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Bienvenue à Marseille | 2025 The Count of Monte Christo, read-a-long

984 replies

AgualusasLover · 15/11/2024 13:18

Following the success of the continuing Dickensalongs, Fallen Women and various other classics, please join The Count of Monte Christo read-a-long, kicking off on 1 January 2025.

The ultimate tale of revenge, with swashbuckling, chicanery and bare faced lies - The Count of Monte Christo has it all.

Editions: most important point is an unabridged version, coming in at just over 1,200 pages. This thread discusses the various translations – the Penguin Classics, trans by Robin Buss is very popular and the one I am reading but what you have already is likely fine and the nuances of translation are always fun to discuss.

What’s the best translation of The Count of Monte Cristo? • We Love Translations

I’ve been thinking about the best way to read-a-long. There have been red-alongs by the day, in chunks and every which way.

I think we have two options:

There are 118 chapter and my proposal is we do one a day, starting on 1 January, 2025. (W&P and all the Fallen Women books worked well this way)

We could also convene weekly e.g. no spoilers until Sunday and read it as it was released, in 18 parts c.65 pages per week. (I remember The Woman in White worked well this way and so do the Dickensalongs)

For now, I have assumed a chapter a day as it has served us well so far, if the majority strongly object, I have put placeholders in my copy breaking it down and can update in readiness for January.

Schmoop very handily has chapter by chapter breakdowns. Here is the Intro https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/count-of-monte-cristo/

MN meet up in Marseille 2025!

Bienvenue à Marseille | 2025 The Count of Monte Christo, read-a-long
OP posts:
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15
Orland0 · 02/02/2025 09:53

Chapter 33 Summary

Roman Bandits

  • Franz and Albert are a little disheartened by their lack of good planning.
  • At their hotel, the hotel owner warns them about bandits.
  • Franz and Albert have a look on their faces like, "yeah, right, whatever dude."
  • And so the hotel owner tells them a story about a bandit named Luigi Vampa. Here begins the hotel owner's story:
  • Luigi Vampa was a peaceful shepherd in the Italian countryside. He liked long walks on the beach, piña coladas, shooting, oh, and a foxy lady named Teresa.
  • The big cheese of bandits (a dude named Cucumetto) ran into Luigi and Teresa one day. He happened to be running away from the cops, and so Luigi and Teresa give him a place to hide.
TonTonMacoute · 02/02/2025 09:33

Danglars was a banker who became very rich during the war with Spain, and Fernand became a soldier of fortune, was awarded a title for his services then came back very rich from the war between Greece and Turkey.

Albert looks like he will get through the fortune his father acquired quite quickly.

This is another very odd chapter with this long, long story, whose only purpose seems to be to dissuade the young men from not taking a dangerous route, and in which 'Sinbad the sailor' gets a passing mention!

I wondered if Dumas's publisher 5old him the story was dragging a bit and needed a bit more adventure and violence.

babybythesea · 01/02/2025 23:24

Albert appears to be quite wealthy but I might have read that wrong. I got that impression from the way he thinks he’ll be able to spend and get the horse etc he wants.
But that would make more sense if he was Danglars’ son as we know Danglars was rich. I can’t see how Fernand is that wealthy. Having said that, even as I type there was a reference to Fernand being employed somewhere and earning well, wasn’t there, or have I misremembered that?

I also totally didn’t spot the time jump.

Sadik · 01/02/2025 22:41

cassandre · 31/01/2025 10:13

Agreed, it's a weird chapter! I didn't like the casual cruelty implied in the story of how Edmond wanted a mute servant, so he waited for Ali to have his tongue cut out, and then intervened to save him. Hmm.

@Sadik I was also surprised by the hashish! A quick google turned up this article, which I haven't read in full (it's quite dense), but it shows that 19th c. French hashish-eating was definitely a subject of fascination.
https://mikejay.net/the-green-jam-of-doctor-x/

What a fascinating article @cassandre - thank you for the link :)

Things have definitely taken a darker turn for sure. I've read a little ahead as I've got a busy week coming up, & interested to hear what others make of the next couple of chapters.

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 22:35

That sounds a lot more reasonable!

JaninaDuszejko · 01/02/2025 22:28

My Penguin Classics Robin Buss translation has Sunday's Chapter 33 Roman Bandits as 24 pages so fine for a weekend.

RazorstormUnicorn · 01/02/2025 22:07

Eeek I went on holiday for a week and forgot to read The Count for a few days. Thought I'd catch up tonight (rock n roll Saturdays here!) and am quite weirded out by the drugs!

