July 8, 2009
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My Favorite Un-Read Novel…
Have you ever realized after a long time that one of your favorite novels, one you tell everyone they should read is actually a book you have never read? Probably not, but I figured that out today.
I was at the bookstore hoping they would have a paperback (cheap) version of something by either Phillip K. Dyck or Kurt Vonnegut (been wanting something different from them for a while) and I looked at one fot he display tables, and there it was… The Count of Monte Cristo. This was the progression of my thoughts as I looked at the book…
- What a great book!
- Wow! It’s cheap.
- This is a big book. I don’t remember it being this long before.
- I remember Professor Schell droning on and on about certain parts of the book we studied. God, he was boring!
- This book is really long… when did I have time to read it in university?
- Did I even read this book? I remember studying sections of it…
- Damn… I have to buy it now. I’ve never read this book!
As I stood there I felt like I just got kicked off the short bus for being the dumbest kid there. I’ve never read The Count of Monte Cristo! I’ve watched the movie (with Guy Pierce) at least ten times (once at the drive-in) and I remember every boring lecture about it in my Classics class at university, but cover to cover… nope!
I don’t even think it would have even crossed my mind if it wasn’t for Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (great book by the way). Alexander Dumas was just one of the writers who they had in their checst of books from which they read in secret to the seamstress and retold the stories to villagers and the seamstress’ father. Although the book was more about their connection to the words of Balzac, I loved the idea of these boys, being reeducated in the mountains of China in the 1970′s, with no escape but each other, reading The Count of Monte Cristo. I think it was a more important book to the boys than Balzac.
So, I now have The Count of Monte Cristo sitting here on my table waiting for my Cookie Monster bookmark to go in and let the tale begin. I just have to finish Rant by Chuck Palahniuk (not good so far) and get the rest of my Lonely Planet India read as well. Maybe Dumas will travel with me this summer, or maybe it will be something to look forward to when I get home. Either way, I can’t wait to finally read one of my favorite novels.
Note from the short bus… I just realized (and I don’t know why) that I have never read the full version of Treasure Island either. They’re going to revoke my English degree one of these days!!!
Comments (2)
warning: the book is not the same as the movie. it’s infinitely better. still, I suggest the abridged version.
does that mean you haven’t read the three musketeers either? i read both the summer i was 15 and had my tonsils out and wasn’t allowed to do anything active for weeks. i think i had a dumas in my hand constantly that summer. do you have a copy of balzac and the seamstress or should i burn you one? ps… no abridged versions allowed- those rip the beauty of the language from it, leaving just action beat sheets behind!