I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo and my love for reading has changed

By Mountain

I just finished *The Count of Monte Cristo* and the ending straight-up wrecked me. I was actually crying, like ugly huge tears. The reunion with Edmond and Haydee is one of the most emotional scenes I’ve read, and then when he finally realizes she loves him and he’s able to be happy again… ugh. And don’t even get me started on Maximilian seeing Valentine again and thinking he’s in heaven. Dumas really said “here, have your heart shattered.” Honestly the whole book was amazing. Every chapter felt like a TV episode to me, not a regular book chapter, and I’ve never had another book do that. It did get a little slow at times, but I agree with that take that some of those chapters were necessary for everything to make sense. It’s not just plot—it feels like you’re dropped into a whole other world where the characters feel real, not like you’re reading some storyteller. I genuinely think it’s the best book I’ve ever read, and it was my first classic for getting into classics. I didn’t think I could even read stuff like this, but Dumas somehow flipped that switch for me. I also really liked that Edmond ended up with Haydee. I know some people wanted him with Mercedes, but I felt like Dumas made it pretty clear Mercedes messed up too—like she didn’t hurt anybody on purpose, but she still ended up damaging things for herself and for what Edmond had. The whole “I’d die without him” thing at the beginning, and then she marries Fernand after eighteen months… that part hurt, especially since Edmond’s first instinct after everything was to go find Mercedes. To me, eighteen months is nothing compared to the kind of love Edmond and Mercedes had in the first place. And it makes you think Mercedes basically got seduced by what Fernand offered—comfort, safety, all that. She thought she’d be happy building a life with someone she didn’t actually love, and then later she realizes it wasn’t enough. Meanwhile Haydee loved Edmond and didn’t waver, even knowing he might not ever love her back. That hit hard, because Haydee feels like the love Edmond thought was gone for good. The only thing that kind of ruined it a little was that I watched *El Conde Amor y Honor* first. It was the reason I even wanted to read the book, but I didn’t realize how close it would be. So when big reveals happened, I was like… wait, I already know this is coming. I don’t fully regret watching the show and reading the book, though. Yes, I missed out on that total “unexpected twist” feeling people talk about, but also it made me appreciate the book even more—plus the show too. I even downloaded the show’s music and played it during key moments, and that was honestly such a cool experience. I still loved the book’s ending way more than the show. Now I’m just sitting here with this empty feeling because I finished it, and I’m going to miss that whole world. But it definitely left an impact on me.