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!

Thanks for putting up the summaries, TonTon.
At the start of the 'Haydée' chapter it began 'The reader will remember (whoever) living in Rue Meslay' and I'm like...nope! Never heard of them in my life.

Yes! It's a strange chapter, and seemed to have been put in to show that Edmond hasn't lost all his humanity.

I was quite confused at the start of the next chapter too, couldn't remember who Valentine was.

Oh same! And what is the relevance of the chapter heading? Autocorrect wants to type 'pyjamas'!

Ooh I know this one! Pyramus and Thisbe were lovers who had to communicate by talking to each other through a wall (presumably they were being kept apart for some reason, can’t remember why though). The peasant artisans in A Midsummer Night’s Dream decide to do the play of Pyramus and Thisbe, with hilarious results…and I know this because we did Midsummer Night’s Dream in Year 9 😄

Meanwhile, today’s chapter is very “Chekhov’s poison” - wonder when we’ll see the outcome of that story thread and who it’ll be??

Ooh well done @DuPainDuVinDuFromage ⭐️

Yes very wee done😁. I don't remember anything from Year 9 English!

Has anyone explained yet why Villefort is still alive? Did I miss it?

Why thank you 😄 glad it finally came in useful!

And I reckon the person Bertuccio attacked was a servant rather than Villefort, as someone suggested further up the thread - either way, we definitely haven’t had any explanation yet.

That was me! I said that :)

If I were Villefort, I'd be keeping two eyes on my glass of wine ;)

Dumas was obviously going through a Shakespearian phase when he wrote these chapters, there are a couple of references in Edmond’s conversation with Mme de Villefort.

Loved yesterday's chapter 'Toxicology'. Edmond at his best (or worst, depending on your point of view) navigating the conversation so that he can talk at great length about poison to Mme de Villefort.

Is today's chapter 'Rise and Fall'?
And tomorrow is a day off?

I liked the chapter at the opera. I was thinking how irritating it must have been for people who were there for the opera to have all the people coming and going and talking around them.

A couple more Shmoop summaries:

Ch 52 Toxicology

• Potion and poison time.
• At the Villeforts', the Count and Mrs. Villefort discuss various potions and poisons.
• The Count and Mrs. Villefort's paths crossed once before in Rome.
• While in Rome, the Count had a reputation of being a great doctor, apparently.
• The Count tells Mrs. Villefort about certain concoctions that can heal someone in small doses but that are lethal in larger doses.

Ch 53 Robert le Diable

• Once again, it's opera time. The Count and Haydée arrive in style and everyone's eyes are on them.
• The Count pays a visit to the Danglars's box at the opera (frequent opera-goers and wealthy families often own a whole section of seats at the opera). He chats them up, along with Fernand, Albert, and Eugénie, who are also there.
• Down below, Haydée sees something and practically passes out from what she has seen.
• The Count leaves the Danglars's box and returns to Haydée.
• Haydée tells him that she caught sight of Fernand, the man who sold her into slavery and who turned her father over to the Turks.

I have fallen behind and am a bit lost.

Aw @EineReiseDurchDieZeit !
Where did you stop? I'll try and fill you in!

I am caught up now @FuzzyCaoraDhubh but still it meanders so much I'm never sure what is going on!

I know what you mean 😄 @EineReiseDurchDieZeit

Just checking in, I've started a new job this week so haven't had much time, I think i'm up to date now though, just read Rise and Fall, is that right?

Yes I'm struggling with the plot a bit, I wish I'd started off by doing a spider map (or something ) of how all of the characters interconnect!

Yes I think so! Best of luck in your new job!

There is a character map for TCOMC but it's full of spoilers apparently.

Checking in - when I do next weeks chapter list tomorrow, I’m happy to try and create a bit of a character list (I’ve read it before so anything I encounter will just be reminder).

I can create it fully but post updates as we
encounter new people

Thanks, it's been a bit daunting because I've had an extended career break to supervise educating my children who have sen needs which made school difficult.

I'm getting used to it now though, although it's making me feel very old so far, all the other new starters are at least 20 years younger!

@AgualusasLover If you have the time and the inclination, it would certainly be appreciated!