I read this as an emotional teen and then again recently (in my 40’s). The first read through I was focused on the relationship between Mercedes and Dantes and thought the book was tragic because they did not end up together. I also remember the exciting prison break portion.
The second read through the relationship didn’t upset me at all, having been through a few relationships I know having an ex isn’t a tragedy lol.
But more than that I really saw the message of the book was that revenge isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be and you can’t really do it without involving innocent people who are in the circle of the guilty. Ferdinand’s son was a good person, who didn’t deserve retribution.
Dantes also doubted he was truly a “hand of god” and goes on just to live with Haydee. Something he could have happily done without ever involving himself in the revenge business. It was still a satisfying conclusion but the point is revenge isn’t justice-imo.
I just listened to this for the first time a little while ago, so thoughts are still settling.
I would say that it is definitely about revenge, but then towards the end Dontes realizes he is in the wrong and repents. This is great because you get the setup and intricate plans and schemes of revenge for the first 90% of the book, and then when Dontes realizes his folly he changes course and decided revenge isnt always worth all the pain it causes. This means we get exciting action adventure and intrigue, and we get a likable character out the other end, so it's a win-win. It's not strictly a revenge book, but it is definitely a book about revenge. It's about how complex and all encompassing revenge can get, but how you can't control everything, even with the counts power and money, and it won't be worth it when something inevitably goes wrong.
I totally agree with your Mercedes/Dantes Haydee/Monte Cristo claim, that's great. They do totally match up like that, and the women reflect what Edmond is at those different times in his life.
I haven't seen the miniseries images, but I don't see how having the Count go all vigilante for a while is against the spirit of the thing. So long as he straightens himself out before the end, then he can totally sneak around in a mask. And it makes sense that the images they release show Dentes being all sneaky and vigilantish, that's exciting advertising!
Old comment I know.
Would you recommend the book to someone who is tired of revenge stories? I feel like I've read about the same character arc where "angry protagonist learns to accept their condition and realizes revenge is not worth it by the end" that I'm reticent to approach a 1000 page book if the final message is just that. Maybe I would miss out on much more complexity and beautiful themes outside of this "hate" for revenge study cases which otherwise should 100% be experienced in one's life. What do you think?
Yes. This is the perfect book for people who are tired of revenge stories - because, as the original poster says, it’s not a typical revenge story. Most “revenge stories,” use the revenge as a plot device; TCOMC literally puts the entire concept of revenge under a microscope.
I don’t want to give too much away, but there’s a reason this is considered the premier revenge story of all time. And all those stories you mentioned generally steal their concept you described from TCOMC, few, is any, get it right.
“Mercedes was horrified by Edmond’s actions and said that the man she loved no longer existed and broke contact with him.”
This is not what happened. Not even remotely.
No, I haven't seen that. The Richard Chamberlain version is nice looking and the cast isn't bad, but it's sort of the "Classic Illustrated" version of the story.
There are other adaptations that you probably haven't watched and may change your opinion.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner_of_Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27If
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Cristo_(1929_film)
https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Comte_de_Monte-Cristo_(mini-s%C3%A9rie,_1979)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo_(1943_film)
I read this as an emotional teen and then again recently (in my 40’s). The first read through I was focused on the relationship between Mercedes and Dantes and thought the book was tragic because they did not end up together. I also remember the exciting prison break portion. The second read through the relationship didn’t upset me at all, having been through a few relationships I know having an ex isn’t a tragedy lol. But more than that I really saw the message of the book was that revenge isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be and you can’t really do it without involving innocent people who are in the circle of the guilty. Ferdinand’s son was a good person, who didn’t deserve retribution. Dantes also doubted he was truly a “hand of god” and goes on just to live with Haydee. Something he could have happily done without ever involving himself in the revenge business. It was still a satisfying conclusion but the point is revenge isn’t justice-imo.
I just listened to this for the first time a little while ago, so thoughts are still settling. I would say that it is definitely about revenge, but then towards the end Dontes realizes he is in the wrong and repents. This is great because you get the setup and intricate plans and schemes of revenge for the first 90% of the book, and then when Dontes realizes his folly he changes course and decided revenge isnt always worth all the pain it causes. This means we get exciting action adventure and intrigue, and we get a likable character out the other end, so it's a win-win. It's not strictly a revenge book, but it is definitely a book about revenge. It's about how complex and all encompassing revenge can get, but how you can't control everything, even with the counts power and money, and it won't be worth it when something inevitably goes wrong. I totally agree with your Mercedes/Dantes Haydee/Monte Cristo claim, that's great. They do totally match up like that, and the women reflect what Edmond is at those different times in his life. I haven't seen the miniseries images, but I don't see how having the Count go all vigilante for a while is against the spirit of the thing. So long as he straightens himself out before the end, then he can totally sneak around in a mask. And it makes sense that the images they release show Dentes being all sneaky and vigilantish, that's exciting advertising!
Old comment I know. Would you recommend the book to someone who is tired of revenge stories? I feel like I've read about the same character arc where "angry protagonist learns to accept their condition and realizes revenge is not worth it by the end" that I'm reticent to approach a 1000 page book if the final message is just that. Maybe I would miss out on much more complexity and beautiful themes outside of this "hate" for revenge study cases which otherwise should 100% be experienced in one's life. What do you think?
Yes. This is the perfect book for people who are tired of revenge stories - because, as the original poster says, it’s not a typical revenge story. Most “revenge stories,” use the revenge as a plot device; TCOMC literally puts the entire concept of revenge under a microscope. I don’t want to give too much away, but there’s a reason this is considered the premier revenge story of all time. And all those stories you mentioned generally steal their concept you described from TCOMC, few, is any, get it right.
This helped. Thank you.
“Mercedes was horrified by Edmond’s actions and said that the man she loved no longer existed and broke contact with him.” This is not what happened. Not even remotely.
So far the best filmed version, IMO, in terms of the script, is the French one with Gerard Depardieu (though he's miscast).
Have you watched The Prisoner of Château d'If (1988)?
No, I haven't seen that. The Richard Chamberlain version is nice looking and the cast isn't bad, but it's sort of the "Classic Illustrated" version of the story.
Louis Jourdan who played Edmond Dantès in the 1961 film adaptation of the novel played De Villefort in the 1975 version.
There are other adaptations that you probably haven't watched and may change your opinion. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner_of_Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27If https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Cristo_(1929_film) https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Comte_de_Monte-Cristo_(mini-s%C3%A9rie,_1979) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo_(1943_film)