That book is now on my "never ever ever read" list.
Too bad, as it was quite good and would have generated more than just invective from you. Perhaps her The Children's Book would be a more apt read?
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie
Je suis méchant.
Je suis méchant.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Book Club now open!
- 25/01/2010 10:54:37 PM
2718 Views
Les characters.
- 25/01/2010 10:56:23 PM
1587 Views
Why does the book have enduring appeal?
- 25/01/2010 10:57:37 PM
1551 Views
Or rather, does this book share any traits in common with pornography?
- 25/01/2010 11:14:01 PM
1680 Views
I think the revenge plot is actually fairly weak.
- 26/01/2010 03:43:04 AM
1611 Views
Re: I think the revenge plot is actually fairly weak.
- 26/01/2010 11:12:19 AM
1649 Views
In that case, the "release" is quite unsatisfying.
- 27/01/2010 01:42:28 PM
1755 Views
Which is precisely part of what makes the book interesting
- 27/01/2010 02:06:58 PM
1645 Views
He would not have known the book would be ruined by water. He thought he was being buried.
- 27/01/2010 02:15:02 PM
1533 Views
Oh, and your point on revenge - that's just reading too much into the text.
- 27/01/2010 02:16:05 PM
1478 Views
There is no such thing
- 27/01/2010 02:18:46 PM
1535 Views
I fundamentally disagree with your post-modern take on the novel.
- 27/01/2010 02:25:25 PM
1584 Views
Re: Which is precisely part of what makes the book interesting
- 27/01/2010 03:40:36 PM
1541 Views
Maybe it's of the same importance as the Lost Symbol.
- 27/01/2010 03:44:55 PM
1594 Views
I think one important question to ask is...
- 26/01/2010 12:00:17 AM
1638 Views
I like it, but it is purely on the adventure story level, and I've read the unabridged version.
- 26/01/2010 12:03:01 AM
1464 Views
I'm fairly certain I read the unabridged version. It was 1500 pages. *NM*
- 26/01/2010 02:36:10 AM
827 Views
I have read the abridged version a couple of times. I am reading the unabridged version this time.
- 26/01/2010 03:25:50 AM
1602 Views
I have read both
- 27/01/2010 01:37:00 AM
1652 Views
I actually didn't mean the people here on the site so much as readers in general.
- 27/01/2010 01:44:46 AM
1647 Views
Re: I actually didn't mean the people here on the site so much as readers in general.
- 27/01/2010 01:48:11 AM
1578 Views
Re: I got here too late, so I offer Umberto Eco's thoughts on the matter:
- 22/02/2010 06:59:13 PM
1759 Views
The book was very childish.
- 26/01/2010 03:05:01 AM
1704 Views
Granted, The Master and Margarita is also very much a fantasy book. *NM*
- 26/01/2010 03:07:45 AM
853 Views
No, it really isn't.
- 26/01/2010 03:10:08 AM
1633 Views
You know, this is a problem.
- 26/01/2010 03:43:14 AM
1612 Views
Thank God, I've never even heard of "Skol". Popov, yes, but Skol?
- 26/01/2010 03:49:08 AM
1600 Views
I've not tried it, but every time I go into liquor stores, it sits on the bottom shelf.
- 26/01/2010 03:57:03 AM
1499 Views
There's really nothing I can say to this that Greg didn't just say above.
- 26/01/2010 06:32:02 AM
1689 Views
Re: No, it really isn't.
- 26/01/2010 10:57:19 AM
1554 Views
Having Camilla concur with me on literary matters is very encouraging. 
- 26/01/2010 01:37:23 PM
1581 Views
- 26/01/2010 01:37:23 PM
1581 Views
I do not agree with your complete dismissal of The Count of Monte Cristo, though
- 26/01/2010 04:58:58 PM
1592 Views
You make some rather odd claims here, Tom
- 27/01/2010 12:43:41 AM
1634 Views
My claims are far from odd. In fact, they're quite common.
- 27/01/2010 01:57:41 AM
1598 Views
In some circles; in others, they're rather antiquated nowadays
- 27/01/2010 02:21:03 AM
1539 Views
If you were trying to write literature, wouldn't the label sting for you?
- 27/01/2010 01:25:14 PM
1576 Views
I think it's easier to think of stories fitting into genre(s) than to think the same of authors
- 27/01/2010 02:40:29 PM
1651 Views
Allow me to clarify: I'm talking about authors' reactions to their books being so labelled.
