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!

I am finding it quite hard to follow all the shenanigans. I wonder if 19th century readers had the same problem!

I think there is no hint in chapter 55 that the Major is an imposter. I got the impression that he was genuine, but is being used because he is on his uppers.

Andrea is obviously a fraud, hadn't crossed my mind that he was Benedetto, but that is a very good call!

No idea what's going on, Edmond has set a lot of figurative plates spinning ready for this dinner party! Can't wait!!

@TonTonMacoute maybe Andrea will turn out not to be Benedetto, but I’m not sure I can cope with yet another character so I hope they are one and the same!

The chapter wasn’t explicit (also reading in French) but was intriguing and quite tongue in cheek. Dumas is having fun setting everything up… the bit that was a big clue was when the two men talk without the Count - they appear not to know each other at all and quickly fall to discussing how much money each of them will be getting - clearly they have agreed to something but it’s not yet revealed what.

Gosh! What a farce! What is it in aid of?
I think the line that described the young man's good looks that were 'stamped with a beauty similar to that of a fallen angel' suggests to me that it could be Benedetto.

Yes, the fallen angel description was a bit of a tell. Also, why introduce the character of Benedetto, have him commit the most horrendous act if not to use him later. What better way than to wreak revenge on his own biological father!

I hadn't made the connection that Andrea might be Benedetto either, but would make a lot of sense.

Maybe Edmond is setting Andrea up to marry Danglars' daughter, ruining Danglars. After all, currently Danglars is starry eyed when it comes to the Count.

Yes, exactly!

I enjoyed this chapter actually. I agree it's likely Benedetto.

Even if it’s Benedetto I am still slightly baffled as to how Dantes can use him to get his revenge, but we do know Benedetto to be a rotten egg so …

Villefort, other than with his father at the beginning hasn’t given me much sense that he cares a great deal about anyone, but it won’t be much revenge if it doesn’t impact him in some way.

I have to admit I have no idea what Edmond is up to with his plotting. He's setting up 'Andrea' and his father as being rich, which we know they aren't, so maybe he's trying to short Danglars somehow, and perhaps Villefort.

Villefort has a scheming young wife and another son who needs a good slap ...🤔

I liked how Valentine refused to join the Count's fan club. She seems to know her own mind and is not as submissive as is suggested in the footnote. She tackles Maximilien on a couple of points as well.

Me too, I'm enjoying Valentine as a character.

I have fallen WAY behind and hope to catch up on the weekend!

I’m often behind and that’s what I do. Sometimes, especially when the chapters are a little abstract it helps @EineReiseDurchDieZeit .

This is the first time that I haven't managed to get ahead in a readalong.
I'm just keeping up!

I’m enjoying Valentine too - partly because it’s a relief that the Villeforts aren’t all born evil, and partly because her name starts with a V which makes it easier to remember Valentine Villefort and distinguish her from Eugenie!

Woohoo, I am back on track. Thank you @AgualusasLover for the very helpful chart. Whilst I know Edmund/the Count is manipulating situations, there are an awful lot of coincidences which pre-date his appearance (such as the engagement of the Danglars daughter to Mercedes son; the illicit romance between Villefort's daughter and Morel's son).

I think both the "Major" and his "son" are fakes. In the English version it seemed clear the Count was testing the father on his background story and feeding him lines and given he was approached by the Abbe and offered money (despite being an allegedly rich man) he is definitely an imposter. Had not crossed my mind that it could be Benedetto - although Dumas says he looks like an angel, the physical description of him didn't sound very angelic to me - fair hair, ginger beard and dark eyes.........

I seem to be accidentally more or less on track.

I've just read the chapter where "father" and "son" meet and had to come straight here to figure out what I'd missed. Sounds like it is supposed to be a mystery at this stage and there will be big reveals at the dinner party.

I have, of course, forgotten who else is going to be at the dinner party but I am looking forward to it and more shenanigans!

