I didn't realize my edition of this book was abridged until I was nearly finished it, and by then it was too late; now I have a justified animosity towards abridgements of any sort. I had a feeling there was something missing; it was just short of a masterpiece and I wondered how could Dumas have been such a first-rate writer yet so short-sighted in its delivery. But if any character in literature can give the outwardly unparagoned Jean Valjean a run for his money, it's Edmond Dantès, undeniably self-sacrificing and virtuous, and who is just as versatile and resilient in the face of cataclysmic peril. Unrighteously persecuted by those resentful of his purity and success, Dantès is destroyed and incarcerated, but he is not defeated. He bides his time for his reprisal and when it is time, he rebounds with impenetrable authority, reclaiming everything that was his, and more. But he is then led to wonder, was it worth it after all? He tried to play God and set everything right, but the past cannot be changed. Did he just become the villain, exactly what he hated in those who victimized him? ( )

Colección Alejandro Dumas ilustrado
Tapa dura editorial con ilustraciones y dorados. Cinta de lectura,
Nuevo

I have no idea what first prompted me to pick up this book, other than likely sheer boredom at some of my gardening jobs. I found an audio version of the story I liked, and dove in—and oh, what a story!

I doubt I would have gotten through the book if I was trying to read a print copy. In this case, especially with the length of the book, audio was a better option for me. Audio also gave me the chance to speed the story up, so I could keep up with the different elements of the story faster, which was a definite benefit!

As I’ve come to expect from some of the old novels, this book is rich in characters and setting—and sometimes, it’s hard to keep everyone straight. I was impressed by the fact that I was sucked into the drama from the first few chapters, and while there were lulls in the action at times, I never got to the point where I was tempted to scrap the story altogether and move on to something else.

In simple terms, this is the story of the making of a man. It starts as a love story, but as the book progresses, that element becomes increasingly more complicated. It’s also the story of revenge, of mankind’s greed, of hope and despair, and the way grudges and bitterness can taint even the purest of souls. This book is a journey—literally and figuratively—and though it doesn’t have the ending I expected, I realized that a big part of the joy of this story is the journey you take with the characters; not the end itself.

It’s hard to know how to put this book in words, because it left me with a sense of awe at the masterful way this story was told. Although there were things I didn’t enjoy so much in the story (believability and the focus on getting revenge), there was a lot more I enjoyed. I came away from the book wondering if there was any chance I’d be able to find other comparable books that had as much depth and richness of storytelling as I found in there—it almost put me in a reading slump, I enjoyed it that much! ( )

A classic that reads like a cllassic in its good and bad stereotype. Values from a different time, narrative structures with different moralistic ourcome, twists and turns of plots from evil and good - with a sense of the inevitable retribution of justice.

In some parts the book is dramatic and exciting, in ofhers slow and overloaded with mean twists and turns around the power of money to drive ambition, and downfall to those
that are comquered by greed.

Overall… just too long! ( )

Good lord what a great book! I am not a massive fan of huge tomes but this was impressive. It also sold me as a life-time fan of Dumas. I couldn't help but root for the protagonist to get revenge! ( )