Thanks for the help with the time jump as I had missed that. And I'm with everyone else, the casualness of wanting a dumb servant shocked me. Feels out of character.

Happy to take a few more days over the next few big chapters. I'll keep checking in to make sure I don't get too behind again!

DuPainDuVinDuFromage · 01/02/2025 20:36

Thanks everyone and sorry for getting mixed up @Orland0 , you were right! The 10-year jump has totally confused me 😂

89 pages? Bloody hell!

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 19:37

Sorry @EineReiseDurchDieZeit 😄
Perhaps I should have kept that to myself! To be fair though, we have got to 30 odd chapters and so far it has been skipping along nicely. Hope it keeps up like this 🤞

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 01/02/2025 19:27

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 19:25

Tomorrow's chapter is 89 pages on Kindle 😯

Kill me now

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 19:25

Tomorrow's chapter is 89 pages on Kindle 😯

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 19:17

Okay, good! I'm back on track. So yes, Albert is a bit of an ass and takes after his father.

TonTonMacoute · 01/02/2025 19:14

Albert is definitely Fernand and Mercedes's son - and obviously takes after his father as a bit of an ass.

There are still two other bad guys, and all we know from Caderousse's update was that Danglars was now Baron Danglars and Villefort married his fiancée (can't remember her name). I don't know if Franz is the offspring of one of them. I suspect not as he seems quite a sympathetic character.

cassandre · 01/02/2025 18:50

From google: " Franz, or Baron Franz d'Epinay, is a friend of Mercedes and Fernand Mondego's son, Albert de Morcerf."

I also like the idea of slowing down to read the longer chapters. I've read tomorrow's chapter but it took me ages!

CornishLizard · 01/02/2025 18:46

Personally I’d be very happy to take longer over the next couple of chapters, can see myself getting behind otherwise especially as it feels almost like we’re getting into the book all over again.

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 18:28

Oh shoot! I'm completely mixed up. I was confusing Danglars and Fernand!
Now I don't know anymore who Albert is.

I remember that during the War and Peace readalong we had days off for some reason.

DuPainDuVinDuFromage · 01/02/2025 18:24

@Orland0 I think it’s Franz that’s the son of Mercedes and Fernand?

I agree it would be good to have several days to read each of the long chapters!

Orland0 · 01/02/2025 18:17

DuPainDuVinDuFromage · 01/02/2025 17:41

Yes chapter 31 took ages, and I was trying to concentrate while surrounded by family trying to talk to me and the telly on - not ideal, and the weirdness of the chapter made it worse 😂

Albert is Danglars’ son right? The Vicomte de Moncerf, and Danglars is the Comte de Moncerf.

Albert is Mercedes’ and Fernand’s son.

I’ve looked at the length of chapters 33 & 34 on Audible - they’re both over an hour long (!). How does everyone feel about starting 33 tomorrow, having 2 days for it, then starting 34 on Tues? Then we can see where we’re all up to on Weds, and if we need a couple of days to get caught up or whatever?

We don’t all need to be on exactly the same page or anything daft like that, but I think it’s probably better for discussion if we’re at roughly the same part of the book. And I’m conscious that I don’t want to dominate the thread completely - so, opinions please? 😳

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 17:49

That's right DuPain.

DuPainDuVinDuFromage · 01/02/2025 17:41

Yes chapter 31 took ages, and I was trying to concentrate while surrounded by family trying to talk to me and the telly on - not ideal, and the weirdness of the chapter made it worse 😂

Albert is Danglars’ son right? The Vicomte de Moncerf, and Danglars is the Comte de Moncerf.

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 17:25

Two days over a chapter perhaps if it looks very long?
I found chapter 31 much longer than the others. I nearly fell into a trance myself!

Original poster
AgualusasLover · 01/02/2025 16:30

If the next few chapters are quite long, does it make sense to allow a few days or so to read a couple? I’m easy and happy to do whatever pleases everyone else.

OP posts:
Orland0 · 01/02/2025 10:29

Chapter 32 Summary

The Waking

  • The morning after Franz's drug trip, he tries to find his way back to Sinbad's house, which is hidden in the rocks and caves of the island, but no cigar. Weird.
  • So, he continues his journey to Rome where he meets up with his BFF Viscount Albert de Morcerf.
  • The friends want to party like rockstars during Rome's upcoming Carnival, which is a crazy citywide festival. However, they are a little late in planning for the event, and there aren't any available coaches to rent. And everyone knows a coach is essential for Carnival time, right?
FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 09:26

First impressions of Albert are not good!
He sounds like an entitled brat.

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 01/02/2025 09:03

I only realised it jumped ten years because shmoop said so!