Book · 1844
The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas
A falsely imprisoned sailor spends fourteen years in a fortress, learns of a hidden fortune, and returns to make sure everyone who wronged him pays for it.
What does Reddit think of The Count of Monte Cristo?
The top comments here actually agree with each other, a rarity in this dataset. r/suggestmeabook's highest-upvoted takes converge on two claims: it's a revenge story that holds together despite its length, and it's more readable than the page count threatens. One commenter (↑684) praises 'the epic scale of the whole thing,' how the pieces fall into place 'even when the main character isn't even on stage.' Another (↑437) calls it 'the essential adventure novel,' with one honest caveat, a mid-book setting change that forces you to learn a new cast. A third (↑426) just calls it 'an absolute banger of a plot' that's 'surprisingly easy to read.' The joke entries are here too: the Very Hungry Caterpillar aside (↑452), the bare '1462 pages' citation (↑414) that reads as a badge as much as a warning. Of the 10294 recognized references, r/TrueLit and r/printSF add real numbers; r/RomanceBooks and r/YAlit barely register.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Revenge as the premise, construction as the actual praise
- · Length as both the selling point and the warning label
- · A rare admitted pacing complaint about the mid-book setting change
- · Reach well outside adventure-fiction subreddits, into TrueLit and printSF
Common praise
- + One reader (↑684) singles out 'the epic scale of the whole thing,' specifically how the plot holds together even when the protagonist is offstage.
- + Another commenter (↑437) calls it outright 'the essential adventure novel.'
- + A third (↑426) says the prose is 'surprisingly easy to read' despite the book's reputation as a doorstop.
Common criticism
- − Even the ↑437 fan flags a rough patch: a stretch in the middle where the setting changes and forces you to learn a new cast.
- − The '1462 pages' citation (↑414) gets upvoted without any argument attached, length standing in for a review.
- − The Very Hungry Caterpillar aside (↑452) rides the book's name recognition for a joke rather than saying anything about it.
Who it's for
Come for the revenge plot, but the actual praise here is structural: readers keep citing how the pieces click into place (↑684), not the vengeance itself. If 1400-plus pages sounds like a wall, the ↑426 comment says the prose moves faster than the length implies. Brace for a stretch in the middle where new characters get introduced and the setting shifts; one fan (↑437) flags it as the book's one rough patch. And if you're mostly here for the meme potential of citing a doorstop with a straight face, the ↑414 comment suggests you're not alone.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/suggestmeabook 6,831
- r/booksuggestions 2,635
- r/Fantasy 408
- r/TrueLit 144
- r/printSF 125
- r/RomanceBooks 93
- r/YAlit 44
- r/horrorlit 18
Which Reddit comments matter for The Count of Monte Cristo?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“*The Count of Monte Cristo* The epic scale of the whole thing. It's not just the size of the book, but how all the pieces fall into place even when the main character isn't even on stage. I also love that there's a bit of adventure bleeding through the revenge
“Count of monte cristo is full of action and suspense! Love it!
“Usually I say The Count of Monte Cristo but lately I've been reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar and that is a top notch book.
“The Count of Monte Cristo is the essential adventure novel and a gripping story of revenge. There's a portion in the middle where the setting changes and you have to learn some new characters, but other than that it's incredible how such a long book can remain consistently interesting.
“*The Count of Monte Cristo*—it’s an absolute banger of a plot and surprisingly easy to read as far as the writing style!
“I was really expecting Count of Monte Cristo to be top comment and it's not even here. Anyway, that's my suggestion. Definitely the best long read I've read.
“Frankenstein is great fun. It's a quick and easy read, too. I'm currently struggling through Vanity Fair, so not much that one. Oh and The Count of Monte Cristo. What a book!
“I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo right now, and it's fabulous!
“Count of Monte Cristo. Vengeance is one hell of a thing.
“Having just finished it, highly recommend *The Count of Monte Cristo* by Alexandre Dumas. It's long, but it was oh so very worth it.
“It’s mentioned a lot but…Count of Monte Cristo. I read it in a week and gave myself headaches reading so much. It’s more than a revenge story, the intertwining plots, side quests, and characters make it so worth it in the end. Cannot recommend enough, I still think about it.
“When I was her age and also at an advanced level, I really loved The Count Of Monte Cristo. For something humor oriented but with depth and wisdom, I'd suggest the disc world series by Terry Pratchett.
“The Count of Monte Cristo is about 1100 pages, but for a book written so long ago, it reads pretty smoothly. Very delved out, well-written characters, plot, motivations, etc.
“East of Eden by John Steinbeck and The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas. INCREDIBLE books from start to finish. Not a wasted word in either. The types of books that as you are nearing the end you are saddened that it’s almost over.
“I don’t know about *ever*, but I recently finished The Count of Monte Cristo and while it’s length is enormous I found the story, characters and poise to be nearly perfect from start to finish.
Convinced? Pick up The Count of Monte Cristo
Readers also mention
All books like The Count of Monte Cristo →Books that share discussion threads with The Count of Monte Cristo — counted from the comments, not curated.
The Count of Monte Cristo — frequently asked
Is The Count of Monte Cristo worth the page count?+
Per the top comments, yes. One reader (↑684) praises 'the epic scale of the whole thing' and how it stays coherent even offstage. Another (↑426) calls it 'surprisingly easy to read' despite the length. The book's size gets cited on its own (↑414, '1462 pages'), but as a badge, not a complaint, in the sample.
Does The Count of Monte Cristo have any slow parts, according to Reddit?+
One fan flags exactly one: the ↑437 comment, which otherwise calls it 'the essential adventure novel,' notes 'a portion in the middle where the setting changes and you have to learn some new characters.' It's presented as a minor cost, not a reason to skip the book.
Is The Count of Monte Cristo mainly a revenge story on Reddit?+
That's the label that recurs, 'a gripping story of revenge' per the ↑437 comment, but the praise attached to it is usually about construction and pacing rather than the vengeance plot specifically, per ↑684's line about how the plot 'falls into place.'