The Count of Monte Cristo

By: Alexandre Dumas

Narrated by: Bill Homewood

On the eve of his marriage to the beautiful Mercedes, having that very day been made captain of his ship, the young sailor Edmond Dantès is arrested on a charge of treason, trumped up by jealous rivals. Incarcerated for many lonely years in the isolated and terrifying Chateau d'If near Marseille, he meticulously plans his brilliant escape and extraordinary revenge.

Of all the "masked avengers" and "caped crusaders" in literature, The Count of Monte Cristo is at once the most daring and the most vulnerable. Alexandre Dumas (père), master storyteller, takes us on a journey of adventure, romance, intrigue, and ultimately, redemption.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2010 Naxos Audiobooks

Wow.

What did you love best about The Count of Monte Cristo?

I'd never heard of Bill Homewood before, but he is without a doubt one of the best narrators that I've ever heard. If this guy hasn't won an award, he should have or will soon.The book was everything I thought it would be.. and more! A tad difficult to keep everyone's names straight since it's written in Victorian English, everyone has about 3 different names/titles. Ugh. Good GOD is this book long. But well worth the listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Count of Monte Cristo, I mean, Lord Underwood, I mean Abbe Bertuccio.. All of the above. This dude has some major unchecked agression. I mean really, so you spent 14 years in prison. So what? You got a first-rate education out of it! Now you're free AND a billionare! Instead of just paying someone to abduct your wrongdoer's and torture them, you spend most of your money toying with them and proclaim yourself God's Hand of Vengence and Providence. Awesome.

What about Bill Homewood’s performance did you like?

EVERYTHING.

For a book this long, you want the right narrator!

Of all the options Audible has for this book, this narrator is the one who'll keep you engaged. You can tell a bit from the samples of the different narrators, but trust me: Bill Homewood is your man. He gives the characters distinctive voices, and really brings the kind of flair and drama you need for a book like this.

One of the most gripping/badly written novels ever

One of those grand epics like Les Misérables and David Copperfield that does more than create a world the reader temporarily inhabits. This is a novel which creates a whole grand myth. I would second Umberto Eco's take that this is one of the "most gripping novels ever written, and on the other hand one of the met badly written novels of all time and all literatures."

This is a story of an Übermensch/Byronic hero and the grandfather of all revenge and psychological thriller novels. I remember the first time I read 'Les Miserables', I almost read straight through. Now, 25 years older, I don't have the same reading endurance, but the feeling of urgency and addiction was close. I read this in 3 days (while working full-time and giving token attention to family duties). 'The Count of Monte Cristo's' plot doesn't just push you forward, rather it tosses you down cliff after cliff.

I give it four stars for the obnoxious writing, repetition of bad adjectives, and unnecessary descriptions of unnecessary events in a book that is already 1200 pages. While I'm not a big believer in editing or abridging a writer's work, Dumas would have been a bit better served with a modern, aggressive editor. For that I leave off one star ... perhaps one day I'll add it. For now, I will just 'wait and hope.'

Great Narration

Bill Homewood masterfully narrates this novel. The story is one of my favorites. The story is rich with characters and the final chapters keep you in suspense.

Amazing book

I don't know if there will ever a book this masterfully written again. I loved every chapter. The narrator simply nails the mood and tones of the characters throughout the story. Bravo!

Wait and Hope

Wait and Hope - with these words, The Count of Monte Cristo closes, and sums up much of the novel. For the Count waited long (15 years in prison, and another 10 to 15 for his revenge), and hoped all along. It seems that he hoped for the revenge, which he largely achieved, but a more subtler hope was for his own happiness in life.

The books starts with Edmund Dantes' triumphant promotion to captain, and his engagement party to Mercedes. Quickly however, he is betrayed and sent to an island prison, where he waits and hopes. Upon escape, he finds the huge treasure left to him by a fellow inmate (who teaches Dantes, and was also seemingly wrongly accused), and uses this fortune to develop his plan for revenge.

Along the way, Dantes (now the Count of Monte Cristo) builds strong alliances and friendships with many, from thieves to royalty. He then begins to put his plan into action, after researching his prey for years.

Ultimately, the Count largely achieves his revenge, although he also grows along the way. The Count at the end, while not sad at achieving his revenge, is able to accept sorrow and grant forgiveness - he himself too changes, as collateral damage inflicts its mortality on a child, and unconditional love is offered to him.

Certainly a great novel, story and worth every second you put into it.

Many have criticized the narration - which I must disagree with.

Bill Homewood, who is a classical actor and drama teacher, places what I think is a sublime and almost menacing tone to the novel. His pace and tempo, while slow, helps to dramatize the novel. I do not know whether his French pronunciations are correct, but to me they were awesome. The tempo was right on for me.

I do tend to listen my audible a bit faster than intended (1.25 speed) and that might also be a reason I liked the Homewood rendition.

I highly recommend this novel, and this version.
Wait and Hope, the novel starts off well, and just keeps getting better - well worth the 50+ hours.

A must read

I absolutely loved this hair raising story. My only complaint is while the narrator is reads with passion, it sounds like he rolling a piece of hard candy in his mouth the entire time. The tongue and lip smacking is almost unbearable, had I had to switch to lower quality audio for it to be less noticeable.

exceptionally presented classic

I greatly appreciated the story as well as the delivery. A must-read for anyone serious about discussing literature and perennial values

ENTHRALLING.

Wonderful story, beautifully narrated. I enjoyed it immensely!! The pronunciation and different voice inflections used by Mr Homewood brought the phenomenal writing by Dumas to life.

outstanding in every regard!

Could not stop listening. Even though I knew the general story from watching film portrayals of the book, each chapter was gripping and left me thirsting for more. The narrator was beyond fantastic, giving life and personality to each character with detailed consistency and heart penetrating emotion. What an amazing read!