This has become my favorite book after reading it 2 years ago. I read thw Robin Buss translation and it was perfect.
This book has everything; revenge, suspense, romance, murder, politics, religion. It's got something for everybody. The chapters are short and action packed so it's much easier to get through a 1300 page book that way.
My favorite parts from what I can recall are the prison parts with Abbe Faria where he transforms into another being, and his plan and process of revenge where the reader is mostly kept in the dark because he's always a third person from the narrators POV.
The revenge story was gripping because initially he views himself as the hand of God, his divine purpose to dole out his revenge, until he sees that the effects of his actions are a lot more damaging, which then makes him lighten his revenge for the last person.
I've watched two adaptations of this one being the 2025 French version and the 2002 version and I felt both adaptations always missed the nuance of his revenge and portrayed it as a simple revenge story. I also like that the book gave him a new beginning after his epiphany and I viewed the haydee part as just that, a second rebirth with potential for happiness and a different purpose.
by Usurnameladiesman217