WeBuzz
Reader discussion: The Count of Monte Cristo
Public reader discussion about The Count of Monte Cristo in the WeRead Catalog by Dumas, Alexandre.
The Count of Monte Cristo discussion because oh my goodness
By cellthread
I finished The Count of Monte Cristo not long ago and I still keep thinking about it. Dumas really had to be some kind of genius, because how do you even come up with a book this good, with such a tangled plot and so many characters that actually matter??? And the revenge plan too... I was honestly blown away and kind of stunned near the end. I kept putting the pieces together and everything just clicked in such a satisfying way, seriously. The fact that basically every character had a part that changed the whole story, and probably was planned way earlier on, is wild.
It’s my favorite book right now. I’m really curious what other people think of it. I just can’t seem to move on from it, and luckily I don’t really have to. I felt sorry for Mercedes at the end, but do you think they ever could’ve made it work after all that? Edmond was so different by then, I’m not sure anything between them would’ve been possible. I also felt pretty bad for Villefort, and when Edmond finally understood everything it honestly amazed me. I didn’t expect him to feel that much regret over what was going to happen to the people who betrayed him.
What scene or chapter stood out most for you? For me, it was the one where Caderousse kills his wife and that man — the way Dumas describes the blood dripping under the stairs and onto the guy who notices it, I got chills. It was so good.
Also, which movie adaptation do you think is the best?
Never forget: wait and hope.
Reading The Count of Monte Cristo
By BookishReads
Hey everyone!
This is my first time picking up The Count of Monte Cristo, and I’m honestly pretty excited. My dog will be right there cuddling with me while I read, which makes it even better.
I’ll also be reading along with one of my other favorite places (a book club thread) and we’re starting our discussion on April 18th. If anyone wants to join, the schedule’s there.
Have any of you read it before?
[deleted by user]
By Crescent_Sky
Somewhere to talk about and recommend the historical fiction books you love most.
I just finished the Count of Montecristo... I hadn't read anything like that before and now I'm sad it's over
By Red_Field
Man, it’s a bummer though—the guy’s gone, so yeah :( (Also: people kept mixing it up, I meant Alejandro Dumas, the author. He’s been dead for like, 200+ years.)
That said, I really loved this book. The first and last parts were great—lots of romance stuff, really good stories, and some pretty sharp takes on suffering and revenge. It had me hooked.
The middle section was the tough one for me. I’m not gonna get into spoilers, but I just couldn’t stay as into it. Still, I’m glad I pushed through.
And the writing is honestly gorgeous. My favorite thing in the whole book is how it’s written—if anyone knows other authors with a similar vibe, please throw recommendations my way. He had these comparisons that I didn’t even fully understand how they were landing, but they were so pretty anyway.
I liked it a lot overall, and I’ll probably reread it later. It made me feel all over the place—mad, sad, nostalgic, happy, even kind of in love. It just felt really human, like it was painting people with words.
So yeah, what do you all think?
Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo - I know there's a million posts in this sub about it, but would love to discuss!
By MariaReads
I just wrapped up the Robin Buss unabridged edition and honestly it was incredible. I’d be really interested in talking about basically anything and everything in it:
- favorite / least favorite characters
- favorite / least favorite scenes
- thoughts, questions, things you noticed, all of it
I was kind of amazed at how tense and exciting it stayed the whole time, especially since it’s so long. There were so many moments where stuff from way earlier suddenly paid off and I loved that a lot — like general d’Epinay vs. M. Nortier, or Luigi Vampa and Danglars near the end.
Franz was one of my favorites for sure, and I was also really into Bertuccio.
More books like "The Count of Monte Cristo"
By OtterPaperback
Just finished this and I’m still not over it. It had me hooked right away and somehow kept pulling me through to the end. I honestly never felt bored once, and I had a really great time reading it.
Now I’m kind of chasing that same feeling—more books with this kind of energy. I know I’ll never get the “first time” joy again, which is a bummer, but it was seriously like a rush while I was reading it.
If anyone has recommendations for stuff like this, I’d really love to hear them.
Has anyone else read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas?
By Swan_Clever
Hi everyone!
I never actually made it all the way through *The Count of Monte Cristo*—I wanna say I got about halfway—but for some reason it still feels like it might be my favorite book ever. I love the characters, the way Dumas writes, and how the whole story just pulls you in. Somehow he can paint these really vivid scenes using only words, and it honestly gave me feelings from a book that I didn’t think I could get.
