And the movies never did it justice.

and probably never could, but I haven’t seen the TV series.

What am I talking about?

I just finished reading Alexandre Dumas’ book ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’. This is a very long book. It loops here, there and everywhere. Characters have many interactions with others. There are friends, sons, daughters, parents and of course enemies involved. Plot twists abound.

I remember back many years ago, I read this book for High School. It was just after we moved out into the boonies. The house had no heat, it was the middle of the winter and my parents and younger sister were living in a camper. With very little room to move around, reading was the activity of the day. It took me a weekend, plus a day or two to finish the 1000+ page book. I enjoyed it, but all recollection was pushed aside. I saw at least one movie and a TV adaptation of the book and enjoyed those too. I even liked the ‘Mr. Magoo’ version.

I will tell you that as an adult (maybe in name only), I enjoyed this book more than any of the previous encounters with the work. Maybe I got a better translation this time, but the writing was crisp and clear even when the plot was not (and the plot was meant to be foggy).

I knew the story, but was compelled to turn to the next page and read the next chapter. I will recommend this book to anyone with some lonnng reading time they want to fill.

Oh, and the best thing about this. I was reading it on my Nook and I wasn’t trying to hold up pounds of paper. 🙂