedes succumbing to her guilt and count revisiting his past to remember what he really did all this for and to see if his actions were justified, is the contrast between me and my ideal. that's a way to assuage guilt is what I learned, and that's the answer I've been searching for for so long.

this entire prose from The Past:

A man of the count’s stamp could not long exist in that state of melancholy which may give life to vulgar souls by endowing them with an appearance of originality, but which destroys superior beings. The count decided that if he had reached the stage where he was blaming himself, then there must be some mistake in his calculations.

What my thinking today lacks is a proper assessment of the past, because I am looking at this past from the other end of the horizon

Come, then, resurrected man; come, extravagant Croesus; come, sleepwalker; come, all-powerful visionary; come, invincible millionaire, and, for an instant, rediscover that dread prospect of a life of poverty and starvation. Go back down the roads where fate drove, where misfortune led and where despair greeted you. Too many diamonds, gold and happiness now shine from the glass of the mirror in which Monte Cristo gazes on Dantès. Hide the diamonds, dull the gold, dampen the rays. Let the rich man rediscover the poor one, the free man the prisoner, and the resurrected man the corpse

count's entry in Parisian society was quite exciting too. the guests and The breakfast?? initially, it was confusing because of too many characters being introduced at once, but man, did I grow fond of each one of them youngins. Lucien with all his foxlike cunning, Chateau Renaud with his good-natured countenance, Beauchamp with his non-existent filter—fitting for a journalist, and yet the compassion he displayed towards Albert?

Come in, come in, acid pen!’ Albert said, getting up and going to meet the young man. ‘I have Debray here, as you see. He hates you without even reading you, apparently.’
‘He’s quite right,’ said Beauchamp. ‘I’m just the same. I criticize him without knowing what he does. Good morning, Commandeur .’

Albert. Albert and Franz. mann. two sides of a spectrum, but in the end, I think Albert moved a little closer to Franz's side.
by the end of the book, the Count was defending Albert's honour. (the way count defends Albert while Morrel is talking shit about him is interesting too. defend once and then change the subject.) i loved to see that progression. i think with that, the rage in the count subsided a little, and he quit with the "sins of the father shall be visited on the sons" ideology because Edouard's death sent him spiralling in guilt.
Albert:

After the most rare virtue of infallibility, which you seem to possess, the greatest virtue of all in my opinion is to be able to admit when one is wrong.

i have better words for Albert now. he is driven by emotions rather than rationality. going after a chick in Rome, suggesting they capture luigi vampa, picking duels with anyone and everyone who ruffles his feathers (so be all 50 of them). that makes him brave but rash.
'he has no accomplishments of his own, so he engages in superficial shows of testosterone as a substitute for manliness.' - a reddit user

the author, as I said before, has written Franz and now Beauchamp to let the reader know what real men look like. Beauchamp, despite his pride, ambition, and thoroughness, offered forgiveness and loyalty to Albert.

a childhood friend reminds me of Albert.
a person i was once friends with, reminds me of Danglars. that cowardly, spineless, conniving little bitch.
an acquaintance, whose name i cannot take, with his pettiness, could well be Caderousse.

and this could be said about few of my very close friends:

This is indeed the man who enjoys taking an axe to the self-esteem of others, but cries out when a needle touches his own.’

i suppose thats another thing i could applaud Dumas for. He seems to have a great deal of understanding of human nature. authors like this, really are the best to read.

also, it was wild to see Villefort and danglars being so subservient with count. money really holds power, huh.
i think if I reread anything, it would be Ideology. throughout the chapter, i was just wondering how is Villefort not offended by everything the count is saying.

but which, precious though it may be, is less valuable to me than my sense of inner satisfaction.

and I admit, I liked Villefort from the start. his opening chapter showed that he's not polarized or prejudiced towards the bonapartists, and is aware of the good both robespierre and napoleon did, despite he himself being a royalist. what makes him an antagonist though? ambition? what count thinks about himself could very well be said for Villefort:

Woe betide whomsoever I met on my path!

greed seems to be a common trait among all 4 antagonists.

a lot of things that Count said early on made me so confused. as edmond, he was a straight-laced, honest sailor who was exceptional at what he did. but as Count, he apparently finds joy in watching brutal executions(real or pretense?), boasts about his slaves(real or pretense?), lives on weed and opium(real. or pretense.) i didn't know what to believe. was it really Edmond speaking? has Edmond changed such a great deal? is this just an act to play the part of a powerful and superior being put on this earth to exact revenge? is this what selling your soul to a cause looks like? i suppose that's why I like Haydee and The Morrels' chapters. those were one of the few times in the early days of his Parisian entry that I could see glimpses of Edmond in him.
i suppose the 9-year jump was a tinge sad too. i now see it was necessary, but it was sad either way.

and I did learn a lot of things from count. he doesn't over-explain himself (even when he's being publicly insulted because he knows the public favor is with him), denies politely and graciously when someone makes a request he doesn't want to fulfill, and, obviously, how he carries himself in a conversation. quick thinking and wit really are uncompromisable virtues, aren't they?

i loved count and max's friendship too.

Nothing!’ the count said. ‘A thousand apologies, my dear friend. I slipped, and my elbow went through your glass door. But now, since it is broken, I shall take advantage of that to come in. Please don’t disturb yourself, I beg you.’ And, putting his hand through the broken pane, he opened the door.

a note about the count:
i think he's misunderstood by the audience. they say he went too far, his megalomania is unacceptable, but Aristotle distinguished between proper and improper pride. a worthy man can justly boast about his accomplishments. a worthy man can justly consider himself superior to the others. his megalomania? he has the right to have it. to me, it looks like proper pride. he is better than every man he's met. he has the right to pronounce judgement on these men. sure, he says he doesn't care what happens to the accursed race, but then he goes ahead and does things that suggest otherwise.

he says Albert should pay for his father's sins, but then he concedes for the sake of Mercedes and lets him live.

political things that I learned, a whole lot of 19th century french history. from bourbons to robespierre to napolean, then back to bourbons, and then finally 1930 revolution that establishes a constitutional monarchy.

The leading families of the monarchy have melted into the families of the empire and the aristocracy of the lance has married the nobility of the cannon

then, the French conquest of Algeria in North Africa, and the French assisting the Spanish king with his fight against constitutionalists.

19th century way of living:
back then, women were given so little autonomy that all their misfortune was imposed on them by someone else.

You ladies, on the other hand, are rarely tormented by remorse, because the decision rarely comes from you. Your misfortunes are almost always imposed on you and your errors almost always another’s crime

interestingly, theatres were less about watching plays or musicals and more about socializing and visiting each other in their boxes.
also, one thing that enrages me is how men have regressed throughout the years. back then, they used to be proper creatures, with their proper social behaviours and courtesies. now we have awkward kids with a full beard shuffling like fools in and out of a room.

well.

with that, i can conclude my ramblings on this book. trying my best not to appear as Louis XVIII did to Dumas

when the note was written, he looked up with the satisfied air of a man who thinks he has made a discovery when he has commented on someone else's idea

blue turtle ambiance music for this book: