I actually don't enjoy many of the classics. I know,
it's a horrible thing to say and I must be a horrible person for
thinking that way, but it is what it is. That rule doesn't apply to
this book though. The Count of Monte Cristo is an excellent book with
easy to understand characters and motives.
Edmond Dantes has a
lot going for him. He's just been told he's going to be captain of a
ship, the woman he loves is going to marry him, and he's able to care
for his father in his old age. But that all changes when some rivals of
his, jealous of his fortune, denounce him falsely and he is sent off to
a remote prison where all he can do is despair. But through another
prisoner he finds a chance at escape, and with a treasure buried near,
Dantes must remake himself into a man capable of great vengeance.
Dantes
is lovable and wonderful. Everything you could hope for in a young
man. The Count of Monte Cristo is not so wonderful. He is polished,
articulate, and cunning, but there is no joy to him. Everything he does
is carefully manipulated and prodded to where it will do him the most
good and his enemies ill. In contrast, most of the people he comes in
contact with have fairly simple emotions. They either want power, or
they are young and in love, guided by their hearts. Maybe I'm
simplifying it too much but there was a noticeable difference in the
wants of the characters according to their ages.
This is a story
all about revenge. And like most tales of revenge it should be gleaned
that sometimes it harms the person with the thirst for revenge almost as
much as it does the people who deserve it. Sure Dantes is masterful in
his manipulation of events, but it comes at a cost. I did enjoy
reading about how he was guiding people and scenes to do the best harm
to his enemies. It was like watching a puzzle slowly come together.
And despite being sometimes vicious it wasn't overly gory or descriptive
when it came to violence. The only time I ever tired of the book was
when it came to reading the various letters sent by the characters. It
wasn't that they weren't well done but I preferred the conversational
tone of the rest of the book to the written tone they were presented
with.
A great book about revenge and human motivations. I know
its fiction but I can't help but think it's such a believable story that
it could have happened in real life. One of the classics I can highly
recommend reading.
The Count of Monte Cristo
Copyright 2004
510 pages
Believe it or not I somehow made it through high school and
college without reading this book. Even more incredulous, I'd never
really heard anything about it other than it was considered a classic.
And now for the humour, due to the name of the book, I thought it was
going to be about life on a farm and harvests. Yeah, I was definitely
wrong.
Holden is a teenage boy who has just been kicked out of
his school for failing most of his classes. As the term has not quite
let out for winter yet, he is still on campus, but after an altercation
decides to leave and explore the big bad streets of New York by
himself. Here he gets himself into mild trouble, almost sleeps with a
prostitute, and generally just gambles around talking to himself and
attempts to keep himself entertained. This is all done while expressing
a genuine dissatisfaction at the world around him.
Holden is not
an endearing character. Sure he has his moments when it comes to
little glimmers of helpfulness and appreciation in him, but for the most
part he's just not that likable. And I really think that was the
intention. He is not your general hero and instead portrays a
depressed, ego-centric, angst-ridden teenager. Which is probably
immediately identifiable to a big portion of the population. Especially
those who are his age as well. There are other characters in the novel
as well but we only see them through Holden's eyes. Therefore, if he
likes them they are described in glowing terms, like his sister, or if
he doesn't like them he makes sure you know it, like his roommate at the
school. But in the end, when it comes to Holden himself, I really
didn't care what happened either way to him.
There wasn't a
normal plot to this book. It kind of just rambled on like Holden's
stream of consciousness without a break. I actually found it kind of
hard to read as I'm not fond of the stream of consciousness type of
writing. It works ok in the movies when a person is actually talking,
but in writing it doesn't translate as well or lend itself to being
readable. That being said it was a rather tragic book and a good look
at how people can feel lost at times. But I won't say I enjoyed it. I
actually found the book pretty average. Maybe not worth the hype it's
been given, but not anything I'd say I'd hate either. At most I'll
probably remember it for a few days and move on as it didn't spark
anything in me.
I can't see myself reading anything else by
Salinger. But this wasn't as excruciating or as wonderful as I thought
it would be judging by others opinions. It simply was out there.
The Catcher in the Rye
Copyright 1945
214 pages