- 27/01/2010 03:08:47 PM
1701 Views
But yet their reactions vary widely
- 27/01/2010 11:33:25 PM
1569 Views
My fundamental premise is that genre has the most utility when applied to derivative fiction.
- 28/01/2010 09:39:17 PM
1556 Views
And yet that term is mostly used as a non-loaded term that doesn't attempt to ascribe quality levels
- 29/01/2010 02:49:20 AM
1480 Views
I like my definition of science fiction better than the one you quoted.
- 29/01/2010 05:16:36 AM
1535 Views
I think estrangement is a key element, though
- 30/01/2010 11:00:19 PM
1557 Views
I don't think estrangement is a necessary element.
- 30/01/2010 11:47:07 PM
1691 Views
I mean it as a literary effect, that of creating a distance between text and reader
- 31/01/2010 12:03:34 AM
1527 Views
Even if that's the meaning, I still disagree.
- 03/02/2010 12:49:58 AM
1501 Views
Depends on how you view SF, I suppose
- 03/02/2010 04:20:56 AM
1347 Views
I thought that was what we were mulling over
- 03/02/2010 04:38:35 AM
1517 Views
Your unscientific anecdotal evidence sounds very odd to me.
- 28/01/2010 12:15:10 AM
1570 Views
It might. I'm not purporting to speak for all of humanity (at least on this point). 
- 28/01/2010 09:43:40 PM
1649 Views
- 28/01/2010 09:43:40 PM
1649 Views
approve of this message.
So, what you're saying is that watching the 2002 movie was sufficient? Good! *NM*
- 26/01/2010 06:34:53 AM
809 Views
*NM*
- 26/01/2010 06:34:53 AM
809 Views
I'm not through it quite yet, but I do have a question
- 26/01/2010 12:24:14 PM
1524 Views
Wait...you VOTED for this book?
- 26/01/2010 01:41:00 PM
1577 Views
I honestly can't remember.
- 26/01/2010 01:55:39 PM
1521 Views
Doctor Zhivago is one of the best novels ever written.
- 26/01/2010 02:12:35 PM
1569 Views
Right, so now we all know that if we'd just listen to me more often, the world would be better.
- 26/01/2010 02:20:56 PM
1542 Views
The problem was that the suggestions were generally not that good.
- 26/01/2010 02:32:50 PM
1599 Views
You really are ignornant of what A.S. Byatt writes, aren't you?
- 27/01/2010 12:51:00 AM
1585 Views
- 27/01/2010 12:51:00 AM
1585 Views
Oh, I fucking hate epistolary novels. Thank you for warning me.
- 27/01/2010 02:00:34 AM
1475 Views
Ha!
- 27/01/2010 02:22:00 AM
1535 Views
- 27/01/2010 02:22:00 AM
1535 Views
It's funny because I think it's a question of taste level.
- 26/01/2010 02:32:08 PM
1631 Views
Curious George is a tale of many layers, as told by Werner Herzog
- 26/01/2010 02:34:27 PM
1697 Views
On what basis?
- 26/01/2010 02:51:40 PM
1647 Views
It's a children's book. Get over it. Democracy failed.
- 26/01/2010 02:55:03 PM
1653 Views
Usually does, when those who know better keep silent.
- 26/01/2010 02:57:54 PM
1529 Views
Regarding comfort zones
- 26/01/2010 05:08:50 PM
1640 Views
Camilla, let's be honest here...
- 26/01/2010 05:40:08 PM
1682 Views
Re: Camilla, let's be honest here...
- 26/01/2010 09:10:47 PM
1621 Views
If that's your goal, Camilla, you failed.
- 27/01/2010 01:35:52 PM
1695 Views
Possibly
- 27/01/2010 01:38:39 PM
1537 Views
I have not been ranting and raving. I've been highly critical of the book, with much justification.
- 27/01/2010 01:45:05 PM
1571 Views
Re: I've been highly critical of the book, with much justification.
- 27/01/2010 01:53:28 PM
1557 Views
I was wondering how long it would take for you to blame me and Greg.
- 27/01/2010 02:26:12 PM
1694 Views
Don't you get it? We bring this place down.
- 27/01/2010 02:42:32 PM
1525 Views
Heh heh heh. Pink cardigan-wearing suburban cul-de-sac. I like it. *NM*
- 27/01/2010 03:11:25 PM
791 Views
*NM*
- 27/01/2010 03:11:25 PM
791 Views
Re: I was wondering how long it would take for you to blame me and Greg.
- 27/01/2010 02:43:11 PM
1533 Views
While that was not the intent, that is an added bonus.
