Holy shit! This book is insane. I’m half way through it, and I can’t even express how I feel about this book. Masterpiece? Doesn’t give it justice. I’ve never done this in my life over a book (and I’ve read well over 500 books for the last 30 years), I got emotional during some parts of this book. I have ADHD and it’s very hard for me to focus when reading, unless it’s an extremely good book like this I guess. This probably sounds silly to some. The reason why I’m only just finding out about this book is because I’m new to the West. An immigrant if you will, and never heard of this book until a couple of weeks ago. If you haven’t read this book; I highly recommend it. Alexandre Dumas is a genius.

  • yesman@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    This is one of those books that seems cliche until you realize that it’s the origin of the tropes.

  • peto (he/him)@lemm.ee
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    4 months ago

    I do enjoy seeing the ‘oh, this is why’ feeling in people. I got much the same reading Dracula, and I recommend it if you have yet to have the pleasure. You might think you know it, but trust me, give it a go.

    • Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      4 months ago

      Ah that one has been on my list for a while. I need a new book - maybe I’ll finally see what the fuss is about Dracula.

      Btw same thing for Frankenstein imo. Ya we all know the story, but man the book delivered so much more than what I thought I was in for.

    • joshthewaster@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      It’s been a long time since I read Dracula but I remember really struggling with the start. Nearly quit a few times and it was slow going. At some point it flipped and I think I pretty much finished the book in one sitting. Anyway, it is great and was worth the rough start I had with it.

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    4 months ago

    For anyone looking to read in English I highly recommend the Robin Buss translation. It has endnotes throughout the book explaining various references that would not be obvious to modern readers, such as references to real people that don’t get named to avoid libel issues but would’ve obvious to readers in the 19th century, or how certain artists reveal that someone has good taste or bad taste.

    Don’t be intimidated by the size; it quickly becomes a page-turner. It was originally published serialized in newspapers, like a modern TV show, one chapter each day. Most chapters end on a cliffhanger so people would buy the next day’s paper, making the book hard to put down.

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      4 months ago

      I don’t normally read fiction, but this one was recommended to me by a person on Reddit and I checked it out. Now, I’m hooked. I can’t put the book down. Lol

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    4 months ago

    To anyone who hasn’t read it yet: don’t let yourself be intimidated by the fact that it’s a huge book. It is equally rewarding!

    Another poster suggested keeping track of the names. That’s not a bad idea.

    • penquin@lemm.eeOP
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      4 months ago

      Absolutely. Great point. The size of the book pales in comparison to the fun you’re going to have reading it. I actually even wish it were a little longer sometimes.

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      4 months ago

      It reads fairly easily though. I think i read it in around a week during summer vacation in HS (I pretty much spent all day reading)

    • Wolf314159@startrek.website
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      4 months ago

      My favorite thing about reading with an ebook reader has been the ability to quickly highlight and take notes as I read. New character? Highlight the first appearance of the name and when they re-appear later you can flip back to refresh your memory. Or search through the entire book for their name. I’ve also taken to making a note in my Agatha Christie reads when I first have a good guess about the murderer.

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    4 months ago

    cannot agree more, i love this book and am so glad to see a post about it.

    talk about an epic tale

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      I’m just now realizing that some writers and are literal geniuses, like this man. He has to know several parts of science to be able to write a book like this. The philosophy part is killing me. It hits hard all the time and I keep reading those pieces over and over. The chemistry part, the medicine part and many other genius things have been said in this book

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        4 months ago

        Great point, the different disciplines coming together to create such a cohesive and complicated story is so satisfying.

        It’s actually been a few years since I read it, I would not turn down a reread at all.

        I remember being riveted and pretty much doing nothing else while I read that book.

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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    4 months ago

    I got halfway through your post and ordered the book. Here’s hoping it lives up to its reputation. I think it will.

    • penquin@lemm.eeOP
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      4 months ago

      Lol. Oh no, I hope you’ll love it and don’t feel like you wasted your money. Like another commenter said, write down new names you meet and what they do so you don’t get confused later on in the story. The book is 3380 pages on my E-reader. So, be ready for a long read.

        • penquin@lemm.eeOP
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          4 months ago

          On my E-reader. It could be less on a real a book. Also, it’s a very good book, so you’ll not feel the time. The book is divided into 117 chapters, that way you can put it down after finishing a chapter or two. Not that bad, trust me.

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            4 months ago

            The longest book I’ve read was around 900 pages. I had to pause for a few months at 600. But this was a in-depth analysis of WWII, so that also was a factor.

