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The Count of Monte Cristo

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Suzanne

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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo

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Welcome nunee1
:)
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Suzanne

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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO
Alexandre Dumas

Chapters 1-5


From the Publisher
Set against the turbulent years of the Napoleonic era, Alexandre Dumas's thrilling adventure story is one of the most widely read romantic novels of all time. In it the dashing young hero, Edmond Dantès, is betrayed by his enemies and thrown into a secret dungeon in the Chateau d'If -- doomed to spend his life in a dank prison cell. The story of his long, intolerable years in captivity, his miraculous escape, and his carefully wrought revenge creates a dramatic tale of mystery and intrigue and paints a vision of France -- a dazzling, dueling, exuberant France -- that has become immortal.
http://www.amazon.com/Count-Monte-Crist ... 55&s=books
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Re: The Count of Monte Cristo

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Great! We just started we are reading the first 5 chapters...
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Suzanne

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The first five chapters went by pretty fast for me. What I have found to love about Dumas’ writing style is the way he describes his characters. Or, I should say the way he doesn’t. The characteristics of the characters are described through dialogue, which for me is the fastest way to get to know the people in a novel. A few lines of dialogue are more effective than words and words of descriptive prose.

I have taken an immediate liking to Edmond. He is naïve and innocent, he is a good man and he blindly expects goodness in others. This attitude may be seen as stupidity, but for me it shows the happiness of youth.

The novel does slow a bit after the first few chapters. Historical figures and events are mentioned, many of these events are new to me, so I did have to do a bit of research on certain events such as, the hundred days and the restoration. I also read a bit about Napoleon and Louis XVIII and this research was very worthwile. Since this novel was published soon after these events, Dumas may have felt it unnecessary to describe these events and figures, where in modern historical fiction these figures and events would be described in detail. This does leave it up to the reader to learn more about the time period which is beneficial to the reader. I like a good healthy dose of history while reading a good novel.
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Hi Guys! We haven't done a very good job at keeping up with each other with the book. Did everyone read the first 5 chapters? Maybe we can discuss today and then start the next 5 tomorrow?
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The book has been really interesting to me. It's a lot different than the movie, so much that I am wondering why they didn't do it the way the book did.
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President Camacho

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Simply because it would have been too long. There is a version out there that is more in keeping with the book, though. I want to say it was a t.v. series and starred Gérard Depardieu. I have never seen it but I heard it was pretty good. It may be worth checking out. Monte Cristo has such a captivating tale as I have never quite met again in such a long novel. Dumas is truly a master of the long fiction.
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Well thank you so much for your input to someone who is very ignorant to novels ( seriously!) I am hoping to hear from my friends who are reading it with me. I'm feeling pretty lonely. Maybe we can all chat about it? I will give it a couple of days and then just assume that those who wanted to just abandoned the idea...
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Oh, don't feel lonely Tiffani, I'm right here with you!

I have never seen the movie, or the TV series. I am going to check out my library for the movie after I have finished. Actually, I have no knowledge of this story what so ever, which is exciting because I have no idea what to expect next.

I have to say, I am captivated by this story. I can't put the book down, I'm about 700 pages in. I'll start reading and the next thing I know, a few hours and a few hundred pages have gone by.

I was interested to see how Dumas would keep interest in what appears to be such a simple story. He has done this with his characters. The circle of characters grows larger and larger as the book progresses, and they are very real to me. Dumas also has a great sense of humor!
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Suzanne

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Has anyone noticed something interesting with the names that Dumas has chosen for his main characters? There is Danglars, with could mean “dangerous”, there is Villefort, which could mean “villainous”, and then there is Morrel, which could mean “moral”. The names of these characters seem to describe them.
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