***Group Read: The Count of Monte Cristo (spoiler-free)

Another group read, folks!

Several people have expressed interest in reading this classic by Alexander Dumas, père. No starting date has been mentioned, but we're starting this thread now for your suggestions.

Later, we will create another thread for the discussion and plot-related posts.

So dust off your copies and come join us!

Ack! Now I remember that I forgot to respond to the post on my profile about this... but, I'm in! Whenever we decide to start...

I'll go find my copy today and flip through it, as I don't remember how many chapters there are (though I'm guessing a lot). It's about time I read that thing!

> it has 117 chapters. "a lot" is almost an understatement!

I'm in too, I haven't done a group read before but The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favourite books and I haven't read it for ages :-)

TCoMC is anywhere between 800 to 1500 pages, depending on which edition. If we're looking at a year-long read, sometime in Feb might be a good time to start. any thoughts?

I would also like to participate in this. I know where my copy is (which is an amazing surprise), so I can start whenever.
--BJ

If I can find my copy, I am in as well.

I've had a copy on my shelf for ages. If I can, I'd love to participate!

I'd like to read along too, if I'm allowed to sneak over from the 50 Book Challenge! I read this book a few years ago, and loved it, which surprised me in a way, because I bought it thinking it was one of those famous books I "ought" to read. I'd love to reread it.

Ooh I wouldn't mind joining in either! Bah who cares if I'm setting myself up for a world of trouble by joining two Tome group reads I want to read both! I will have to remember to get my copy from home at some point soon.

I would love to join in this group read. I have my book and am close to ready to go. I think March would be a good start date, but I am in whenever you decide to go.

(--BJ...........just send me a reminder of the start date when set please?)

This is a good one and should create a great deal of discussion.
belva

I'd be completely up for this. I first read The Count of Monte Cristo 20 years ago as a student in France, became completely absorbed, passed it to my friends who also became completely absorbed - we didn't have a TV and it was like our soap opera, I suppose!
I'd love to re-read and discuss - starting whenever suits. It will also help to expunge the memory of the film, which was heinous....
Would it be horribly pretentious of me to read it in French....?!

#11 Belva, I will definitely remind you when the date is set!

#12 If I could read it in French, I definitely would!
--BJ

Okay, I'm in--this is one of those I've read lots of edited versions, watched film adaptations, read plot outlines, and skated through some lit classes--so I figure I really ought to read it from cover to cover, unabridged.

I located my copy so I am definitely in!

Ooooh, I really want to join in on this group read - it was an instant favourite when I read it ages ago - but, doorstopper that it is, I'm not sure I'm going to have time... When were you thinking of beginning?

> susan, you're welcome to join in, of course! and other "sneakers" too from wherever you are now...this is not just for 75ers :-)

> LadyV, who cares really? we're all in this together!

> cj, it would be an offense to read it in another language if you are able to read it in the original! :-) we non-French readers have to content ourselves with translation...

> prop2gether, that's the spirit! from cover to cover, unabridged -- that sounds like a great rallying call!

But when are we starting?

i suggest mid-Feb as starting date. what do you think?

Works for me! I already have my January group reads under way, so it gives me a bit of breathing room. I guess we can see what everyone else thinks :)

Sounds good to me, too.
--BJ

Mid-Feb or beginning of March works for me... I'm not doing any other group reads at the moment so I'm happy to go with whatever works for the people currently tied up with multiple group reads!

I'd like to join mid-February works for me.

I've been catching up on posts and I just came across this one for TCoMC. As you know deebee I'm in and mid feb would be perfect. The edition I own is an abridged version, do you think that may pose a problem?

> 24, only that you will finish much earlier than the rest of us will! :-) abridged, unabridged, in French, in English, audiobook, e-book, welcome all!

I'm in! I don't own a copy (yet), but I'm a librarian and I know just where THAT copy is! I've long wanted to read TCoMC and it'll be fun doing it with a group. Don't know how I'll fare reading it AND Moby Dick at the same time, but I'm sure going to give it a shot!

A mid-February start works for me. Just let me know when!

Seems that a mid-Feb start is good for everybody. Then we're off on 15th Feb!

Please take a look at your editions and suggest what is a doable reading timetable for you. We will then decide on a common schedule.

I've checked mine (Wordsworth) and think that 15 chapters a month seem reasonable. With 117 chapters, that would make for 7 months of reading, ending sometime in Sept.

