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

[AgualusasLover]

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!

Anyway, yes, what a way to make everyone notice you, spending over the odds everywhere. But at least he redeemed himself by being generous to, well, practically everyone in Marseille and Leghorn and Genoa.

Yes. That's missing some detail alright.

I haven’t had chance to listen to today’s chapter, and won’t get to listen tomorrow either - my brain’s mush after work. I’m going to go for a long walk on Monday and listen to chapters 25, 26 & 27, weather allowing. I also seem to be unable to get on to the Shmoop website anymore, I might’ve been barred for copy & pasting the summaries too much 😳

There’s a line lingering in my mind that I thought was beautiful. I think it was when he was swimming for his life: something or other about God painting an azure sky filled with diamonds, I must see if I can find it again 🤔 I have a feeling I may end up with a copy of the physical book 📕

I had trouble with Schmoop the other day too.

@JaninaDuszejko did you scroll down, the summaries are annoyingly split by adverts.

I am 100% suspending disbelief at everything from this point onward, I am happy to accept Dumas at his word.

I'd never heard of schmoop before. What an excellent site! ♥

@AgualusasLover I did and that was it. Very bizarre.

Oh, and for those of you who, like me, were confused as to where 'Leghorn' was apparently that's the English name for Livorno in Tuscany. It was an important free port developed by the Medici and was full of foreigners (which is also presumably why it got an English name). Presumably that's why the smugglers were there as well.

I agree that while it was nice to see Edmond sharing his good fortune with others, he's putting a bit too much faith in his changed appearance. I think people will be able to put together a man looking for Dantes Sr and Mercedes and at least have their suspicions.

I have been waiting patiently to recommend The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davies. NZD was a historian (and a wonderful one) and this slim tome is about the disappearance and reappearance some 15 years later of Martin Guerre. It’s not a spoiler to say, the returnee is in fact an imposter. She asks a lot of interesting questions about who was complicit, is it possible no one recognised him etc. The book has its limits, but it’s very short and she writes so well it’s worth a read (there is a Depardieu film of this as well).

Anyway, in Dante’s case it’s him being back coupled with sorts of things he is doing and questions he is asking. For the moment it doesn’t seem that anyone is left to remember him. His revenge can really be anything at all now that he is so wealthy, looking forward to being reminded.

Ooh this has brought back memories, I'm sure I read this in my teens.

Leghorn is where Shelley drowned and is buried.

Chapter 26 Summary

The Pont du Gard Inn

• Now it gets really interesting, folks. Edmond pretends to be an Italian priest named Abbé Busoni.
• He's back in Marseilles, and he's got revenge on the brain.
• Remember Caderousse? Edmond visits Caderousse's inn disguised as the Italian priest, and he pretends he's the executor (or dude-in-charge-of) Edmond Dantès's will.
• Caderousse and his wife are really poor. Times are hard.
• Edmond-disguised-as-Abbé-Busoni fibs to everyone that Edmond Dantès has died in prison, but that he has left a single diamond to be split between the people that he loved most: his padre, his girlfriend Mercédès, Caderousse, Danglers (whaa?), and Fernand (double whaaa?).

I didn't realise that Martin Guerre was originally a book! I loved the film. Also really enjoyed the Richard Gere/Jodie Foster take on the same story transposed to the US in Sommersby.

Ah, I didn't know that. Makes sense of course.

I only knew Leghorn the chicken breed but I've just checked and Leghorns are from Tuscany and named after the port as well. I had assumed it was describing a physical attribute.

I went to see that when it first came out with my flatmate of the time and when we came out she said 'I'm confused, was he Sommersby or not' 😂. So I am willing to believe there are plenty of people who will not put two and two together.

I remember that one - great movie! I haven’t seen the French one.

Excellent chapter today. I'm looking forward to hearing what Caderousse has to say.

NZD was the historical consultant on the movie. The book might have come after I can’t remember, but it was based on her research.

I have not seen and didn’t know that about Somersby.

I'm also a big lover of Natalie Zemon Davis (she was a wonderful scholar and human being) and of The Return of Martin Guerre (both book and film are brilliant). I wasn't a big fan of Somersby, but I think that's because I encountered the story in its original 16th c French context first, and Hollywood moving it to the US Civil War just seemed WRONG, ha.

I was just looking at the Wiki page on Martin Guerre and apparently Dumas knew the story: that's a good call on your part @AgualusasLover !

From the wiki page:
Alexandre Dumas, père, included a fictional account of the events in his novel The Two Dianas as well as in his multi-volume Celebrated Crimes (1841).

So Martin's story must have provided some of the inspiration for Dantes' change of identity.

I do tend to agree with @AgualusasLover that quite a lot of belief suspension has to go on at these parts of the plot! However, I'm still enjoying it very much.

Can's get a handle on why Caderousse's wife really doesn't want him to speak with the priest, especially when there is the chance of a bog payoff. Am prepared to accept this may be revealed soon.

There was a Radio dramatisation of MG, with Sean Bean.

Very difficult to not read on today! Will Caderousse tell Dantes a pack of lies? Will Dantes take revenge on Caderousse?

Well this is an exciting chapter. Lets hope Caderousse tells the truth and Edmund helps him. Really want to read ahead!

Caderousse has a lot to say 😮 I’m on Chapter 28 now…

I have listened on. I got home from work to find our electric’s gone down, so no heating and walking around with a torch and candles 😖. Thankfully I grew up in the eighties so have such things to hand. To conserve my tablet battery, I’ve been lying in bed, in the dark, bundled under several blankets listening to the Count. I wish I knew which translation it is, Audible doesn’t say.

I have more to say, but MN seems to eat battery life fast. I will be back when Scottish Power see fit to get me back on the grid 😢

Yes I was also very tempted to continue reading today.....

I hope you get your power back very soon @Orland0 🌻
Lots of people without power here too.
The Count is a good distraction.