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              4 months ago

              Lol. I’ve read an encyclopedia of 8000 pages. It was 4 books and each one had 2000+ pages. Last year I read a series of sociology books that were 7 books, they were between 450 to 700 pages. I also have a very old encyclopedia (from the 14th century) that is 16000+ pages that I want to read sometime next year.

    • Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      4 months ago

      Make sure you’re reading the unabridged version. I’ve heard there’s subpar versions out there.

  • WormFood@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I love this book! it’s long but dense, it’s trashy but it’s also high art, it’s tragic but it’s also inspirational. I’m glad Dumas was paid by the word, because it means he wrote as much. You should check out the musketeers books if you haven’t already, I think Count is a stronger book but they’re all written in the same engrossing style.

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        4 months ago

        Having read both, I recommend the three musketeers, but don’t expect it to be quite as good as the count of Monte Christo

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          4 months ago

          I already have it on my Kobo, it might be next, you never know. I try to read fiction then nonfiction then fiction and so on. I might make an exception this time.

  • Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    4 months ago

    I read that last year and it was fantastic. Top 5 for sure, I think my all time #2. It was like game of thrones, where you’ve got all these people showing up, and this spiderweb of seemingly unrelated stories gets told. But unlike game of thrones, it actually threads back together from chaos into a satisfying, well wrapped up conclusion. It is a masterpiece.

    Honestly, half way through? That would be considered “the boring part”. It only gets better from there. You’re in for a wild ride. Enjoy!

    • penquin@lemm.eeOP
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      4 months ago

      Damn, you’re making me excited now. Best part for me so far is when he got imprisoned with that priest dude and things got very crazy. You’ve put a very accurate description of the book and how I, at times, felt it was like. Get confused about something when it’s mentioned then it’s making sense somewhere else.

      • Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        4 months ago

        Ya, like you probably met Albert at this point? You’re like “who the hell are these people - I think another book got printed into this one by mistake!” “This isn’t even the same story!” :) Same thing with other families and bandit gangs etc. And then you slowly realize it was all planned out and all has a purpose.

        Isn’t there a saying or writing thing about only introducing things that have a purpose? Like if you introduce a gun into the story, then it has to be used. Anyways, there are no “guns” introduced without a purpose.

        Do yourself a favor and make sure you keep track of all the people and their names. I’d go so far as to make a list on the side as you meet people (and try to write down all the people you’ve already met). That’s maybe the only flaw of the book in my opinion - it requires the reader to pay attention to get the full effect. Sometimes very important details or a plot twist are revealed in a single sentence - usually centered around who is who.

        Man, maybe I’ll read it again! So good!

        • penquin@lemm.eeOP
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          4 months ago

          Lol. That’s exactly how I felt during some parts, but then it all came back to make sense. I haven’t had any issues with names so far, so we are good there. If it gets too much, then I might start jotting names down.

  • Infynis@midwest.social
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    4 months ago

    It’s been on my list for a while, I’ll get to it one day. I’m also planning to watch Gankutsuou afterward, which is an anime retelling set in the far future, and is supposed to be good

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      Ooooh, you’re in for a treat. And thank you for making me aware of Gankutsuou. I didn’t know such thing existed. I’m going to start watching it right after I’ve finished the book. I had the movie lined up, but I guess this show will have more details. How many seasons?

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        4 months ago

        1 season, 24 episodes. That’s the limit of my knowledge about it though. I just heard about it from some else’s recommendation lol

  • rhadamanth_nemes@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Yeah it’s probably my “pick just one” best book. It’s a wild ride! I’m interested in what you think when you finish!

    Three Musketeers is different but I also really liked it. It’s very amusing/funny.

    • penquin@lemm.eeOP
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      4 months ago

      I love the book already. I don’t think I’ll have the literate capacity to write a whole opinion on the book. I don’t know what you call that, but I’m that person who can’t fully (or to a satisfactory level) articulate whatever on his mind into speech/writing, and it’s very frustrating.

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          4 months ago

          I already love it. I don’t actually need to finish it to say that. I’m at the 77th chapter and it keeps getting crazier.

        • penquin@lemm.eeOP
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          3 months ago

          I just finished it and I’m so sad that it finished :( That book was amazing.

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            3 months ago

            I think the ending is awesome too! Glad you liked it. It’s just as good the second time through, just give it a year or so. :)

            • penquin@lemm.eeOP
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              3 months ago

              The ending was so damn satisfying. I freaking loved it. Next time, I’ll read it in English. So now I’m debating between two books, Moby-Dick or a nonfiction called “manufacturing consent” by Noam Chomski 🤔