The Count of Monte Cristo

By: Alexandre Dumas

Narrated by: Bill Homewood

Length: 52 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

On the eve of his marriage to the beautiful Mercedes, having that very day been made captain of his ship, the young sailor Edmond Dantès is arrested on a charge of treason, trumped up by jealous rivals. Incarcerated for many lonely years in the isolated and terrifying Chateau d'If near Marseille, he meticulously plans his brilliant escape and extraordinary revenge.

Of all the "masked avengers" and "caped crusaders" in literature, The Count of Monte Cristo is at once the most daring and the most vulnerable. Alexandre Dumas (père), master storyteller, takes us on a journey of adventure, romance, intrigue, and ultimately, redemption.

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Public Domain (P)2010 Naxos Audiobooks

This is the one to spend 50 hours listening to!

There are plenty of other versions, but after listening to some samples I went with Bill Homewood. He's the man. A different voice/ characterization for each person in the story - different enough that sometimes I forgot their names but remembered them from earlier in the story by the voice!

It's a good story, and I'd tried to get through the book before but could never fight through Dumas' long winded prose. Mr Homewood battered it down for me in style and has a great dramatic style.

If you like the classics, you should give this a listen. If you're going to listen to The Count, you should listen to this one.

Fantastic narration / book unlike movie

This is the longest book I've tackled on audible--and the first classic. I don't think I could have gotten through this without the fantastic narrator, Bill Homewood, bringing it to life.

I was worried that this book would be a 50-hour version of the movie that I liked so much. Indeed, it was not. The book offers a richer cast of characters, a much more nuanced protagonist, and countless ambiguities that turn the book into something very surprising and deep.

The age of the novel is very apparent. A lot of the science it employs does not stand the test of time. The use of poisons and drugs is just plain silly at times. Additionally, the the mindset of the french aristocracy is so foreign and bizarre that the motivations and emotions of characters is downright bizarre to modern listeners at times. This causes some of the impact of the drama to be nullified, which is a shame.

I was fairly captivated the entire time, which surprised me given that the language and setting of the novel provided many obstacles to true immersion in the story. Here is where the narrator did his job phenomenally well. I have to say that I truly delighted at his portrayal of Noirtier.

Listeners will probably need to follow along with a chapter summary at parts, as almost every character has two or more names, and some of Dumas's subtleties cause confusion that remains unresolved for long stretches. The language barrier led me to wonder if I misunderstood certain things, or if Dumas was just giving his readers credit by not spelling everything out (it was always the latter).

I highly recommend this book with this narrator.

Masterpiece

The Count of Monte Cristo is a true masterpiece that touched my heart. I’ve listened to around 150-200 books over the past couple of years and this epic story may be my favorite of all.

Incredible story and narration

This was my first time reading the Count. Unbelievably great novel. I did a mix of reading and listening. Bill Homewood's narration was absolutely unbelievable. I typically prefer to read a book than to listen but with Bill's narration it was a joy any time I had a chance to listen.
So good.

amazing.. but a but wordy.

amazing but a bit wordy. the story is completely different than the movies but the performance that was given was truly amazing to keep you focused for 52 hours.

A must have

Bill Homewood narrates this classic exceptionally. He manages to impress the required intensity of each scene and a less skilled narrator would certainly lessen the experience of listening to this title.

Wonderful full story!!!!!

Reader held your attention; The story soon different from the movies, and I enjoyed them as well; Highly recommend!!!

Great story by a great narrator

Suggest writing down character's names from the beginning so as they re-occur, you can make the connection as the story weaves them throughout the story.

Great!

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

Great Read

Who was your favorite character and why?

Our hero of course. Dumas makes it so.

Which character – as performed by Bill Homewood – was your favorite?

He did them all so well. Hard to pick a favorite.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I couldn't put it down, and will listen over and over.

Any additional comments?

Such twists and turns. You just never know what direction the book is going to go. Such good listening. Always a surprise around the corner.

a classic well narrated

a classic tale, so well narrated by Mr. Homewood that I we and bought the other Dumas books read by him.

a must have