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I am going to read this book because it is my husbands favorite book ever. However, the unabridged version frightens me with its length. Any opinions on which to read?

I would suggest the Robin Buss unabridged version. The problems with abridgemnet is that often the wrong things are taken out and you can lose the tread of the story. The adventage of an unabridge version is you can decide what to skip. The book is long but, it does move fast.

From Dumas I went to Sabtani who is just as good but, it a lot shorter. Sabtani's Scarmouche is very similar to The Counte of Monte Cristo and about half the length.

This book had been on my "to read" list for a long time, but I was also a little intimidated by the unabridged version. I recently read it and thought it moved pretty fast - I finished it much quicker than I would have thought. I really enjoyed it - go for the unabridged, you won't regret it.

This is one of my absolute favorite books. I've read it several times and each time it's just as good. There is a LOT that goes on once Edmond is plotting his revenge so you want to make sure you don't miss anything. I recommend unabridged!

Recently saw a children's version of 20 pages...now that's an abridgment.
Total agreement with PK in message 2 above. The Robin Buss version from Penguin is "the nuts".

I loved the whole unabridged novel, the way it twists in and out. Everything ties into one another, it is perfect!!!!

One of my favorites as well! Go for the unabridged. The size is a little overwhelming, I thought so at first! However, the flow of the story is addicting and the writing/translation is very easy to comprehend.Heck of a lot easier than Last of the Mohicans...now that is a challenge! But, The C of MC It is most definitely storytelling and writing at it's best.

Unabridged, definitely!I first picked this one up in high school about 5 or 6 years ago and I couldn't put it down. It is one of the few books I could probably read over and over again and never tire of it(so far I have read it twice). Every single page is worth reading!

Abigail wrote: "One of my favorites as well! Go for the unabridged. The size is a little overwhelming, I thought so at first! However, the flow of the story is addicting and the writing/translation is very easy to..."

I agree with you...

Loved it, unabridged. Loved all of it. Some parts were slow but I had time and loved the story. Good book.

Definitely go with the unabridged! It is one of my favorite novels even though the size was intimidating at first.

There are long digressions on topics such as 18C Italian food that are not entirely integral to the plot. On the other hand, who knows what's been ripped out of the full version by an editor making quick and dirty decisions?

It should be read unabridged so as to grab the pieces of wisdom the author intented to transmit to readers and study the featured characters. Abridged will be read simply as a tale

I liked the unabridged version alot better than the abridged. We read the abridged version in school and it left out all of the truely amazing parts with Hede and the Count yet it kept them ending up together at the end so it was a little confusing as to how they got there. As I read the unabridged version there was a lot of new scenes so it felt like reading a completely different book than the one I read in school. Don't let the size of the book intimidate you though it is worth all of the pretty little leaves it is printed on/ Love, romance, secrets and treachery-all the good stuff that things are made out of. You should really read the book if you haven't because it will blow your mind 1800's style.

Keep in mind, too, that you are reading a modern translation, not an original classic. I found it a much easier read than say Austen or James - or Cooper, for that matter!

When I used to teach Reading & L.A. I'd begin by placing a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo on one side of my desk and a copy Les Miserables on the other. It would take about a week before someone would develop the courage to ask "Are you going to make us read all that?" My response was always the same - "No, I'm going to instill in you the desire to read all of this!"
YOU CAN'T READ YOU'RE STUPID

Kaitlin wrote: "I would suggest unabridged, for all books. Why would you settle for reading less than the whole book? It'd be like only listening to the preview of a song. There would always be that nagging fee..."

I agree with Kaitlin. Would you look at half a painting? Plus, the chapters are generally very short. I managed to finish it in a couple of months just reading a couple chapters a night. Just be warned, the latter half of the book is much slower paced and stuffier than the first.

NOT! AS IF! THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO IS WRITTEN MUCH LIKE A SYMPHONY. THE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK HOLDS BACK THE REIGNS, PROVIDING EACH CHARACTER JUST ENOUGH HEAD - BUT NOT SO MUCH AS TO LET THEM GET AWAY WITH GIVING AWAY THE GRANDE FINALE. DUMAS WAS FLY!
BLACK WRITER WHO'S NEVER RECOGNIZED FOR BEING BLACK, MERELY STUPENDOUS! COME VISIT MY HUBS AND BE ENLIGHTENED AS YOU NEVER BELIEVED YOU COULD - HURRY BEFORE THEY CENSOR ME!

