Fab

It was brilliant, enough said. Can't believe it was written so long ago. Unabridged version says so much more.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

sensational

Its probably the best audiobook that I have ever listened to. Superb narration of a riveting story beautifully crafted.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A true epic

The story of a long and unbelievably detailed revenge is amazingly well written. The setups for things to happen 20 chapters later are very subtle but also easy to recall.

The performance so so clear you can comfortably listen at a very fast speed.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Excellent but sags a little in the middle

I had always wanted to read this and have no regrets at listening to the 40+ hours. I would only recommend this if you have a lot of time on your hands and are prepared for it to go a little off the boil in the middle third. It is still an excellent story and full of twists and turns that should keep you interested until the end. I loved it and as I do have a lot of time on my hands (3hrs car commute every day) I found it a very enjoyable listen. You would benefit from listening to it in large chunks as keeping track of who is who over the many years of the story, with early family names changing to the "Count of X" and "Baron Y" confused me a little.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

23 people found this helpful

Brilliant

As my second sortie into the classics after Les Miserables, this did not disappoint. The characters were beautifully drawn and I loved Dantes from the start - what an astonishing character. The narrator used his voice to full effect and brought all the characters to life so well. Its another long listen, but the time just passed so quickly and I couldn't wait for the working day to end so that I could get in the car and immerse myself in this story again. An awesome listen and I was left wanting more. I felt like I was waving goodbye to an old friend at the end.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

a true classic

Superb book and one I can understand being labelled a classic. I went foe this book due to its narrator and still, I am yet to be dissapointed. reccomend highly.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Perfectly narrated classic novel!

I won't write a long review no it deserves to be this was by far my most enjoyable audio listen to date with the narrator making more of the story through his accents and characterizations then I genuinely thought possible. at the end of the book which is over 40 hours long as it is I regretted it wasn't longer and for the first time in my life sought to contact the narrator to thank him for the job he did on the text which was remarkable and left me in awe!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Dumas had a wonderful ghost writer

Would you consider the audio edition of The Count of Monte Cristo to be better than the print version?

The narrator did a fine job vocalizing different characters - no mean feat in a book of this length, and as the book is out of copyright (excepting recent translations) it is available for free off some sites. This means you can read as well as listen if you have an e-book, which I found helpful for a book of this length.

What other book might you compare The Count of Monte Cristo to, and why?

Dumas had an excellent ghost writer, Auguste Maquet, who drafted the plot-lines, which in turn were drawn from true stories of the day. In that sense the book is like any other where the author(s) create fiction from fact. It is nothing more than high melodrama in places, but the count's revenges are so very clever that the melodrama is secondary to the ingenious plot.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

John Lee was an authoritative narrator who managed some fine distinctions between characters - in a variety of accents - again, no mean feat when he is reading an English translation and depicting characters with subtle variations in English-with-a-variety-of-French-accents.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Superbly read tale of revenge

If you could sum up The Count of Monte Cristo in three words, what would they be?

Involving, entertaining, disturbing

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Abbé Faria, for his cunning construction of tools, his mastery of the art of being a prisoner, his learning, and the inability to persuade his jailers that he was sane

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Rich and luxurious pronunciation of the French names which wouldn't have achieved the same timbre in my inner reading.

Any additional comments?

A thoroughly enjoyable way of spending many hours. This is a super book, and the reader's voice is well suited to the writing. I found myself yearning for Monte Cristo's plans to succeed, and then perhaps to fail as the gradual understanding of quite how damaged his early experiences had left him.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Wonderful book

Such an amazing book and so well narrated. John Lee does the various voices with such ease and draws you into one of the most incredible stories. I just loved this so much.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!