Hello Everyone! Hope you all are doing great.
You see books that recur.
You hear people mention them in conversations, you see them on reading lists, you notice them on the shelves of book lovers, and, after a while you start thinking, I need to read this one.
For me, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas was one of those books.
I had heard about this book a lot before I decided to buy it, it is one of those classic novels that has a reputation bigger than the book itself, for real. People talk about it like it's one of the greatest adventure stories ever written. That made me curious.
So, about two weeks ago, I finally ordered a copy.
And, today, it finally arrived.
My first reaction after opening the package was basically: This thing is THICK.
I knew it would be a long book but seeing it physically in front of me is a different experience because my edition is around 1,300 pages, making it one of the thickest books I own.
And I like that.
Holding a massive book in your hands is satisfying because you know you will spend a lot of time inside its world.
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I got the unabridged hardcover edition.
I know there are different editions of The Count of Monte Cristo in addition to some are shorter but if I was going to read a classic like this I wanted the complete experience. So I went with the unabridged version.
This is going to take me a while, I think
The hardcover feels nice and it came in good condition considering I ordered it online and waited two weeks for it to arrive.
The book arrived nearly exactly as I hoped with no major damages or anything that would bother me.
That's always a small victory when ordering books online.
You never really know what you are going to get until the package actually arrives.
I paid about 1900 PKR for the hardcover, which is about 7 USD, which I think was pretty reasonable for a 1,300 page unabridged classic in hardcover.
Honestly, I am pretty happy with that.
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The main reason I finally decided to buy it is pretty simple. I've heard too many good things about it.
I have seen people call it one of the best revenge stories ever written, also I have heard people talk about the characters, the twists, the adventure, the politics, the relationships, and the sheer scale of the story, too.
And whenever a book keeps coming up like that, eventually I start wondering if I should experience it for myself instead of just hearing other people talk about it.
I want to read more classics.
I've already been slowly getting into older books, and I think classics are interesting because they've managed to survive for decades or even centuries and people are still reading them.
That is not easy.
There are millions of books published every year and most of them disappear from people's attention quickly.
The Count of Monte Cristo continues to be printed, translated, discussed, and, recommended.
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The 1,300 page length concerns me.
It definitely does.
When I read a normal 300 or 400 page novel, I can look at the number of pages in addition to think, "Yeah, I will probably finish this in a couple of weeks."
I look at the page count in this book and start doing mental calculations lol.
Reading 20 pages a day will still take a long time.
If I read 30 pages a day, it's still a huge commitment.
If I get invested and, read 50 or 60 pages in a sitting, I'll make solid progress.
But that is actually part of the fun.
I am not really in a hurry to finish it.
Some books are meant to be read quickly, but a large classic like this benefits from being read slowly.
I want to enjoy the journey instead of thinking about reaching the last page quickly.
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I do not know yet if I will love this book.
That is the interesting part.
So sometimes you hear a lot of praise for a classic and your expectations get really high then you finally read it and think okay this is good but maybe not for me.
That's fine.
I'm going into this without expecting it to completely change my life.
I just want a great story.
I want adventure, memorable characters, beautiful writing and, hopefully some moments that make me want to keep turning pages even when I should probably be sleeping.
I've heard Dumas uses detail and, his novels build slowly.
So I am prepared for that.
Sometimes I am flying through the pages and, other times I am just thinking Dumas please get to the point.
But that's part of reading older literature.
You have to adjust yourself to the style of the time.
And I am looking forward to that too.
The Start of Another Reading Adventure
The book on my bed gives me the thrill of a new start. I don't know where this story is going to take me yet. I do not know which characters I will end up loving or hating.
I do not know whether I will think the 1,300 pages were completely worth it or whether I will be begging for the final chapter by the end.
But that's why I read.
The best part of starting a new book is that feeling of uncertainty. You open the first page in addition to enter the area of that has been waiting there for you for years.
And in this case, it's the space of created by Alexandre Dumas almost two centuries ago.
That is notable.
A story written so long ago can still end up in my hands today, in a completely different part in modern times, & I can sit down and, experience it.
That is one of the things I love most about books.
They travel through time better than almost anything else.
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So, here we go.
1,300 pages. One giant hardcover. One very long reading journey.
Wish me luck.
And if you've read The Count of Monte Cristo, I'd love to know what you thought about it.
Just please don't spoil anything for me!
Have you read it? Is the 1,300 page journey worth it?
Anyway thats it for this post. Please do give your reviews in the comments section below. I would really appreciate it :)
I'll be back with another one soon. So do follow me if you want to stay updated. Till then, Stay Happy and Stay Hydrated.
THUMBNAIL IS EDITED IN CANVA
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STOP1300 pages is a bit... but if it's good (I have not read it), then it's a good thing I guess. Some regular books finish for me too fast and I wish they continued another 300 pages :)
Enjoy the read!