Tuesday
Chapter 56 Summary
Andrea Cavalcanti

• The Count's scheme continues – he wants the younger dude to pretend to be Bartolomeo Cavalcanti's kidnapped son, Andrea Cavalcanti.
• The two dudes will pretend that they have been brought together (father and son) after so many years by the great Count of Monte Cristo.
• The Count outfits them with lots of cool clothes and things and asks them to come to a party he's throwing in a few days.

Wednesday
Chapter 57 Summary
In the Lucerne Patch

• Love is complicated. Especially when you're not in love.
• Max (Morrel) and Valentine (Villefort) are at it again; they are secretly chatting in the garden like Romeo and Juliet.
• Max tells Valentine that her betrothed, Franz, is headed to Paris soon.
• Valentine tells him that she can't not marry Franz; she can't bear to disobey her dad.
• Valentine's stepmom, Mrs. Villefort, wants her to become a nun so that she can't inherit all of the wealth she's going to inherit from her dad. Mrs. Villefort wants her son, Edward, to inherit everything instead. She's really urging Valentine to consider life in a convent.
• The two also discuss Eugénie Danglars. You see, Eugénie wants to marry Albert as much as he wants to marry her, which is to say, not at all.
• Eugénie wants to be a bohemian, an artist – free and in charge of her own life.

Today is Monsieur Noirtier de Villefort but I've not read it yet so not looking at Shmoop yet.

Thursday
Chapter 58 Summary
M. Noirtier de Villefort

As Max and Valentine are chit-chatting it up, Villefort and his wife go to visit Villefort's dad, Noirtier, in his secret rooms.
Remember that Noirtier has had a terrible stroke. He is deaf and blind. Only Villefort, Noirtier's servant Barrois, and Valentine know how to communicate with Noirtier.
Noirtier LOVES his granddaughter, Valentine. He dotes on her. She loves him with all her heart.
When Villefort and his wife tell Noirtier that Valentine is engaged to Franz, the son of his sworn enemy, he goes ballistic.
Valentine goes to comfort her grandfather and communicates that she's as excited by the idea of marrying Franz as he is.
Noirtier promises to help her get out of this hair-brained marriage scheme.

Friday
Chapter 59 Summary
The Will

Noirtier's got a plan to get his darling granddaughter (Valentine) out of having to marry Franz: he changes his will.
Now, if Valentine marries Franz, all of Noirtier's money and possessions will be given to the poor upon his death.
Villefort still won't change his mind.

I was confused as to who Franz's father was in all this and why he was Noirtier's enemy but it's General Quesnel who we last heard of back in Chapter 11 The Corsican Ogre and Chapter 12 Father and Son where we find out that the murderer of General Quesnel in Rue Saint-Jacques was M. Noirtier. Villefort realised this and helped his father change his clothes so he could escape.

Thank you Janina! That was very helpful particularly about Franz's father.
Noirtier isn't deaf and blind. Why is Shmoop saying that.
Valentine is still very well off though, so him changing his will isn't going to get her out of the marriage.

Valentine will still inherit a fortune from her dead mother - the daughter of M and Mme Saint Meran.

I had guessed that Franz was the son of the man that Noirtier had assassinated, but when I checked back the name was different, it's very confusing!

Shmoop is not entirely accurate is it.

Franz full title is given in the latest chapter. I assume the aristocratic Bonapartists chose not to use their artistocratic titles post Revolution but under the restoration their sons did. Bit like in the 1960s the 2nd Viscount Stansgate campaigning to relinquish his title so he could stand in the House of Commons.

Thank you @JaninaDuszejko , that's very helpful!

What the hell is Villefort thinking I wonder, telling his dad that he can live with the newlyweds? Because clearly it will be so nice for the old man to live with the son of someone he murdered (not).

Presumably there are still rumours and scandal around the death of Franz' father, and Villefort thinks that turning Franz into a member of the Villefort family will be a good way to hush up the truth.

And yes, Shmoop can be very sloppy, gosh!