Bienvenue à Paris - The Count of Monte Christo, thread 2

[LeylaOfCircassia]

Welcome back - we now find ourselves in Paris, where we have discovered:

• the Count has unlimited resources
• apparently unlimited patience
• is being rather harsh on Mercedes
• has unmasked adultery and a rather tragic act and reunited father, mother and son, but with an incestuous twist, everyone remains in innocent ignorance
• grandparents have died, there may have been foul play
• a couple of women don't want to marry a couple of men, who in turn, also don;t want to marry them

If you are new and joining us - God Speed.

Previous thread here

Next week, from 31st
Monday - Lemonade
Tuesday - The Accusation
Wednesday - The Retired Baker’s Room
Thursday - Breaking and Entering
Friday - The Hand of God
Saturday - Beauchamp
Sunday - rest

Well having got a couple of weeks behind I'm now slightly ahead, got some great chapters to come.

I love the development of Eugene in the book.

Regarding the poison plot. This will need to be revisited. Just goes to show how sharp Noirtier is despite appearances that he made sure that Valentine has the antidote to the poison in advance.

Talking of next week …

Monday: The Road for Belgium
‘A few minutes after the scene of confusion produced …’

Tuesday: The Inn of the Bell and Bottle
’Let us leave Mlle …’

Wednesday: The Law
’We have seen how Mlle …’

Thursday: The Apparition
‘As the crown prosecutor had told …’

Friday: Locusta
‘Valentine was left alone.’

Saturday: Valentine
’The night-light continued to burn …’

Only 15 chapters left after next week.

Enjoyed today's chapter too. Danglars's world completely falling apart around him, Eugénie not really caring.

I love the image of Benedetto slowly sliding backwards out of the house.

Same, I had a vision of Benedetto sliding away against a wall, eyes shifting from side to side to make sure nobody spotted his escape.
Anyone else visualise the Count in a certain way whilst reading? For some reason he's stuck in my head looking like Aidan Turner as Poldark, and I'm not sure why 🤔

It's InTheCludgie btw - forgot to change from my default username whoops!

There are some very funny scenes here - Benedetto slinking away “well if nobody needs me right now I’ll be off then… “ and the bookcase scene with Valentine is quite farcical too!

Love how the pace is picking up.

On the revenge, I think it’s not so much exacted through loved ones (although they can’t help but be involved), as through picking on the person’s biggest fault and giving them enough rope to hang themselves, as it were. So for Caderousse it’s greed. For Fernand it was betrayal - he kept it up after he had betrayed Edmond to get Mercedes, and through Albert and Haydee his betrayal of Ali Pasha was exposed. For Danglars it was always about money, and the Count just gave him opportunities to over reach until he bankrupted himself. And for Villefort it’s pride - he will cover up and cover up to protect his family name. It’s fascinating how they didn’t just wrong Edmond and then live blameless lives thereafter - they kept on making the same mistakes.

@MotherOfCatBoy i really like that theory.

Yes, great theory @MotherOfCatBoy ! Very true how the villains carried on with the same behaviour later in life; I hadn't thought of that.

By the way, @TonTonMacoute, I agree with your comments on Eugenie, but I don't think it's quite true that she's not in love; she's in love with Louise! (but this becomes even clearer in tomorrow's chapter).

I thought maybe the big reveal ruining the Eugenie/Cavalcanti marriage would be the fact that they're actually half-siblings, but I suppose that info is being saved until later as part of the Count's revenge on Villefort... because if their sibling relationship were revealed, Villefort as Cavalcanti's father would probably be implicated straight away.

By the way, , I agree with your comments on Eugenie, but I don't think it's quite true that she's not in love; she's in love with Louise! (but this becomes even clearer in tomorrow's chapter).

I know! I had meant to say in love with another man, but missed the edit deadline. I've actually finished the book now, but am trying to keep to the pace of the thread. I'll comment further on this tomorrow.

@cassandre I was disappointed that the incest thing didn’t come out into the open but that makes sense that it will be the final big reveal to destroy Villefort. Looking forward to that 😄

I think today's chapter spells out as clearly as it was probably possible at the time, that Eugenie and Louise are a lesbian couple. The chat about how awful men are is hilarious.

I'm amazed that a contemporary author has never picked this up and written a sequel! You could have quite a lot of fun with it.

I would LOVE to read the Further Adventures of Eugenie Danglars and Louise d’Armilly!

Absolutely agree with this.

I was gobsmacked that Dumas wrote such a blatant lesbian story line. It was brilliant.

It made me think of Anne Lister (Gentleman Jack) who was known to have gone off to Paris to indulge in some of her lesbian encounters. She died in 1840, and this was written a few years after that, so I'm guessing there was a definite 'scene' for gay women, as well as other sexual preferences I imagine.

I did enjoy today's episode, it was all quite farcical!

I’m really enjoying Eugenie’s storyline too!

Great point about how fitting the Count’s revenge on each person is CatBoy.

You mentioned another readalong Agualusa - do you have any titles in mind?

I can’t remember which chapter you are all on as I’m ahead, but was it the one with the chimney?

@MotherOfCatBoy yes.

Yes, I think this is my favourite chapter in the book, so funny.

Brilliant chapter! I enjoyed it very much.
I liked how the gendarmerie were alerted by telegraph. It ties in with earlier chapters.

I’m very flexible for another readalong and happy to take suggestions.

Obvious ones for me:
Les Mis (365 ish chapters, so maybe a nice year long one next year)
Tristan Shandy (Selfishly on my own list)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Don Quixote
Middlemarch
The Moonstone

Just off the top of my head.

I'd like to read Les Mis. It might be logical to start next January and fit a shorter book in first?
It's a good list. I've read The Moonstone and Middlemarch but wouldn't be averse to reading them again.

I'd like to read Les Mis, but I agree that 365 chapters seems to make it wrong not to start in January!

I agree on Les Mis, it is begging for a Jan 1st start.

Open to any and all other suggestions.

Hands up for Les Mis here too! Sign me up for January!

Tristram is vaguely on my list… how long is it?