I am going through the hardest time of my life. I wanted a good distraction, and what's better than a 1276-page book about revenge?
It just added to my misery.
The first 100 pages were solid. I liked how the events were fast-paced, I liked Abbe Faria, the despair, the hope, the depth of human feelings in prison.
Things fell apart the moment Dantes escaped. From around page 100 to 600, I tried to give the book a chance, but all I got were endless descriptions for the slightest detail and endless dialogues that seemed pointless. The dialogues that had meaning could be summed up in 10 pages.
I am so disappointed. The pages from 100 to 600 could have been reduced to 30. I didn't pick the abridged version because I wanted to savor the whole beauty of a classic, but what was that?
This will give me a very long reading slump, which is the last thing I need now. Maybe the book is not for me, although I have no specific liking in fiction. I read everything, but this one was the biggest letdown since I started reading.
PS. I read the translation by Robin Buss, the Penguin Classics edition. I wanted to read s summary when I reached page 300, but at this point, I guess I will never know what will happen, since I am ready to throw myself out of the window from the boredom.
by [deleted]
48 Comments
Completely agree. I wish I DNFed it instead of finishing it.
If you need some silly distractions, let us know. I have a stack of joyful absurdity that helped me through some hard times.
Sorry you had this experience. I read it when I was a teenager a long time ago and adored it. Maybe it didn’t age that well. Anyway, there are so many books nowadays that you can enjoy. Don’t feel bad, move on. Happy reading!
If it makes you feel better I felt the same way but chose to finish it since I kept saying “Surely there is a reason people love this book!” I did not like it any better at all. Since I’ve read it, however, I just realized that kind of genre and prose is just not for me. I get why people enjoy it but I shall stick with what I love from now on lol
This is my hill to die on… It just wasn’t interesting. People on this sub will respond with insults and downvotes, as if you insulted their mother, but I almost feel like they enjoyed because the subconsciously are proud they were able to complete it.
I’ve discovered I need to be in the right mood for a book. I’ve had books I didn’t connect with but tried again much later and loved. Reverse is also true. I’ll revisit an author I love and just can’t settle into it.
I keep a stack of books with different genres and tones for this very reason. If it’s not working for me I shelve it and pick something else. I’ll cycle back around when I’m in a different frame of mine and see if the DNFs work any better. They often do.
Downvote magnet here: when things are falling apart you ought to get to doing what you need to be doing. It takes time to develop a dozenish characters and build the story, and it takes time to get your life back together… you can only do one at a time.
Yeah, I would never – NEVER – turn to books for help getting through life’s problems. All books do is suck you into the book world which is way too much like your own private fantasies about your life.
Instead, go camping. Go camping for a week. Leave your phone and computer at home. If you must take a book, take a book you’ve been meaning to get to all your life and never have because it’s just TOO BORING. This will ensure that it doesn’t fuck you up. And you might even enjoy it.
Ahh yes another “popular book I didn’t like DAE”
This sub is simply an aggregate of negative opinions now.
Plenty of YA stuff out there for you.
Not every book is for every person. Life is too short and there are far too many books to read.
you should have just read the abridged version.
If you’re looking for a classic by the same author that’s more fun and has tighter storytelling, you might like The Three Musketeers better.
I’m currently reading this, right after finishing the Three Musketeers. The big problem with the book is that it was originally serialized and I’ve noticed books like that have a lot of flipping filler. I like it so far, but I’m right at that 300 page point you are talking about, so I’m not sure yet if my opinion will change.
There’s nothing wrong with DNF’ing a classic, like if it’s not for you then it’s not for you.
I love Dickens, but for the life of me, I can’t get into a Take of Two Cities, I’ve DNF’D it like 3 different times.
Hope you feel better soon!
The book is one where you kinda gotta get lost in the world and want to live with the characters for a while. I thought even the more mundane parts of the book were charming and entertaining bc I bought into the world Dumas created and just enjoyed spending time in it. If you don’t get that feeling from it, I can imagine how tedious it would be.
What about the beautiful passage where >!Franz and Sinbad take Hashish on Monte Cristo?!< What about the events revolving around >!Morrels last minute redemption?!< I was on the edge of my seat reading that part!
There’s so much to love in the section you’re referring to. Maybe try to come back to it when you’re in a better place in life. It’s really an amazing story if you just let yourself sink into it!
If there is a DNF club for this book, then I welcome you into it. I am a two time DNFer of the work. Tried it as a youngster, failed, then tried again when I was “older, more mature and well read,” and failed again.
If you like long books to escape into, try Pillars of the Earth or Shogun.
I read it on and off for 6 months and the middle bit where they introduce the new characters was boring but if you get through it, it does pick up and you will be hooked such a good book.
I read an abridged version, and it was still quite a solid size book. Then after I finished it, I read a little blurb about how they cut out a ton of stuff lol. I absolutely loved it though, I would give an abridged version a try
Totally agree. I did the same thing
So…you’re right to say that the book is long and sometimes deviates from a straight narrative course. Couple of things about that. Dumas first published this in serialized form. So the more he wrote, the more income he generated. And that also allowed him to continually build an audience.