#27: Well, I just checked my copy and was appalled to find out that it is abridged!! I hate, loathe, despise and abominate abridgements. Unfortunately, it means I cannot do the group read unless I can get hold of an unabridged copy from my local library or through PBS.

stasia, don't despair -- TCoMC is available widely online, downloadable and free. you may want to consider this option...

#29: Despite my ban on buying no books this year, I went to Amazon and found it downloadable for my Kindle-PC for only 99 cents. A small price to pay, IMHO.

you have a ban on book buying??? how unthinkable!!!

Well, my hubby is getting a tad unhappy about the number of books coming into the house and never getting read due to the number of library books I constantly have on hand, so I promised him I would get to 250 or so of the 800+ unread ones in my library :)

#32 Is the ban working? I'm supposed to have a week long ban on bookmooch but I've still managed to slip one through. And I still check my wishlist a few times a day. But I'm sure I could stop any time I wanted to....

#27 I have the same edition! I think 15 chapters a month seems reasonable.

#33: So far, so good. I did buy The Count of Monte Cristo to download to my Kindle-PC, but I only spent 99 cents on it and it is not an actual physical presence in my house :)

I'm happy with 15 chapters a month - looking forward to it!
Chloe

Can I play too? I've had this book for ages, and somehow the longer a book has been on my shelf (or in a pile due to recent move -summer 2008 is recent, right?) the harder it becomes to pick it up and read it!

I'm writing down feb 15th :)

#36: Sure! Anyone is welcome to join in.

Just want a little clarification on the group read. Should we begin reading TCOMC mid Feb or be ready to discuss the first 15 chapters? As I'm a slow reader I'm tempted to begin it now.

> 36 please join us!

> 38 we start reading in mid-Feb, and got a month to do 15 chapters everytime. no stress, lynda...

i will have the second thread (for discussion) up and running the week before we begin.

15 February sounds good to me, although I'm so excited about reading this one that I may start a bit early! I promise not to spoil anything for others, though!

hello all! just to remind you that we're starting TCoMC in exactly a week... get your copies ready!

The discussion thread for TCoMC is up. Please feel free to start posting here.

Happy reading to everyone!

I realized to my horror that the copy I had read (when I was around twelve) must have been abridged as well. Since I do not remember the story at all, it seemed fun to join and bought the book today. This will be my first "real" group read (not counting the ones in school).

Ha! Mine too losseloth. When they were talking about pages, I just kind of went hmmmmmmm. Because I still have that book some 50 years later. Hey, does that make it an antique?
Anyway I went to Amazon and ordered the read deal and nearly 1300 pages not counting the prefix and the intro and all that stuff.
Will be good to see if I love the read deal as much as I did the apparently very much abridged version.
And please do join us. I don't even belong to this group. I just rambled over to join the group reads as that is pretty much all I am reading this year. So far I have read 14 books this year and all but one have been group reads. They can become quite addictive or you can hate them; either or.
Well, nice to meet you losseloth. See ya down the road somewere.
belva

I couldn't wait to read this book so I just jumped in and read it. I finished it last night and really enjoyed it. So I am in when the discussion begins.

I'm reading the abridged version because it has been on my TBR shelf for about 20 years, but I'll tell you what, I won't be purchasing anymore abridged versions of anything. I can only imagine what has been taken out during these long synopsis paragraphs.

Well I finished the first 15 chapters last night and I already know that I'll be reading ahead as this pace of only 15 chapters per month will chafe against my urge to read it all something awful.

I finished the first 15 yesterday as well, LadyV. But I put it aside so as not to get too far ahead. Many novels were serialized when they were first published so this sort of, for me, builds the anticipation like it did in the 1800's.

> 45, 47 Please join us over at the discussion thread

http://www.librarything.com/topic/84328

I am way behind on this read, but determined to finish it this month.

I have a question though: in chapter 35, there is a prisoner sentenced to be subjected to the 'mazzuola'. Anyone have any idea what that is? I tried both dictionary and encyclopedia, but no luck.

#50 An internet search has come up with mazzuola being an Italian word which translates as cane or mallet. So does it mean the prisoner was beaten (with a cane/mallet?).

I am also behind and determined to finish this month...

#51: Later on in the chapter, the prisoner is hit with a mace, so I am guessing that is what it means, Heather.

We can be slowpokes together :)

I also want to be a slowpoke. Not sure if I can finish this month, but I will try. :)
--BJ

#50 You'll find out soon enough, Stasia. The following chapters are most descriptive regarding this sort of death sentence.