Book Review: The Count of Monte Cristo

     A while back I had to read a book for school. Which, of course, isn't a big deal because I'm preeetty sure most students have to do that at some point in their education. 😉 But what is a big deal is that I actually LIKED the book. (Which is kinda rare because I'm usually not a fan of most books I have to read for school.) But guys. This book. THIS BOOK. It was AMAZING!!!! It was so good that I even counted down the days until I could watch the movie that was made of it (which, I was unfortunately very disappointed with. It was SO Hollywood-ized and barely stuck to the plot at all. That said, I would definitely recommend reading the book instead.) 

      BUT ANYWAY. For today's post, I will be giving a review on this fabulous book that changed my look on historical literature! I will be talking about the FAMOUS....MOST PRAISED BOOK....in the NINETEENTH CENTURY! I present to you....

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Yes, I'm doing the scrolly thing even though you already

know what this review is about because it's in the title

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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO!!!!!

But, but The Count of Monte Cristo is as old as dirt! Why would you want to do a book review on that!?!?

WAIT. Whoooo said that?

Uhhh, the Judge did. 

The Judge? Like from a court? You're gonna have to elaborate, dude.

*impatient sigh* I'm the Judger of Books. As in the little pessimistic thought that's in every person alive. I'm where the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover" comes from. Face it, even bookworms have judged some books at first glance. EVEN YOU. 

Uhhhh-huh. And what exactly are you doing here? Because I kind of have a post to get back to and I'm not typically tolerant of strange voices suddenly crashing into my blog like this. (Even though I do sound...disturbingly calm. Should I be freaking out more???)

Probably. I'd like to say I'm a book reviewer's WORST NIGHTMARE EVER. 

Heheh. Well. Lucky me.  

Oh, you're very lucky! You should feel like you just won the lottery! The fact that I chose you to bug today should really be an honor. Besides, it's my lucky day to have found you reviewing such a lame book as this one! 

*scowls* It's not lame! And if all you're gonna do is criticize it then you are absolutely not welcome. 

Sorry, dear, but I will be criticizing it and I'm not going anywhere. It's just part of the job qualifications. And today, my job is to judge the The Count. You don't want me to get in trouble with my employers do you?

Actually, that doesn't sound too bad and...doesn't even make sense if you're just a measly ol' ill-tempered thought. 

Wow. Thanks. But yes, it shouldn't make sense. Confusing people is part of my job too. So are we gonna get started or what?

*sighs* Fine then. But I'm gonna ignore you. 

Eh, suit yourself.

WELL. Sorry about that everybody! Now, where were we?

Uh, you were introducing this very awful book.

Oh, thank yo- I meeeaaan, right! I was introducing this very awesome book. So, to give a wee bit of a backstory, The Count of Monte Cristo was written in the nineteenth century by Alexandre Dumas (who was a very morally unstable and odd man BUT his writing skills rock so we're overlooking that). Dumas also wrote The Three Musketeers and a bunch of other famous works, but THIS ONE is the pick of the litter (although I've never actually read any of his other stuff....so maybe don't quote me on that). XD Therefore, I'm gonna do my very best to convince you to read this gem! (Which is...kind of obvious since I'm doing a review on it. *coughs*)

And I'm gonna do my best to convince you not to read it.   

Be quiet. 

Actually since I'm your guest here, I think I'll go first.

WHAT?!? No-

All right, like I said before, this book is basically as old as dirt. Like Victoria mentioned (twice I might add), it was written in the nineteenth century. So obviously, it's not gonna be good. 

Amazing. Every word you just said was wrong. (And yes, I quoted Luke Skywalker there....or something like it.) 😉 Look here, Mr. Judge. There's a lil' something called chronological snobbery which is a logical fallacy that people use when discrediting a source due to its age. Therefore, what you say might be true, but it's completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. Which in this case, would be a book review. 

Yeah, right. You totally made that up. 

Uh, no I didn't. I'm actually finishing a logic course in school right now. But, if ya don't believe me, I'll be more than happy to turn this book review into a hopefully accurate logic lesson to prove it! 😃

Oh no, that's okay. Logic and I don't get along very well in my field of work.

You suuuuure? 'Cause it's really not a problem. 

YEP, yeah, totally 100% sure. I'll just, uh, go over to my little corner and observe for a while... 

THANK YOU. Thank you very much. (Hehehehe, see guys? Logic is the best power in an argument! 😏) But anyway, as for my whole review system, I'll kinda model it off of Common Sense Media's or Plugged In's, but with my own thoughts and opinions at the end. 

SO, here we go (finally)!

SUMMARY (Beware: This the Victoria Translation): 

    Edmond Dantès is a young, free, happy-go-lucky guy who's livin' the dream down in Marseilles, France. He has an awesome job, a beautiful fiancé, a devoted father, and life overall couldn't get better. 

    But it can get worse. 