Alicedewonder wrote: "NOT! AS IF! THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO IS WRITTEN MUCH LIKE A SYMPHONY. THE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK HOLDS BACK THE REIGNS, PROVIDING EACH CHARACTER JUST ENOUGH HEAD - BUT NOT SO MUCH AS TO LET THEM ..."

I agree. It was written with the intent to bring wonder and amazement. I love your Hubs! :)

THANKS - I LOVE WRITING THEM!

BYE THE BY DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO PUT OUT A MESSAGE THRU GOOD READS? I HAVEN'T A CLUE HOW TO USE THIS THING

Abridged version leaves out the outcomes of two of the major characters from the betrayal in the beginning. Also leaves holes in the plot that don't make sense when discussed partially in the next chapter. This happens a few times. Unabridged version brings out what happens to all the characters and how they relate to each other during Dantes's revenge and reward mission. Awesome book and well worth reading the complete unabridged version. If keeping track of so many characters is overwhelming, there are character charts all over the internet to help keep who is involved with whom straight.

Most definitely unabridged! I was also fearful of the size but finished and it was a wonderful book and plan to reread. It had a little of everything. If the size bothers you true unabridged audio. You can listen while you drive.

Go with the Robin Buss unabridged.

Although I am pleased with the amount of people that preference unabridged to abridged I am startled with the need for a character guide, audio listening and other suggested aids.
Think about it; readers in the 19th Century didn't have any of these supports and yet Monte Cristo was instantly embraced.
I read Monte Cristo every year unfettered by artificial needs. In this way I recognize certain delights as well as certain perspectives to which Dumas held fast. At the same time I recognize his tricks to verbal creations. Genius - pure and simple - a man who should be required reading in our public schools.

I have read two different abridged versions and also the unabridged version twice. I would definitely read the unabridged version. The abridged version leaves out too much of the story and plot lines. I found each time I read the unabridged version that even though it took me quite a while to read that I was sad to see it finished, kind of like leaving a good friend.

Unabridged--without a doubt. Warning--you will be swept up and living in the period for the duration, so prepare for jarring events where you have to return to 2011 and, for example, go to work. On my most recent 'reading' I listened to the book, I think via Librivox, and that added to the 'alternate existence' for a over a week. Love returning to this every few years. All of us have revenge fantasies, and Edmund gets to live them out...

One of the favorite books for me too! And every time I reread it always seems too short... and in the unabridged italian version are two big books! :)

Alicedewonder wrote: "Think about it; readers in the 19th Century didn't have any of these supports and yet Monte Cristo was instantly embraced...i>

And folk rolled cigars to it...enjoyed it so much they named on after the book.
To relieve the boredom of cigar rolling before radio a reader was employed to entertain the rollers, newspapers and serialised fiction etc being used.

The unabridged version of "Count of Monte Cristo" gives you the great depths of meaning and soul contained in the work. It's truly one of the greatest novels ever written, right up there with "War and Peace" and company. The story keys into more than just the plot happenings of the characters. It's way more than a revenge tale. Between the lines are questions of the workings of the universe. Fate; karma. Edmund's story is a resurrection story. The author is fully aware of this. By the end, Dantes himself knows he's been used as a tool of justice, in a sense.
The one thing I worry about is the question of whether even the unabridged translation has been cleaned-up to an extent, made a bit less adult than the French original. I've heard rumors of this.
p.s. An even more striking case of unabridged over abridged is what's done with "The Man in the Iron Mask" by Dumas, which in fact is just a small part of the original novel "Vicomte de Braggelone," a masterpiece in its own right that's very complex but also very moving. The "Mask" part is yanked out of the work.
Why should this matter?
It matters because the greatest novels provide an experience whioh leaves you a changed person. They increase your brain, strengthen your heart, and alter your soul. Why should any reader deny themself the full transformative power of these works?

The unabridged version by Alexander Dumas!! Absolutely brilliant. Yes it is long but you will find yourself wishing it was longer after coming to the end.

Unabridged! Most definetly. If you have a chance to read a classic...always read the unabridged first. When you read unabridged, you're reading what the author intended to say.

