The Abbreviated Monte Cristo

TL:DNR? The Best of Monte Cristo (no spoilers!) Okay, so maybe one is too busy to read this ENTIRE website to get my recommendations. True, it's a lot to sift through. So, in the interests of serving people who lack the spare time to leisurely read a 5-volume version of The Count of Monte Cristo in antiquated English, and who simply want me to cut to the chase and recommend something, I bring you: The Best of Monte Cristo ! Best Unabridged Edition (of 2 total) The Count of Monte Cristo , 1276 pgs. Translated by Robin Buss. 1996, pub: Penguin Classics There is absolutely no doubt about this. Any reader who wants the complete, unabridged Monte Cristo experience should read the Penguin Classics Robin Buss translation. Not only did Buss re-translate the book into truly Modern English,...

The Winners and Losers of Monte Cristo: A "What If" Scenario This article came about while I was musing about "What If" scenarios. The Count of Monte Cristo is a long book, and most of the characters came through it irrevocably changed, some for better, some for worse. But "What If" the events in the book did not happen?  Suppose Dantes was arrested, imprisoned, escaped and found the treasure, but chose to forego any revenge, and settled in London, or Florence, or Vienna with his windfall, leaving the chips to fall where they may in Marseilles and Paris? Interestingly enough, some fates were inevitable. There were characters who already had the means to execute their own schemes and plans, regardless of the existence of the Count! Let's take a closer look! Character Notes on canonical ending What if book's events did not happen? ...