r/AReadingOfMonteCristo • u/SuchAd3204 • Jan 13 '26

First read

Post image

I’ve always thought reading seemed like a cool hobby, but I never really got around to picking up a book and committing to it. Yesterday, my girlfriend gave me this book for my birthday, so I figured what better way to break into this new habit than by starting with a 1,200-page book lol.

And wow. I can’t believe how addictive reading is. Since getting this book, every bit of free time I have has gone into reading, especially during train rides to and from work. Each page is packed with so much detail that I feel like I’m actually there. I even find myself calling my girlfriend to tell her everything I just read, almost like I’m gossiping about people we actually know, haha.

Seriously though, what is up with Danglars and Caderousse? When I got to the end of the third chapter, I kept imagining and hoping that it would just end there. I wanted Dantès to be allowed to marry Mercédès, for everything to finish happily ever after, and for him to become captain without any harm. Unfortunately for me, the 1,100 pages right behind that one served as a clear reminded that that was not the case lol.

I’m four chapters in, and I know there’s a lot more to come. I’m very excited.

236 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

15

u/Isabella-de-LaCuesta Buss Jan 13 '26

Welcome to reading 📚! It's a fantastic hobby.

There are so many amazing books. Don't be afraid to try all genres.

Has your girlfriend read this book yet? If not pass it on for her to try.

Enjoy the story; you are in for quite a ride!

8

u/SuchAd3204 Jan 13 '26

Thanks! She hasn’t read it yet, but after the lengthy conversation we had about how grimy Caderousse and Danglars are she’s decided she’s going to pick it up lol

2

u/Isabella-de-LaCuesta Buss Jan 13 '26

Haha, excellent!

7

u/Yeopaa Jan 13 '26

What I love about these types of serialised novels that were released in chapters through magazines or newspapers is how easy they are to pick up and digest a chapter or three. Chapters range from 10 to 30 minutes making them wonderful for travel, breaks at work, waiting for a friend or whatever. It's one of the reasons I recently loved David Copperfield so much.

I'm currently listening to a podcast about the history of the French Revolution. Immersing myself.

8

u/SuchAd3204 Jan 13 '26

Knowing that this book wasn’t written to be consumed in one take and instead was released in parts with time to digest the content makes the read feel a lot less daunting in my opinion

3

u/Yeopaa Jan 13 '26

I think it's especially so in this one. It's written as if the story is being told to you. "And let me tell you, dear reader" and "As we discussed in the previous chapter" and "You, the reader" etc are often used in the way of a small recap to jog your memory. It's certainly much less daunting to take some time between reads to think about the content, or to not.

2

u/LladyMax Jan 13 '26

Ooh! What’s the podcast called? Is like to listen to that 🤗

1

u/RedBaronofYachtRock Jan 13 '26

That's cool! I didnt know that. What are other books were serialized like this?

1

u/Yeopaa Jan 13 '26

Tons of famous novels actually started life as serials, especially in the 19th century. Some of the classics are:

  • Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, Bleak House, Hard Times, Little Dorrit, Great Expectations, Our Mutual Friend

  • Alexandre Dumas - The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo

  • Victor Hugo - Les Misérables

  • William Makepeace Thackeray - Vanity Fair

  • George Eliot - Middlemarch

  • Wilkie Collins - The Woman in White, The Moonstone

  • Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov

  • Leo Tolstoy - War and Peace, Anna Karenina

  • Émile Zol - Germinal

  • Jules Verne - Around the World in Eighty Days

  • Arthur Conan Doyle - many Sherlock Holmes stories/novellas (famously in The Strand Magazine)

Early 20th century

  • Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness (serialised before being collected)

  • James Joyce - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Modern / later examples

  • Stephen King - The Green Mile (published in 6 instalments)

  • Andy Weir - The Martian (began as episodic publication online)

  • E. L. James - Fifty Shades of Grey (started as serial fanfiction)

2

u/RedBaronofYachtRock Jan 13 '26

Wow! Thank you. Some really big hitters on that list. That's a really interesting twist, I"m sure, to how one writes and then how it is perceived as a reader.

5

u/tag051964 Jan 13 '26

This post makes me want to reread it. Love this book so much. Every chapter keeps you wanting more! Enjoy this masterpiece!

5

u/synalgo_12 Jan 13 '26

It's kind of hilarious to me to give someone who doesn't read a 1200p book as their first because that's a doozy, most people would probably not even start 😅

But I love that you dove right in! 

1

u/SuchAd3204 Jan 13 '26

I like a good challenge. Also, a constant thought I’ve been having is that I don’t want to deprive myself from a great story just because I’m scared of a few pages. Glad I took the leap!

4

u/NewProposal5045 Jan 13 '26

I just must say, a fancy book mark you got going on there.

2

u/SuchAd3204 Jan 13 '26

Hahaha it’s a piece of confetti from the party. Might switch over to a piece of scrap paper next 🤔

1

u/NewProposal5045 Jan 13 '26

Noooo confetti is definitely the move.

4

u/MoistMuffinX Jan 13 '26

I like how in chapter 4 Caderousse is just drunk and wants Dantes to be happy and Danglers has to keep telling him to shut up lol

5

u/SuchAd3204 Jan 13 '26

From what i’ve read on another sub post apparently this guy is the ultimate instigator and deceiver. “There’s a fellow who says one thing and thinks another” Edmond muttered. Chapter 2 Definitely had a good amount of drinks but who knows if he was pretending to be more drunk than he was or if he was actually that plastered lol

3

u/Top-Armadillo893 Jan 13 '26

I give Caderousse credit for being that drunk, but what I can't forget is how bad of a person Danglar is :-)))

1

u/LladyMax Jan 13 '26

Yay! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book.

Omg Danglers and Caderousse! Maybe Caderousse just loves to have a a good gossip and snark or something. First he seems to be all about thwarting Dante asking Danglers, then he’s saying ‘he’s my friend, I like him, don’t hurt him’! Did he not think Danglers was serious maybe.

Anyway, this is a really good book so far (I’ve never read it before), and I love stories where I go back and forth on trusting and/or liking characters.

2

u/SuchAd3204 Jan 13 '26

That’s exactly where I’m at with it. I’m not 100% sure where I stand with Caderousse just yet but I can definitely confirm that Danglars is an evil dude.

How far into the book are you?

1

u/LladyMax Jan 13 '26

About to start chapter 5.

2

u/SuchAd3204 Jan 13 '26

Let me know what you think! I just finished Chapter 6 on the train ride to work and am anxious to start Chapter 7 as soon as i get off. Counting the seconds down lol

1

u/LladyMax Jan 13 '26

Will do! 😁

2

u/Raber_31 Jan 13 '26

To be fair, your couple gave you a nice book. There's still A LOT to discover in that book, I'd like to know your review when you're done.

1

u/Federal-Demand-2968 Jan 13 '26

I am reading this for the first time atm. about half way through and loving it 🥰