The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

Dumas' expansive tale of betrayal and revenge, published serially from 1844, is instantly recognisable as a literary classic. Whilst some academics may hold the book in relative contempt due to its crude subject matter and adventurous scope, there's no denying Dumas' resonating power as a storyteller. After the laborious slog of reading his friend and rival, Victor Hugo, the straight-forward narrative and rapid pacing had me devouring chapter after chapter well into the early hours. The story opens with Edmond Dantés, a young and promising merchant sailor returning home to Marseille. On the verge of marrying his beautiful fiancée Mercédès, and being awarded a promotion to ship's captain, the future for Edmond is bright. A trio of jealous friends, peeved at his recent good fortune and seemingly charmed existence, scheme to have him framed as a Bonapartist conspirator. During his engagement feast, at the height of happiness, Dantés is arrested.

Imprisoned on the island fortress, Château d'If, by a corrupt prosecutor named Villefort, Dantés spends fifteen years in a dungeon cell. After six of those years in solitary confinement, he meets fellow prisoner, Abbé Farria, who has been attempting to tunnel his way to freedom. Dantés becomes his pupil, receives an education, and is taught a number of languages. He also learns the secret of a vast fortune buried on the island of Monte Cristo and vows to claim it should he escape. Escape is eventually achieved, and the treasure uncovered. Rich beyond his wildest imaginings, the Count of Monte Cristo is born, an implacable angel of divine retribution, sworn to exact vengeance on the three men responsible for his betrayal. What follows is the relentless machinations of his revenge as he tracks his enemies to Paris, where they have become highly successful bankers and politicians, one of whom is married to his fiancée. This classic plot has been mimicked and adapted countless times.

The Count of Monte Cristo is at once an adventure, detective, thriller, and historical novel. Whilst there is an abundance of classical references which may put some readers off, the language is accessible enough for a uneducated audience. Many of its themes were considered unsavoury for its time: suicide, torture, murder, lesbianism, sadism, locked-in syndrome, and infanticide being but a few. Perhaps this is what distinguishes Monte Cristo as a groundbreakingly modern novel. Many characters are suitably fleshed out, although there are a number with strictly perfunctory roles. Some of the revenges can seem unnecessarily convoluted, and there was a distinct feeling of dissatisfaction with one I'd been looking forward to. These however, are minor criticisms which in no way impacted a thrilling rollercoaster of intrigue. One may be surprised to learn that the events of the novel are heavily inspired by a true-life story, which when researched, correlate closely to Dumas' plot. 

Rating: 4/5