51 h 57 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when an honest man loses everything—and gains the power to make his enemies answer?
Edmond Dantès comes home to Marseille with a promotion and marriage within reach. Then envy and ambition close around him. Danglars plots against him, and Gérard de Villefort protects his own career at Edmond’s expense. Sent to prison without a trial, the young sailor loses his future with Mercédès.
In the stone and silence of the Château d’If, Edmond meets Abbé Faria, a scholar-priest with knowledge to share and a secret about treasure. Years later, a mysterious count enters Rome and Paris. Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet build an adventure of escape, disguise and patient revenge around a troubling question: who has the right to deliver justice?
What you’ll discover
- A life torn apart Feel the stakes of betrayal as Edmond’s hopes collide with other men’s envy.
- A teacher behind bars Meet Abbé Faria, whose lessons and secret offer Edmond something beyond his prison walls.
- Fortune, danger and disguise Follow an intricate plot through buried treasure, bandits, poison and a stranger’s carefully guarded purpose.
- Enemies with much to lose Enter wealthy Paris households where old wrongs meet money, ambition and a patient plan.
- Justice without a court Weigh the pull of revenge against the question of who may rightly judge another.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who love big plots, slow-burning revenge and a story that rewards patience. It is good for anyone who wants a classic adventure with moral weight. If you prefer short, quiet books, its length and many characters may feel heavy.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A happy sailor on the Marseille docks
- Envy writes a letter that ruins him
- A prosecutor buries the truth to save himself
- In prison, a priest becomes his teacher
- A daring escape and a buried fortune
- A mysterious count enters Rome and Paris
- Three houses, three old sins, one patient plan
- What it means to take justice into your own hands
- How Dumas builds a story you cannot put down
Who’s who
- Edmond DantèsA young, honest sailor from Marseille who is betrayed on the eve of his wedding and later returns under another name.
- MercédèsEdmond's fiancée, a young woman from the Catalan village, who loves him and must live with the consequences of his disappearance.
- DanglarsThe jealous ship's accountant who wants Edmond's place and later becomes a powerful, money-driven Paris banker.
- Fernand MondegoMercédès' cousin, who loves her and envies Edmond, and who rises to wealth, rank and a new title.
- Gérard de VillefortThe ambitious prosecutor who sends Edmond away to protect his own career and his family name.
- Abbé FariaAn old scholar-priest in the Château d'If who teaches Edmond and shares the secret of a treasure.
- CaderousseA tailor and neighbor who sees the plot against Edmond and stays silent, driven by weakness and greed.
- Albert de MorcerfA young, trusting Parisian aristocrat who meets the Count in Rome and brings him into society.
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- Audiobook
- 51 h 57 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas; Auguste Maquet· 1844
A wrongfully imprisoned man seeks revenge under a new identity.
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Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A happy sailor on the Marseille docks
The story opens as the ship Pharaon sails into Marseille. Edmond Dantès, its young first mate, stands ready to bring it home. The captain, Leclère, has died at sea, and Edmond has taken command with skill. The shipowner, Monsieur Morel, is so pleased that he promises to make Edmond the new captain.
Edmond has more than one reason to feel lucky. His father, old Louis Dantès, lives in a small room and depends on him. Edmond's own plan is to give the old man a better life. He is also engaged to Mercédès, a young woman from the Catalan fishing village near the city, and their wedding is only days away.
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The author
Alexandre Dumas
1802–1870 · French novelist and playwright
Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was a French novelist and playwright. He was born in Villers-Cotterêts, lived in Paris, and died in Puys, near Dieppe. He wrote The Three Musketeers (1844), The Count of Monte Cristo (1844–1846), Twenty Years After (1845), and The Black Tulip (1850).
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What is The Count of Monte Cristo about?
It tells of Edmond Dantès, a young sailor falsely accused and imprisoned for fourteen years. After escaping and finding a hidden treasure, he returns as a wealthy count to deal with the men who destroyed his life.
Is The Count of Monte Cristo based on a true story?
The plot is fiction, though Dumas drew on a police archive tale of a Paris shoemaker wronged by false friends. The novel was published in installments from 1844 to 1846, and it is set between 1815 and about 1838.
Who is the Count of Monte Cristo?
He is Edmond Dantès under a new identity. The title comes from the island of Monte Cristo, where he finds a treasure that lets him build a fortune, a noble name and a place in Paris society.
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