Depends on your age. The original poster obviously an adult go for unabridged. As a student we read the abridged, I read it in less then half the time of my fellow students and once I realized how much more there was picked up the unabridged a few years latter. The abridged though was a good way of exciting me about the book at a young age. A book I still claim as a favorite.

Unabridged will always be better than abridged. You get more of the story, and the all of the author's words.

Alicedewonder wrote: "Although I am pleased with the amount of people that preference unabridged to abridged I am startled with the need for a character guide, audio listening and other suggested aids.
Think about it; ..."

The addition of these modern aids make books accessable to more people than ever. Not everyone is able to get the same experience from reading that we do. Not everyone can picture what is going on to the same extent. Not everyone can even see the words on the page the same way. Our brains are all wired differently. I'm an educator, and different people need different paths to access the same materials and get the most out of them. And still none of them will feel exactly the same about those materials.

I completely agree with the unabridged votes, though the comment by Gretchen makes a good point. If abridged can get reluctant readers started on a good book, than they have a reason to exist. But if you're willing, go with unabridged. You can always put it aside if you find it isn't for you.

PS. I use audio for re-reading. You can listen for free from the library, and classics like CoMC are always available.

Abbey wrote: "I am going to read this book because it is my husbands favorite book ever. However, the unabridged version frightens me with its length. Any opinions on which to read?"

I've read the abridge version but recently read the unabridged version of The Three Musketeers. You will miss out on a whole lot so do not let the size of the book intimidate you. It's the story inside that should be your goal and not your bookmark. I LOVE this book and cannot wait to get an unabridged copy and fall into it.

If you've finished it already please let me know what you thought? ^_^

Definitely the unabridged. This was my son's all-time favorite book. Last winter I read The Three Musketeers for the first time. When I was finished, he said, "Mom, you've just got to read The Count of Monte Cristo." He insisted it had to be unabridged. I'm so glad I did! I promise you it will be a book you'll want to read again.

Go for the unabridged!

Another vote for the unabridged Buss translation. Abridged versions tend to leave out a bunch of the lesbian stuff; you wouldn't want to miss that, would you?

Robin Buss unabridged is the way to go.

I always consider it cheating when someone says they've read a book, and then I find out it's the abridged version. Well, then you didn't really read the book, now did you? If you want to read the Count of Monte Cristo, then read the book as it was written to be read.

I don't get how some people can lose tracks of who the characters are in the book. Sure, I forgot for a moment who Danglars was when he didn't turn up again for quite a while but otherwise? If you have a good enough memory, and I'm talking about "can read two books" kind of memory then you won't have any problem with an unabriged version of The Count of Monte Christo.

SPOILER:
"Abridged versions tend to leave out a bunch of the lesbian stuff; you wouldn't want to miss that, would you?"
Not really. The thing you're talking about is how Eugenie dressed up as a man while trying to get away from her parents' house with her best (female) friend. It's never mentioned if anything in 'that' direction goes on between the characters. Eugenie just dresses up as a man. That's about it. This is essential because the two women meet Eugenie's (then ex-)fiancé again because he drops down the chimney of the room the two women rent while the police is chasing him.

Ha...you're all "Oh, I'm so awesome at reading books" and then you go arguing that Eugenie isn't a gay character. No, you're doing great, keep reading! You'll get there someday!

Pandora wrote: "I would suggest the Robin Buss unabridged version. The problems with abridgemnet is that often the wrong things are taken out and you can lose the tread of the story. The adventage of an unabridg..."

Thanks for the suggestion, I just bought Sabtani's Scarmouche.

I would suggest the Penguin classics version - unabridged. It is a spectaculkar tale that will remain with you forever. Enjoy

barnes & noble leatherbound classic unabridged makes it very epic to read. but penguin classics is the best paperback

I always prefer unabridged versions to abridged. Some abridgments are poorly done and you lose the important points of the story. Besides, I don't want to miss anthing.

Read unabridged, it's worth it. Every little fact is essential. :)

Unabridged. It's all about little details. Many important stuff get lost in abridged versions. I'm not against the abridged ones, it's just "either all or nothing at all".

Sparrowlicious wrote: "I don't get how some people can lose tracks of who the characters are in the book."

Me neither. Actually the only time where I lost track of "who's who" was in the 1st chapter.

Kaitlin wrote: "I would suggest unabridged, for all books. Why would you settle for reading less than the whole book? It'd be like only listening to the preview of a song. There would always be that nagging fee..."

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