I was hooked for a ton of chapters, and a few parts even got me pretty emotional, which feels even more impressive since the book is still pretty easy to get into even though it’s super long.
This is also the book that basically made me fall for reading in the first place, so I’m telling myself I’ll finish it eventually.
If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what you thought—no spoilers, please!
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
By Cricket1980
I just wrapped this up after starting it on March 2nd, and with a couple days where I didn’t read at all, it still took me about 3 weeks.
It’s the longest book I’ve gone through so far at 1243 pages, and honestly the start feels like ages ago now. But the way the world gets built up and all the little stories that tie into it made it such a great read.
I’d definitely recommend it, though I’d say go into it with some patience. Not because it’s dull or anything like that, it really isn’t, but because you kind of have to let the writing and the whole journey it takes you on sink in. And at the beginning, knocking out 50 or 100 pages barely seems to make a dent in what’s left.
It was a really wild, exciting ride. Every chapter made me want to keep going and see what happened next, and the ending is the kind that sticks with you for a while.
Honestly, 10/10 from me. Definitely recommend. I’m gonna miss having this book to keep coming back to over these last 3 weeks.
The Count of Monte Cristo and its many adaptations
By beananchor
It feels like everyone only talks about a handful of versions of *The Count of Monte Cristo*—like the Robert Donat movie, the Richard Chamberlain one, Jim Caviezel, the 1998 French miniseries with Gérard Depardieu, and the anime *Gankutsuou*. But the book obviously isn’t limited to those.
If you look into it, it’s been adapted a ton of times already. Even the “big” plot points—like Haydée at the end—show up in earlier film/mini-series versions too. And Hollywood did it pretty early with *Monte Cristo* (1922), then France had that 1929 super production, and later you’ve got Robert Vernay doing versions in 1943 and 1954, plus Claude Autant-Lara in 1961. There’s also the whole BBC TV miniseries in 1964 with Alan Badel (which I think is the first one on TV that actually includes Eugenie running off with her teacher/friend), and then the Italian miniseries in 1966, the 1979 French one with Jacques Weber (which might be the most complete), and even the Soviet *Prisoner of Château d’If* in 1988.
So yeah, a lot of these are probably less known just because of language/subtitles and smaller budgets—like if it’s not in English or it’s not widely distributed, people just don’t bother. But it doesn’t feel accurate to say there’s never been a faithful adaptation, either. I mean, even things like Edmond’s death are in multiple versions, and the Count leaving for the East with Haydée is already there in earlier adaptations.
Also, I saw there’s another one coming up with Pierre Niney in the French film space, and there’s supposed to be an Italian-French English-language miniseries with Sam Claflin in 2024. I’m not sure how close it’ll actually be, but the fact it’s a miniseries does make me think it might cover more of the book without rushing.
The count of Monte Cristo brought back my love of reading
By curiousHardcover
I’ve been having such a hard time focusing on books lately and keep ending up on my phone instead.
But I tore through all 1400 pages of The Count of Monte Cristo in a week and didn’t have to make myself pay attention even once. I honestly never would’ve expected a story about early 19th century French aristocrats to grab me like that, but I was into it from the first page. The characters, the problems they face, and all the moral stuff going on still feel really relevant now too.
I do have some questions after finishing it though:
Why did we need the whole story about the bandit leader before Luigi Vampa who kidnapped and raped that girl?
Why do women faint so much in this book? It feels like almost every female character does it at least once.
Why did Danglars get off so lightly compared to everyone else? He was set up as this awful person, and I feel like he’ll just keep doing shady things with no real remorse.
Was it actually normal back then for older men to marry girls way younger than them? The age gap, plus Dantes buying Haydee as a slave when she was a child, is really strange.
And why were both of Villefort’s sons so obnoxious? Édouard dies, but I kind of think if he’d lived he would’ve ended up just as twisted and bad as Benedetto.
I know there are probably tons of posts about this book, but I haven’t really seen these questions talked about much. Anyway, here’s one more post showing just how good the book is.
Making the millionth "I loved The Count of Monte Cristo" Post
By crow-page57
Sorry, I just had to post this. After reading a bunch of other comments about *The Count of Monte Cristo*, I finally added it to my to-read list. The page count totally intimidated me, but when I saw the summary on Libby it immediately reminded me of this ’80s South Indian movie my dad loved. I checked the movie’s Wikipedia page and, yeah, it was based on the book. That honestly made me way more interested, and I ended up reading it and then talking with my dad about the similarities and differences every day. It was such a fun (and kind of intense) couple of weeks.
