The Count of Monte Cristo Review

Historical fiction novels can reside on opposite ends of the spectrum of good books. They can either be exciting and possibly even educational, or they can be terribly boring. At a staggering 591 pages, Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo took determination and time for me to get through.

This book was published sometime between 1844-1846, so the language used in it was hard for me to follow. Along with that, Alexandre Dumas applied a style in which the story was told by a different character in each chapter. Generally, this style adds to the story because the reader can understand what each character is feeling. In this book, however, there are many, many characters, so switching around is just confusing.

The Count of Monte Cristo tells the story of Edmond Dantes. Edmond gets wrongly arrested on the eve of his wedding. Once in jail, he meets a man who is willing to help Edmond escape. Escape may not be the best plan for Edmond since he has been in jail for fourteen years. How does one piece his life back together after so long?

This book is set in France around the early 1800s. In my opinion, the author did not do a good job of describing the setting. I have no idea what France looked like during that time, so there is no background information to help me. Plus, the setting is constantly changing with the change of characters.

The theme "Taking a Stand" fits nicely into this novel. The Count of Monte Cristo is very rich, but he does not only use those riches to help himself. He also helps those in need of money, such as the young girl who has no money for her dowry. All through the book, the Count makes many friends with those that he helps. He takes a stand against their poverty.

Truthfully, I did not like this book at all. I was not interested in the subject, and there was hardly any action. It was also very difficult to read and hard to get through. I would not recommend it to anyone.
591 Pages