The Count of Monte Cristo

By: Alexandre Dumas

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 46 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, Solo Narration - Male, 2009

Dashing young Edmond Dantès has everything: a fine reputation, an appointment as captain of a ship, and the heart of a beautiful woman. But his perfect life is shattered when three jealous friends conspire to destroy him. Falsely accused of a political crime, Dantès is locked away for life in the infamous Chateau d'If prison. But it is there that Dantès learns of a vast hidden treasure. After 14 years of hopeless imprisonment, Dantès makes his daring escape and follows his secret map to untold fortune. Disguised now as the mysterious and powerful Count of Monte Cristo, Dantès seeks out his enemies - and nothing will stand in the way of his just revenge.

Filled with thrilling episodes of betrayal, romance, and revenge, The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the greatest adventure stories ever written.

Public Domain (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Absolutely one of my favorite stories.

A little bit of everything, poignant, uplifting and a true original. I have read and or listen to this book no less than 20 times and it never seems dated.

Epic adventure story

Really enjoyable and, as I'm finding for most audiobooks, easier to get through than the printed version. Not the total masterpiece of writing or perhaps translation...too many uses of terms like "indescribable" and "impossible to describe"...that's your job Dumas! :-) But overall fantastic, brilliant, a must read classic.

Long, entertaining, varied

Entertaining story. The dialogue can be a bit stuffy and inflated at times. At other times it's very elegant and well written.

There are many different vignettes, oddities and ramblings that are generally entertaining in their details.

The narrator is a mixed bag. The performance is impassioned and polyphonic. However, this novel contains many French words, and John Lee pronounces them with an indulgent camp that can be grating, like a first year student trying to impress.

Danglars, Marseilles, Auteil, Procureur de Roi... listen to this recording and you will know what I mean.

Don't wait, don't hope...just download.

Elaborate, suspensful, mysterious, thoughtful, beautiful, dark, romantic, adventurous, supernatural... could go on and on.
Modern readers will find plenty to quibble with in the writing, and Dumas does go on at times, but the overall experience is one for the literary ages. The plotting is absolutely infectious and the characterizations always robust.
The narration here is first rate, too.
I haven't seen any of the Hollywood adaptations, but no film could do it justice in less than 20 hours of running time. A mini-series, please, if anyone from Hollywood is reading!!

If you HAVE to get ONE book - GET THIS ONE!!

This is everything a classic is suppose to be! I wish more of the "modern" authors could tell such an interwoven tale like this - and all complete without swearing or sex - imagine that!

Loved the narrator - he did a wonderful job with all of the voices and, like others have said, I loved the way he correctly pronounced each difficult name/place.

My only regret is that I'm done with the book. :-(

Excellent

This audio book couldn't have been better!! My kids, 12 and 7, who listened to parts of it, even enjoyed it.

It shows its age

This novel was originally published back in 1844, and it shows. That is not entirely a bad thing, but it is quite a bit different from modern standards of fiction (as would be expected). For those who, like I did, are looking into this book because the 2002 movie of the same name was well done, you may be disappointed. It is very verbose. VERY verbose. The intrigue of the plot is somewhat diluted by the amount of time spent on other ventures. An example of this is how a relatively minor character is given an hour long backstory that does not advance the plot in any meaningful way, and only serves to distract from the events taking place (which are muddled anyway due to the depth of detail provided by Mr. Dumas.

Despite this, however, if you can keep up with the many subplots occurring simultaneously, the story is well worth the listen. It has its slow moments, but it's a classic that should be put on your list.

Favorite book of all time period.

Reader was awesome. Story is legendary. This is the second time I've listened to this book, it is well worth your time.

Timeless Classic

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This reading of the Count of Monte Cristo brings the book alive as reading never will. Excellent presentation!

Profound and Impactful!

What made the experience of listening to The Count of Monte Cristo the most enjoyable?

I loved the story of redemption, grace, forgiveness, revenge, and repentance. Such application to my own life. There are lessons here for everyone if you look for the application. The book deals with some very human emotions, character traits, and base passions.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I couldn't put this one down.