I’m not gonna pretend it was perfect—some parts dragged a bit and I kept thinking they could’ve been shorter or told more directly. But even with that, it still kept me hooked, and the writing is really good. I’m willing to overlook the length because it’s probably the longest book I’ve read and also one of the best. I used to read a lot as a kid, then kinda stopped in high school, but I’ve been getting back into it lately. This book seriously pulled me right back into the habit. Thanks to everyone who recommended it and convinced me to stick with the slow parts, and I’d definitely recommend it if you want something EPIC!
Discussion on The Count of Monte Cristo
By Bookmark-Pink22
I just finished this last night and wanted to jump in here to see what everyone thought. Like, what was the overall opinion, any favourite bits, how the structure felt, and what people thought of the characters and the whole message?
Personally, I did feel like some parts dragged a bit—like the bandits of Rome and some of the scenes with the Countess G. Also, it seemed to lean on “happy coincidence” a few times, which made it harder for me to believe, even though I get that this is fantasy and that probably is kind of the point.
I finished The Count Of Monte Cristo - the judgment of Mercedes is harsh
By inkstarlight1716
I genuinely loved the book, and I even read the original version, so this isn’t me hating on it. It’s more like… I want to talk about how Mercedes’ fate hits.
I get that Monte Cristo has his reasons, and I also get that he’s affected and kind of doubtful about what he’s doing. He’s not “good” in every way, but Dumas writes all of that so neatly that you can follow why he turns out like that.
But for Mercedes, I keep coming back to this: I think the book is basically a moral story. There’s definitely a kind of outside judgment happening—like the writer has opinions about the characters and what they “deserve.” It’s not random or just real-life chaos for chaos’ sake. And while there are grey areas, it still feels like some people get rewarded and others get punished on purpose. That’s fine, but it makes her ending feel extra brutal.
So what does Mercedes actually “deserve,” in that moral logic? She waited for Dantes, loved him, and took care of his father as much as she could. Fernand is horrible, but she doesn’t really know that side. And in her time/social situation, she doesn’t have a lot of options—like, she can’t just live freely and pick whoever. If she doesn’t marry, she’s stuck with basically nothing. She raises a decent son, stays a decent person overall, and she recognizes Edmond immediately when she sees him.
Honestly, to me she’s blameless except for how hard she puts herself down.
Monte Cristo’s view feels way more tangled though. At first I wasn’t even sure how he felt, and then after that garden talk—where he’s still acting like the count—he basically expects her to wait. Then when she comes to beg for Albert, she really lays it all out, and he listens, but he’s cold. He even treats letting Albert live like it’s some huge sacrifice, which disappointed me because it felt like he almost forgot how close they all were until she begged him.
And then later, whenever it’s time to help, it feels like he doesn’t really push for her—he lets her take the blame and just stands there. Even his comfort comes off as “I’m not with you romantically anymore,” while she’s basically still clinging to him. She’s alone, repeating his name, and he’s just… not there emotionally in the way I expected. That’s where it hurt the most for me.
Also, right after their first real conversation, Haydee starts showing obvious attraction, and suddenly it’s like Monte Cristo realizes “oh, there’s another Mercedes.” That made it feel like Mercedes was important, but only up to a point.
Even when he’s reflecting on prison, he’s like “starvation and infidelity” toward her. Like he’s still judging her for not being faithful, even though what she’s been through is the whole point.
I can understand being hurt that she married the guy who ruined him. I can understand being angry. But I honestly expected more emotion from his side—more determination to help her, more “I still love you” energy. Instead it reads like he mentally moves on really hard. Even when he’s clearly affected, he still treats her life like it’s something she should have handled differently.
And the way Mercedes gets “redeemed,” at least in the text’s logic, is… she suffers. Like, she becomes ugly, old, alone, broke, hopeless, and she’s trapped with a son who might get killed. She accepts everything quietly and dwells on how aged and unattractive she is now. It’s one of the worst endings imaginable, and it feels joyless in a way that doesn’t sit right with me.
It almost feels like Dumas is implying she should’ve killed herself back then. And I know that’s not exactly easy to say without looking dramatic, but that’s what the moral math feels like. It’s insanely harsh to me—suicide isn’t some clean moral “solution.” She kept living and still loved Edmond. To frame that as a sin or something shameful feels wrong.
And if Monte Cristo’s love was really as strong as he wanted to claim it was, then why does it fall away so unforgivingly? It also makes Haydee seem “easier” for him now—she worships him, so he doesn’t have to deal with Mercedes not being endlessly devoted in the same way. I can’t help thinking the whole thing makes him sound like a bit of an egomaniac, honestly.
