The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas pere

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Book Reviews of The Count of Monte Cristo

Book Review: A Horrifyingly Bad Abridgement
Summary: 1 Stars

There is so much in Dumas that /can/ be sliced out without harming the integrity of the story that it's hard to see why the abridgers resorted to the measures they did. Whole subplots and, worse, parts of subplots are left on the proverbial cutting-room floor in apparent ignorance of the tangled mess this creates. Some of the decisions on what to keep and what to cut seem to have been made by throwing dice or flipping coins -- what possible train of thought could have led to the excising of climactic scenes of Monte Cristo's revenge on his tormentors so as to retain the chapter where Haydee recounts in vivid detail a story that's told later on in the book anyway?

This edition is closely associated with the film version starring Antonio Banderas (who appears on the cover), and perhaps the edits to the text are made to keep it in step with the movie -- a bad choice, if so. While there is a (somewhat) coherent story left standing after the abridger has had his say, it hardly does justice to Dumas' original.

Overall, a very, very disappointing edition. Even badly edited Dumas is better than no Dumas at all, so I can't in good conscience award it zero stars, but anyone interested in the Count's story -- whether via the movie, Dumas' other works, or recommendation, is strongly urged to consider another printing rather than purchasing this one. It's a fantastic adventure story -- I would rate better versions at four or five stars -- let down by sloppy abridgement.

Classics Books

• Books > Subjects > Literature & Fiction
• Genre Fiction > Historical
• Movie Tie-Ins
• Literary