The Count of Monte Cristo (abridged) (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

Best Version I Have Seen

I have noticed that most of the reviews for this edition speak about Dumas' work in general, but I have to make a point that Robin Buss makes in the beginning of the book: almost every other version of The Count of Monte Cristo in English is either an abridgment or the product of Victorian editing.

This book has to be praised for the mere fact that Buss went back to the original French and translated it wonderfully, not abridging or altering the essential storyline.

As of now, this is the only edition of such caliber that I know of, and for now, it is all I recommend that people buy.

Avoid all other editions and publishers, or at least make sure whether the one you want is an abridgment or not.

46 out of 47 people found this review helpful.

Abridged Versions Dont tell the whole story

I had purchased a copy of this book because I love the story of the Count of Monte Cristo and wanted a version in hard back. It was only after I was reading through it when I noticed stuff different from my penguin soft back version did I flip to the front to discover the book was abridged. Who ever edited this book had to have been stupid because they did a horrible job of editing. I could understand cutting material which isn't critical to the story. Examples from the unabridged version included 'How to rescue a gardener from dormice who are eating his peaches' and 'the road for Belgium.' However to deliberately omit major portions which are critical to the whole of the story is wrong and causes the whole story to be misrepresented. Major portions which were omitted included the the final judgment of Danglars at the hands of Vampa, and also the story of Andrea Cavalcanti and how he ties to both Villefort and Danglars. Even the comic book version of the story I read as a kid managed to included all of these. This abridged version of this book isnt worth the paper it is written on. I am extremely disappointed at Barnes and Noble for putting their name on crap like this. Don't waste your money, go get yourself a penguin classics version instead and read the whole story.

17 out of 20 people found this review helpful.

Illegible, not worth the price. RUN AWAY!

On a Nook, the search did not describe this book as one of several volumes. It starts on chapter XLVII. The scan of the book is horrible, rendering the story illegible. For example, it starts with this sentence, reproduced exactly as it appears on a Nook; "~F the Count of Moiito-Oristo harl lived for a very long time ill Parisian society, lie would liavo fully appreciated the value of the stej* wluflh M. do ViUefort had taken." I'm not going to waste any time on this book. I'm not going to waste any more time on reviewing this junk.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

As Much About Revenge As It Is About A Count

I must say that this is one of the best books - if not the best book - I've ever read in my entire life. I do not say this lightly. From the very beginning, I fell in love with the character, Edmound Dantes, and cheered him on throughout his struggles. But my admiration turned to awe when I saw what he was capable of, and upon seeing the carefully plotted, fatal revenges he planned for his enemies had me stunned. Even so, it was the fact that he was a complex character, composed with both good and evil, that really fascinated me and makes me say, without a doubt, that Edmound Dantes is the best character I've ever seen, and the Count of Monte Cristo the most thrilling book I've ever read. I highly recommmend it, and will be reading it again in the near future.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

DO NOT BUY THIS VERSION

This is an abridged version -- an incomplete story -- and a terrible abridged version. There are several key parts of the story missing, which significantly change the story. It is an offense to Dumas and readers.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

The writing style and story-telling of Dumas is fantastic and compelling. While one may think he knows the tale of Edmond Dantes, he doesn't until he starts to turn the pages of this 1400-plus page book.

Dumas weaves a beautiful tale of revenge and compassion that makes The Count of Monte Cristo one of the finest works of fiction of the past two hundred years. Classics Illustrated certainly opened this story to me as a pre-adolescent but nothing beats reading the book.

The characters develop slowly and the reader has no doubt about the honesty and integrity of the few 'good' people and knows the dark side of the 'baddies'. This book is all meat and potatoes and the dessert comes in the final 150 pages.

Do yourself a favor and pick this classic up for a wonderful reading experience.

Now, on to The Three Musketeers.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

such a fun book!

I loved this book! I loved all 600+ pages. I read a review somewhere that said "It's harder to stop reading this book than it is to start." I agree with that. It was difficult for me to initially pick it up because it is so HUGE, but once I did it was was even harder to put down. The characters are well developed and it moves easily from one adventure to another. I would (and have) highly recommend this to anyone who wants to read a good adventure.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

For those who are stuck on one page

I got stuck on the first page on my nook. But after i closed the book, opened another, and then returned to this one, i was able to turn the pages with ease. I dont know if it will always work, but its just a suggestion since youve already spent your time and money on this. Happy reading!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

great book

the story of Edmund Dantes is amazing.First betrayed then rises out of the ashes and gets revenge. Alexandre Dumas is a great author and very imaginative