I just… feel bad for Mercedes. I wish there was more pride left in her at the end, even if she’s stuck with the consequences.
Why not? (Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo)
By steady_lynx
I don’t think this is as bad as people make it sound. Yeah, Dumas wasn’t perfect, but this was published in 1844. Valentine’s a 19-year-old aristocrat’s daughter who’s basically in denial about whether her mother-in-law could be behind the murders and the attempt on her life. The line she says kind of shows she hasn’t even really thought of a woman being the one behind all that, especially her mother-in-law—like she’s been assuming things like that are “men’s work” until someone pushes her to reconsider. It feels more like we’re seeing how sheltered and young she is, not Dumas saying women can’t come up with an idea like that on their own.
Also, sure, Monte Cristo did end up giving Madame de Villefort the poison and telling her what it could do, and he wanted her to use it. But it’s not like he just handed it over with “go kill your family.” He lays out that one amount is medicine, but that more could kill someone. After that, it still seems like it’s her decision to start plotting and killing so her son keeps the inheritance. So even if “Madame” was pushed into the situation, the “how” and the choice still weren’t handed to her as a direct instruction. That whole “frightful combination of crimes” being “invented by a woman” quote also really reads like the story pointing out her role rather than some author’s belief.
The Count of Monte Cristo
By BrownOrbit2004
I think this is my favorite book now, even though I read it like 2 years ago. I went with the Robin Buss translation and it honestly felt spot on.
It really has everything—revenge, suspense, romance, murder, politics, religion. Like there’s something in it for pretty much everybody. Also the chapters are pretty short and packed with action, which makes it way easier to get through a 1300 page book.
The parts I keep coming back to (at least from what I remember) are the prison sections with Abbe Faria. Those moments are wild, like he basically changes into a different person. And I also liked how the revenge works because you’re kind of kept in the dark a lot of the time—like he’s always described from that third-person angle compared to what the narrators are seeing.
The whole revenge thing felt so intense at first because he thinks he’s basically the hand of God, like it’s his divine job to carry it out. But then it hits him that what he’s doing messes people up way more than he expected, and that’s when his revenge starts to get lighter for the last target.
I’ve watched the 2025 French adaptation and the 2002 one too, and I felt like both of them kind of miss the point. They make it seem like it’s just a straight-up revenge story, but it’s not that simple to me. I also liked that the book gives him a new start after his big change of heart, and the Haydee part felt like another rebirth—more chance for happiness and a different direction.
Count of Monte Cristo questions on the story (about Bertuccio)
By IvoryStone2006
Hi, I just finished *The Count of Monte Cristo* and I’m still stuck on a bunch of stuff.
When Bertuccio is hiding from the police, the intermediary is Caderousse, and somehow Bertuccio ends up hearing about “Monte Cristo” in disguise and then gets involved with the whole diamond situation. Then after Caderousse and his wife kill the diamond buyer, the cops blame Bertuccio even though he was basically just there. I get that Father Busoni clears Bertuccio and later basically gets him hired as a servant for Monte Cristo (who is, of course, himself).
My questions are:
At the moment Monte Cristo saves Bertuccio, did he already know how Bertuccio connects to Villefort’s son, or was it just luck that Bertuccio got saved and later became important for Villefort’s downfall?
Does Bertuccio travel with him during those nine years, or does he only join him when Monte Cristo comes back to Europe?
Also, how does Monte Cristo even know the history behind the Maison d’Auteuil when he ends up buying it?
And what makes me wonder most—how could he possibly predict that an ordinary smuggler like Bertuccio would end up being the key part of his revenge against Villefort?
Finally, if Monte Cristo already knew about the Auteuil house, why does he push Bertuccio to confess there? Like, what was he still missing that he needed that moment for?
Sorry this is so long, I just can’t wrap my head around it.
I thought everyone was lying to me about The Count of Monte Cristo but somehow it really is THAT good.
By PiemanWood87
Okay but I need to apologize to Alexandre Dumas because I totally underestimated him. I saw the page count and thought, “this is gonna be a drag,” so I even grabbed a couple other books first just in case I needed a breather for the boring bits.
But… boring parts?? No?? I stayed up until like 4am reading the first half and only passed out when my eyes literally couldn’t take any more words. How is he able to crank out like 1200 pages of constant action and plot twists? I’m honestly kind of amazed.
