Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

38 reviews

acashton's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Incest

literatureleaf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Age: 12+

 

Reading time: 28 days

 

Difficulty level: 3.75/5

 

Rating: 3/5

 

 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas follows Edmond Dantes, a young sailor at the cusp of a very bright future. On the brink of a promising career and loving marriage, the world is his oyster, and the possibility of things going wrong could not be further from his mind. However, all is not as it seems, and, unbeknownst to Edmond and his loved ones, trouble is brewing.

 

Motivated by jealousy, unrequited love, and power, several men close to Edmond begin to plot against him, ultimately leading to his imprisonment. While in prison, he begins to fixate on revenge, and with the help of an unlikely friend, hidden treasure, and an eventual daring escape, Edmond will stop at nothing to accomplish what he has set out to achieve, no matter what the cost to himself may be.

 

Spanning countries and decades, The Count is simultaneously a heart wrenching coming-of-age tale and an epic revenge story. Intricately enmeshing politics, relationships, culture, and character, Dumas transports us to a time long past, showcasing the ins and outs of poverty, classism, wealth, and injustice through the eyes of a young man who is simultaneously a victim and a benefactor of his circumstances.

 

Centering on not only Edmond himself, but the people who surround him and have affected him, for better or for worse, Dumas pens a stunning portrait of a man that has been deeply wronged, not only by chance, greed, and corruption, but by the darkness that resides within him. Consumed with the desire to right the wrongs that have stolen years from his life, Edmond gives the reader a raw glimpse into a psyche ravaged by trauma, and how that trauma colors every aspect of a life.

 

Potentially a victim of its time, and the fact that it was originally serialized, the pacing is incredibly inconsistent throughout the novel. Dumas tends to waffle back and forth between several major events occurring in the span of a few pages, and small, minute plot points or events dragging out for upwards of twenty pages, leading to a chaotic, and at times unsatisfying, reading experience.

 

In that same vein, the plot in general struggles with consistency. Key plot points are ignored or glossed over in favor of long-winded descriptions, and side plots are either never wrapped up, or never become relevant to the main story. In combination with the dated language, unsatisfying pacing, and, at times, lack of emotion, The Count can be considered a bit of a slog to get through.

 

A true classic, The Count of Monte Cristo may miss the mark on some things, but it remains a literary window into a time that’s now long past. Combining elements of character study, thriller, drama, romance, and adventure, Dumas utilizes one man’s plight to explore 19th century French politics, injustice, classism, and, above all else, what a life lived for revenge looks like through the lens of the one who lived it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Blood, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, and Slavery

romeroreads's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

dachre's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Murder

directorpurry's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Toxic relationship

r_bridie_e's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

An epic story full of romance, adventure, and drama! While a large read, I found myself fully immersed in the story and our wide cast of characters! I was interested, I was scared, I was happy, and I was sade while reading this. I’m surprised this hasn’t been adapted to TV yet. I recommend a read; don’t let the size deter you.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Colonisation

lizziaha's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

In a book that is so dark for the majority of its (very numerous) pages, I found the ending to be incredibly hopeful and joyous. Although the romantic in me hoped

that Dantes and Mercedes would end up together

. Surprisingly, I found very little of this book to be superfluous; indeed, it was very satisfying to watch the Count weave his complicated web of revenge. I found myself rooting for unlikely heroes, and marveling at the tangled mess where these characters lives had intertwined. I was also utterly surprised and delighted to see two queer characters who find a happy end in this book! Altogether worth the read, even though it was a long time coming for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Kidnapping, and War

chocolatethief's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Infidelity, Slavery, and Classism

jackiepreston's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is SO LONG! I'm pretty sure I enjoyed the beginning of this book but I can't actually remember.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racial slurs and Racism

sigynmoon's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Suicide attempt

The protagonist keeps a slave who is often referred to with racist terms. The protagonist is written like a hero, so the fact he has a slave (who he dehumanizes) is very uncomfortable. There is also quite a lot of orientalism. As for the sexual assault,

there is a story told where a woman is taken by bandits and raped. She is also then killed by her lover, which the book portrays as a mercy killing. This is very upsetting. There is also an attempted abduction with intentions to rape after, although the girl is saved.

Torture is a theme in the book at times although I cannot remember if it ever gets graphic (I am fairly certain it doesn't.), the book is quite misogynistic in nature on how the female characters are treated

(such as one being portrayed as unfaithful for marrying a man after her lover was imprisoned for years and she literally thought he was dead.)

Suicide is a theme throughout the book including suicidal thoughts and various attempts. There are characters who also do go through with it.