    One day, Edmond is suddenly framed with treason, arrested, and locked up in prison for, well, let's just say, a LONG time. With that moment, Edmond's life is changed forever and, after he finds out why he was innocently imprisoned and who was the cause of it, one of the worst things infects his heart: Vengeance. 

    Edmond (as predicted) doesn't stay in prison forever, and once he leaves, his sole mission is to track down his wrongdoers and make them pay for his suffering. Through his journey to justice, Edmond arises as the Count of Monte Cristo, and with his masterfully cunning mind and lust for revenge, he travels that journey in the most unsuspecting and ruthless ways one could ever imagine. 

DOESN'T IT JUST SOUND AWESOME!?!?!?!?!

Hmmmmmm, I must admit that does sound slightly interesting. 

Doesn't it though!?!?! I knew I could get through to you! 

Eheh. Just because I think it sounds okay doesn't mean you're "getting through to me".

We'll see.... 

POSITIVE ELEMENTS: 

    Even though vengeance is the key theme in The Count of Monte Cristo, it appears to be looked down upon is several cases. One character (who helped Edmond figure out how he ended up in prison) regretted telling him who his enemies were because this said character was afraid that the thought of revenge would fill Edmond's mind. In the end of the book, Edmond even seems to regret some of his actions. Another positive thing was that Edmond also gave justice in regards with reward to other characters who suffered too, but were good to him. 

SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:

    God is referred to in this book a LOT. Edmond feels confident that God wants him to enact revenge on his enemies, but we know, as Christians, vengeance belongs to God alone. Thankfully in the end, this is something that Edmond seems to realize as well. (But I'll stop there before I spoil anything!) 😉

ROMANTIC ELEMENTS:

    Like I said in the summary, Edmond has a fiancé and there are a few other couples in the book as well (but most of them are married or get married). A few kisses are mentioned but nothing is described. A woman marries her cousin, but that was typical during the time the book was set (for example, Queen Victoria married her cousin, Albert).

EWWW.....YOU DID?!?!?! 

Haha, very funny. Now go back to your little corner of silence! I need to finish this review. 

VIOLENT CONTENT: 

    People try to commit suicide and some fail while others succeed. Poison is mentioned frequently and the topic of a duel is brought up. Some people die. But other than that, there's nothing too descriptive or graphic. 

CRUDE/PROFANE LANGUAGE:

    There wasn't anything too terrible said in this book. I think God's name was taken in vain a few times, but if I remember correctly there wasn't anything much more than that. 

DRUG/ALCOHOL CONTENT:

    I honestly don't pay a whole lot of attention to this stuff, but for those who do, some people drink whisky or wine or something (it was never clarified). Medicine type drugs are used and a sleeping drug is taken.

MY THOUGHTS!

    GUYS. This book is AMAZING (despite the Judge's completely nonsensical opinions). I know lots of people in high school are required to read it, but even if you aren't in high school, if you haven't read this, then you MUST. There are a few boring parts, BUT TRUDGE THROUGH THEM because it is SO worth it in the end. The end just blew me away and gave me so many new thoughts about revenge and why you should only leave it to God. And if you dig deep enough, there are several cool elements in it especially with irony, poetic justice, foreshadowing, etc. Not only that, but it also gives you a lot to consider regarding Edmond's position (like if he's a relatable protagonist or if he ends up as a villain). Thus, this book can spur a LOT of conversation and debate, so if you have read it before then, by all means, I'd LOOOVE to talk about it with you!

    So before I wrap this up, let's check this sucker out on my Star Scale! (Drumroll everyone!)

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I HEREBY GIVE THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO...

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5 STARS!!!

 REALLY??? Well, if it's that good then maybe I should give it a try...

HA! I TOLD you so! 

Key word "Maybe". But... I suppose I am a little more open to it.

WHOOO!!!!! One down, uhhhh, more to go! PLEASE guys, give this book a try! If the Judge is thinking about it, then you should too! 

Hey, now, don't start making me sound like a soon-to-be bookworm or anything. I do have a reputation to keep up, y'know. In fact, don't be surprised if I stop by the next time you do a book review. This place is actually starting to feel like home!

It...it is? *swallows*

YEP! 

Oh.....yay. That sounds great. 

*evil grin* I bet you're absolutely THRILLED. Seeeeee you later!!!!! Mwahahahaha.....

Heh. Well. That's not creepy at all. But on another note, I have a totally awesome announcement to share before I forget!!! Alexa over at A Fangirl's Hideaway is hosting this SUPER FUN writing contest during the next two weeks! It's really easy do to and even easier to enter so I'd highly recommend checking it out!!!  

Tally-ho!

    Let's talk! Have I convinced you to read The Count of Monte Cristo? Has anyone already read this book before? If so, what are YOUR thoughts? Oh, and what did you think of the Judge? Do you want him to come back again? (Not that he'll listen, 'cause it appears he as a mind of his own...) 😉