The Count of Monte Cristo

By: Alexandre Dumas

Narrated by: David Case

For Edmond Dantes, life couldn't be better. At 19, he is soon to be captain of his own ship and about to be married to his true love, Mercedes. But his life is suddenly turned upside down when on his wedding day he is arrested. Without a fair trial, he is condemned to solitary confinement in the miserable Chateau d'If. Soon, it is clear that Edmond has been framed by a handful of powerful enemies, jealous of his success.

While locked away, Edmond learns from another prisoner, Abbe Faria, of a secret treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. Faria teaches Edmond history, science, languages, and philosophy, turning him into a well-rounded individual. Edmond concocts a daring and audacious plan: escape and find the treasure. But years pass before Edmond can escape. Once he does, he transforms himself into the Count of Monte Cristo and launches his plan for revenge against those who imprisoned him.

Alexandre Dumas was one of the most famous and prolific French writers of the 19th century, producing some 250 books. He is best known for his historical novels The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, and was among the first authors to fully exploit the possibilities of roman feuilleton, or "serial novel". Dumas is credited with revitalizing the historical novel in France. His works are riveting, fast-paced adventure tales that blend history and fiction. As a master of dialog and character development, Dumas composed some of the most emulated teaser scenes for his suspenseful chapter endings.

©1989 Phoenix Recordings (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Top Pick

Wow what a book. My 13 year old son says this is now his favorite. The character come to life. Each one with it's own unique sound. The reading of this book is just wonderful.

THE COUNT OF MONTI CRISTO

A CLASSIC STORY WELL READ BY AN ACTOR THAT MAKES IT COME ALIVE. A MOVIE COULD NOT DO IT JUSTICE.

Great book, bad editing

The story and narration are excellent. However, the end of each chapter cuts off some of the words and rushes into the next chapter. Not annoying enough to abandon the book, but I wisj this could be fixed.

Excellent

I haven't read the unabridged version but I felt this shortened was well written and I didn't feel that I had missed any of the story. The narrator was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Awesome

Great book and David case does a masterful Job as he did with shogun! He is one of my favorite narrators

This abridged story does a wonderful job of condensing the book and still maintaining all the facts.

This abridged version did an excellent job of telling the story without taking up twice as much time. All the loose ends are tied up by the stories end and Edmond Dantes truly gets his revenge. The narration was not as good as some of the other versions but the brevity really makes this version worth checking out.

Excellent story superbly narrated

Although this is an "abridged" version, it appears that it is abridged not so much to shorten the novel but to move it along. It remains an essentially full length novel. It is also expertly narrated by David Case/Frederick Davidson who is one of the best narrators in terms of range of characters and emotion.

Classic

Great classic. Worth the listen. Sound quality is mediocre but the story is excellent and the reader does an excellent job.

Forgotten Classic

My family enjoyed watching this movie but the richness and details and dialogue of the book is incredible. The narrator is excellent. I listened to it twice this time and once before. No doubt I’ll listen again and recommend to everyone.

Classic

Great classic story with an excellent story line of both the highs and lows of life. Hope and Wait.