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

An old age book for new age readers

In the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, a French sailor runs into some hard times. It all started when his captain on his ship got brain fever and dies. The Captain's last request is that Edmond goes to the Isle of Elba to deliver a letter and take whatever is received and deliver that also. When Edmond returns to Marseilles and prepares to deliver his letter. He decides he will travel to Paris after he marries his beautiful fiancée Mercedes. Also along with the great joy of about to become a married man Edmond is told by the ship owner that he will become the new captain of the ship. With all of this good news Edmond makes some rivals unknowingly. These rivals conspire together to write an anonymous letter to the public prosecutor telling of how Edmond had a letter from Napoleon to the Bonapartist party of Paris.Due to this letter Edmond was arrested and sent to the public prosecutor. While there the deputy public prosecutor, Villefort, interrogates Edmond, discovers that Edmond was innocent and is about to release him when he finds out the letter from Napoleon was to his father. Villefort does not want to be one day blackmailed with this information so he sends Edmond to a prison at the Chateau d'If to die without ever knowing what put him in there.
Edmond spends fourteen years in this prison during which he meets a priest who holds the secret to a hidden treasure. The priest teaches Edmond many things in exchange for his help on a tunnel which is to be their escape. But the priest does not escape with Edmond instead dies allowing Edmond a unique opportunity for escape. Edmond does escape and find the treasure the priest told him about and then uses the fortune he receives to extract revenge from the people who stole fourteen years of his life; Danglars the second mate, Fernand the jealous friend, and Villefort who accused him wrongly. The rest of the book explains how Edmond creates and executes his great revenge.
The best part of this book was the plot. Dumas does a great job of weaving a tangled web that becomes unraveled by the Count of Monte Cristo's (Edmond) revenge. The complex way the Count using this entire web to fit his purpose makes for an intoxicating read. The worst part of this book was the changes that Edmond had to go through to achieve his revenge. Edmond went from enjoying all that life had given him to becoming a cruel, vindictive man who revels in the demise of his enemies. Edmond became the Count of Monte Cristo who knows no bounds and cannot be stopped by anyone other than God. The Count made his self into a person who smiled at the most terrible sights. All the Count had was his revenge and what that revenge had made him into.
This book was a great read due to the involved plot. Edmond used all his resources in unique ways and provided interesting outlooks on life due to his altered personality. Also Dumas made it so all of Edmond's enemies had great schemes with each other so if you took one down the others followed quickly. Edmond's revenge would not have been as great if the other characters had not left themselves in positions that if uncovered would ruin them. These subtle turns in the book add suspense and extra umph to an already interesting book.

2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

Although this timeless classic may seem to be printed in its entirety, be warned. I recently purchesed this novel hoping to delve into a 19th century classic but found myself faced with an abridged novel. How can one fully appreciate an author's talent when part of his work has been removed? Furthermore, who is to say what should be taken out or not. The cover says nothing about being abridged, therefore decieving the general public. If you want the Sparknotes version of a classic, or don't have enough time to enjoy Dumas' amazing literature, then this is a book for you.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Disappointed

I wouldn't recommend downloading this copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. There were very few illustrations - I remember seeing only 3 or 4 in the whole book (or maybe they just didn't show up as there were several pages that had large amounts of blank space in them). The book also froze my Nook up a lot (i.e. pages wouldn't turn, took a long time to open). None of my other books on my Nook ever freeze like this one did.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

To the kid in honors english, can honestly say this is one of the greatest novels ever written. I am a guy though and dumas tended to favor a more male point of view when he wrote. But i personally think this book is for all ages and genders, i have read it more than 20 times that should put a better perspective on how much i enjoy reading this novel.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Thrilling!

I loved this book. I am beginning to read 'The Classics', a daunting task, nontheless. But this book could be appreciated without a backround of classical literature. The plot was thrilling and unique, the writing style original and captivating, and nothing will be written like it again. It had everything a book should have: romance, revenge, action, adventure, heartbreak. I think that is what has made it one of the best books I have ever read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo is a fantasic book full of a thrilling plot of revenge and reward. Great book for anyone to read, even if you don't read books. This book will definately keep your attention.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Reading!

I had no idea when I purchased this book that it was abridged; however, that did not cause me to enjoy this novel any less! I was engrossed with the story from about the 5th page! This book has it all, jealousy, love and retribution. What an excellent introduction for me to the world of Dumas! I can see why The Count of Monte Cristo has been one of the most popular books in Europe. I wish I had picked up this wonderful classic earlier!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Whole Package.

This book contains mysteries and hidden secrets inscribed in every page. It just touches up on every kind of situation on person could possibly be in. Such as love, revenge, betrayl, murder, and oh there is so much more entertiwned within one book. Hey, don't let the thickness of it fool you, it's what you read that makes it a classic for over a century. Future readers I recommend it highly,the plot line is a unique one, and it'll keep your eyeballs glued to the pages.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

FINALLY--UNABRIDGED EDITION AVAILABLE

I have always loved the stories of Alexandre Dumas, esp. from the Dartanion Romance Series, however, it is very difficult to find UNABRIDGED editions. I have seen all three versions of the movie, and read the abridged edition of this book, but now I can finally read THE WHOLE STORY!!! I only wish that ALL the Dumas books were available in an unabridged series/set.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

One of the BEST novels

This book is amazing. The first time I read it I was shocked by the great plot and characterization. I bought the book later on and read it again and had the same effect. I mean you have to read this book...Alexandre Dumas is a fantastic author

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Adventurous and Scandalous; What more could you want in a book!!

oh my god. that's almost all i can say. its almost an understatement to say this was the most amazing book i've ever read. i am only disappointed that i read the abridged version. . . we read this in my english class and i am without words to decribe how much i truely love this book. there are about 52 characters in this book, so i'd recommend a character chart (which will come in handy, believe me. write the relations amoung the characters; husband of..., daughter of..., ect) in the begging the reader is introduced to a bunch of seemingless unassociated characters, but as the story progresses, you begin to see how small of a world they really live in. from illegitimate children to murder to adventure and outright scandal, this book is extremely thrilling and a definate page-turner. from start to finish its unparallelable. i would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.