Les Mis is around the same length and I loved that too, but there were definitely stretches where Hugo would go on long tangents and my brain kind of zoned out. This one didn’t do that at all. Some parts have definitely aged a little weirdly, sure, but overall it was such an awesome trip and I’m really glad I finally gave it a shot.
Also wow, didn’t expect this to blow up. A bunch of people said it made them want to read it, so that makes me happy—hope you all have fun! And if you disagree and didn’t like it, that’s totally fine too.
Quick thing about the title: it was kind of me exaggerating. I didn’t think people were straight-up lying, I just assumed the “it’s not boring” comments were stretching it because every other 1000+ page book I’ve read had a lot of fluff. Turns out that wasn’t true here.
ETA: I’m reading the English translation by Robin Buss.
The count of Monte Cristo - a critique of revenge
By Panther7
Okay but I keep wondering: if something is already messed up in the system and hurts people, does that mean we get to justify doing the same kind of harm ourselves? Anyway, it really feels like Dumas is calling out how hypocritical French society was in the 1800s.
And honestly, I don’t think the book is only a revenge story, even though people say that. Sure, there’s revenge in it (maybe more than a little), but it also goes hard on forgiveness, generosity, the idea that there’s actually good in the world, trusting God’s plan, repentance, love, hope, all that. Even with multiple characters, you still really see Edmond’s whole path. It’s not a happy straight line, more like a down-and-up thing—yet because of love and friendship it doesn’t end in total disgrace. Villefort, Morcef, and Danglars wrecked innocent lives, especially Monte Cristo’s… but the book doesn’t just say the Count is “right” to punish them in some monstrous way. He absolutely has some really questionable choices, and later he regrets it. Funny part is, I didn’t expect so many Christian-ish themes either, because it looks like a revenge plot at first. But near the end it shifts into that.
The ending also didn’t really feel like The Odyssey to me. Edmond doesn’t end things by doing some different heroic “return” thing—he basically punishes his enemies in a similar way. And then Edmond and the person he’s with end up together again. The big difference is Mercedes wasn’t okay with it. She was basically like, “the man I loved isn’t there anymore,” and she cuts him off.
What about Haydée? I think Edmond stays with her because she gets him. She’s like him in the sense that she also went through suffering and wanted revenge the same way he did. Same kind of pain, so she understands how he became that person. He spent years locked up at the Château d’If, and she was a slave for years.
Mercedes is portrayed like the “right” match for Edmond Dantes, but Haydée feels like the right one for the Count of Monte Cristo.
I’m really hoping the miniseries they’re filming (Sam Clalfin as the Count and Jeremy Irons as Abbé Faria) actually respects the book. And in the Pierre Niney version, from what I can tell from the promo stills, it seems like they’re trying to make Edmond look more like some masked vigilante, which… I don’t know, that might miss the point.
[Question] The Count of Monte Cristo
By green-marble
Hey everyone! Sorry if this isn’t the right place to ask, I tried posting in a more specific Monte Cristo area and it got removed.
Also—please no spoilers. I’m reading The Count of Monte Cristo for the first time and I’m really enjoying it so far. I’m around chapter 33 (“Roman Bandits”). But lately I’ve been a bit lost, and I hate to say it, I’ve even gotten a little bored with these chapters.
I’m having trouble figuring out what the point is of some of the newer characters, especially Franz, Pastrini, Albert, and everyone kind of grouped around that part of the timeline. I might have zoned out and missed something, so I’m wondering if anyone can give me a little context for what their roles are supposed to be—without ruining anything major. I just don’t see how they connect to Edmund’s bigger story yet.
If it’s supposed to be important and I’ll understand it later, tell me that and I can reread or slow down.
One more thing: I’m not a very advanced reader, and translations have sometimes made certain parts harder than they should be. I’ve just pushed through those sections so far. Is it pretty normal for this book to feel a little daunting in spots like this? If so, I’ll just keep powering through.
[Discussion] The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Chapters 25 - 27
By luckypencil7
Hey everyone!!! Hope your Friday’s treating you okay.
For today, we’re talking chapters 28 (The Prison Register) through 30 (The Fifth of September).
Just a reminder: there’s a really strict spoiler policy here, so please keep things limited to what we’ve read.
If you want to talk about stuff beyond that, there’s the Marginalia option.
Also, on Tuesday (the 23rd) we’ll cover 31 Italy: Sinbad the Sailor, 32 The Waking, and 33 Roman Bandits—schedule’s posted if you need it. The summaries are here too, but watch out for spoilers.