"The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas

Winner! If you like the slow burn of a good story.

I had a bad case of “This is NOT like the movie with this 1200 page tome. In the end, I love both the film and the novel. Where the film encapsulates the overarching plot and character development, the book has the luxury of more characters, more dimension, and ultimately a more satisfying revenge.

Not gonna lie, this book has some slow parts that do not seem to matter. A co-worker and I read it at the same time, and were discouraged around the same parts. Of the 52 hour audio book, the first 20 hours and the last 10 hours were extremely captivating. The middle was a very slow means to an end. The Bill Homewood audio edition is well-done, and the man can do some excellent accents and voices!

Though the time period and the publication of “The Count of Monte Cristo” occur centuries ago, the physical setting is very much travelable. Now more than ever, I want to swim in the temperate Mediterranean Sea, attend a Parisian opera, walk the Champs Elysees, and row a boat into an island grotto.

I also want to be able to look into my enemies and betrayers eyes, knowing they idolize me while l exact my lasting revenge.

The thing about the evil people in this book is that they keep being evil. Edmond Dantes does not return to society to find anyone remorseful or changed. In fact, it anything, they have gotten worse! As the consumer, l felt that these people definitely needed a hard come-uppance. On the other hand, what if Edmond found that Danglars had opened a charity in his name or Mondego had named his son after him? What would he have done then?

Take the plunge with this one; it’s worth the time and emotional investment.

Song: Movie soundtrack

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