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But it really is worth it. The detours to the Caderousse story, or the lengthy bit about Luigi Vampa or Benedetto’s story (about Caderousse) are all important because they help set up what the Count is working on. Hang in there. Once the Count gets to Paris, it’s mostly back to a linear and very satisfying narrative at that point. It’s worth it.
That is determination to get through a 500 page slog but if it isn’t for you then put it down. Also remember that the count of Monte Cristo was written in an Era where books were released as magazines bit by bit so I think that is one of the reasons it drags.
Try reading a comedy next maybe?
I felt this way too, but switched to the audiobook for about 200 pages. It really helped me get over the hump and I was able to pick up the physical book again after about a week of listening. Sometimes I need to listen to classics because of the sentence structure and to get invested in the story.
If you ever get a chance to come back to it you should it is such a masterpiece
I’ve finished it as a teen. I don’t think I could again.
So can not relate.
I found it to be way too fast paced for a novel written about 200 odd years ago!
It’s a really great book.
Sorry you are are going through a trying time. I hope you find a distraction which suits you better
Try Lonesome Dove.
I did the same. Was listening on audible while it was free and the first few hours were great. The. He escaped and started a new life and I was lost. So I stopped.
I read the abridged version because I knew reading multiple pages describing one thing wouldn’t be for me. I highly recommend sticking it out. It definitely does drag when you’re introduced to everyone at the carnival and the carnival itself, but those events are very important for how Dante’s concocts his revenge. I promise you, if you can get past Rome and to where the book picks back up in France, you will love it if you had the courage to try reading it in the first place.
This was one of the first DNF for me too. Tried to read it because it’s a friend’s favorite book. I eventually finished it but boy oh boy, it’s one of the worst books I’ve read. Like others say, not everybody will like all books.
I adored the book when I read it as a teenager. A big part of why is sprawls and twists and takes its time the way it does is because it was originally serialized over (I think) about two years. It’s interesting to see the effect that has on its structure. In my opinion it’s a remarkable achievement, but I can see how it isn’t for everyone.
Are you still looking for a decent distraction? What sort of thing do you like to read?
I opted to read the high school edition. It was still about 600-700 pages, but had less of the descriptions that were driving me crazy.
The worst part of the book for me was in rome it pics up again in paris. But they are in rome for a good 8 hrs of an audio book
Try the movie with Jim Caviezel. Basically only hits the high points, but pretty much explains the whole thing.
I agree, i got frustrated with the extensive labyrinth of wider plots, scenarios and characters who felt increasingly withdrawn from Dantes, accompanied by a fading of his character into the background of the ‘Monte Cristo’ persona. It feels like the author just wanted an excuse to present didactic tale after didactic tale to flaunt his imaginative powers, rather than present a tighter story with a more continuous narrative thread, and it loses so much momentum I found it difficult to endure and trust that it was all worthwhile, so i put it down as well. I still think it’s quite silly as these extra characters and their lives are pretty boring and tedious in comparison to the fascinating life of Dantes.
This post could have been written by me. I had the exact same experience. I think I even wrote a comment about it before. I gave up on it halfway through because after the prison escape literally not a single interesting thing happens. I waited for the actual story to start for hundreds of pages and it just never happened. This book single handedly made me give up on reading for well over a year.
Oof, that’s one of my favorite books, but yeah, it can be a slog.
I feel that way about Les Mis myself.
Also, if you’re interested, look up The Black Count. It’s about Dumas’ *father* and is very interesting in how family history influenced his writing. It’s a vastly shorter book as well.
I finished it and I wished I dnf’d it.
The very last pages were among the worst endings I’ve read
I finished it, but I agree with you.
That’s about how far I got, as well. It was great until that point.
Just get the abridged version. My first time reading the Count of Monte Cristo was a slightly abridged version, and I *loved* it. Don’t fool yourself (any longer) with the ‘savor the whole beauty of a classic’ nonsense — every book needs a good editor, so think of abridged versions as edited for modern readers. In any case, you’re not reading it in the original French (I assume?), so you don’t lose much with a more compact read.
I’m stuck in some scene at an opera. I try reading a page and it just feels like nothing. It feels like the last 50-75 pages are… contrived isn’t the correct word. But something adjacent to that.
It’s hard to pick back up now
I’m the same. DNF’d around page 450. The amount of filler this book has is borderline criminal
Count of Monte Cristo is amazing. But…if you want a modern version, read Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Its just barely over 100 pages too.
How dare you dislike Reddit’s darling!
I did enjoy The Count Of Monte Cristo, but its biggest problem is how long it takes for Edmond Dantes’s revenge to unfold. That being said, it picks up pace significantly after the plan (for lack of a better word) for his revenge unfolds. I think the best part of the beginning of The Count Of Monte Cristo is the exploration of why the characters who were responsible for Edmond’s incarceration did what they did, with Villefort being the most understandable.
The Three Musketeers (also by Dumas) is also longish, but it is more fast-paced than The Count Of Monte Cristo.
This is why I read the abridged version