- 27/01/2010 02:48:47 PM
1540 Views
why is it a bonus?
- 27/01/2010 02:52:58 PM
1512 Views
I said see above. You should have before the thought police, Rebekah, started to delete.
- 27/01/2010 02:59:07 PM
1785 Views
Well, you wouldn't grow tired of us calling a novel shit if you chose a novel that wasn't shit.
- 27/01/2010 03:11:57 PM
1525 Views
Re: Regarding comfort zones
- 27/01/2010 11:57:03 AM
1635 Views
So. I really liked it.
- 26/01/2010 08:57:02 AM
1718 Views
Yes, fearless leader, this is where I stand.
- 26/01/2010 11:04:23 PM
1546 Views
Re: Yes, fearless leader, this is where I stand.
- 26/01/2010 11:49:03 PM
1608 Views
We were talking about this last night.
- 27/01/2010 11:14:21 AM
1683 Views
Re: We were talking about this last night.
- 27/01/2010 11:37:04 AM
1695 Views
If you do that, I'm posting on the deeper meaning of Dan Brown.
- 27/01/2010 01:46:35 PM
1666 Views
Feel free to.
- 27/01/2010 01:51:23 PM
1631 Views
Your post-modern take on the novel is shit, shit, shit.
- 27/01/2010 02:28:56 PM
1550 Views
Re: Your post-modern take on the novel is shit, shit, shit.
- 27/01/2010 02:45:41 PM
1622 Views
I'm not setting up a straw man. I'm challenging your touchy-feely approach.
- 27/01/2010 03:15:00 PM
1476 Views
My touchy-feely approach?
- 27/01/2010 05:09:04 PM
1541 Views
Yes...using passing references in the text to justify a deeper analysis.
- 27/01/2010 05:16:10 PM
1550 Views
Doesn't touchy-feely mean that it is steeped in or based on emotion?
- 27/01/2010 06:40:31 PM
1542 Views
I think between the two of you I agree more with Tom here.
- 27/01/2010 07:01:08 PM
1508 Views
Re: I think between the two of you I agree more with Tom here.
- 27/01/2010 08:29:32 PM
1580 Views
See my reply to Tom for clarification, then.
- 27/01/2010 08:57:18 PM
1646 Views
Re: See my reply to Tom for clarification, then.
- 27/01/2010 09:09:47 PM
1553 Views
Er. Whose position are you arguing - mine or yours?
- 27/01/2010 10:33:01 PM
1441 Views
- 27/01/2010 10:33:01 PM
1441 Views
Mine. Which is more complicated than a simple rejection. That is what I am saying.
- 01/02/2010 12:53:58 PM
1460 Views
Do it. I'd read that.
- 27/01/2010 01:55:23 PM
1692 Views
All righty, that's enough of that. For Tom, Greg, and... no, pretty much just you two.
- 27/01/2010 04:33:00 PM
1598 Views
I call bullshit. I have been conducting the debate in a measured fashion.
- 27/01/2010 04:50:35 PM
1566 Views
And ANOTHER THING
- 27/01/2010 05:05:17 PM
1462 Views
Not everyone has finished reading it yet *NM*
- 27/01/2010 05:12:10 PM
884 Views
Okay, so you'll get one or two stragglers in a week to a month. It changes nothing.
- 27/01/2010 05:17:51 PM
1632 Views
Re: Okay, so you'll get one or two stragglers in a week to a month. It changes nothing.
- 27/01/2010 06:41:11 PM
1575 Views
We are discussing this book. We're discussing its faults.
- 27/01/2010 07:30:49 PM
1531 Views
In the interest of discussing Dumas' intentions...
- 27/01/2010 08:03:24 PM
1674 Views
Re: We are discussing this book. We're discussing its faults.
- 27/01/2010 08:30:19 PM
1649 Views
The text doesn't warrant "close attention" any more than Dan Brown's works do.
- 27/01/2010 09:10:45 PM
1518 Views
Also, do you think a good book would have generated this level of discussion? Of course not.
- 27/01/2010 05:21:45 PM
1560 Views
What discussion?
- 27/01/2010 06:42:32 PM
1581 Views
I said that we couldn't discuss the book on its own terms.
- 27/01/2010 07:35:32 PM
1658 Views
Which I still think we can.
- 27/01/2010 08:35:35 PM
1528 Views
Perhaps you shouldn't be breaking things down at all.
- 27/01/2010 09:06:59 PM
1622 Views
Re: Perhaps you shouldn't be breaking things down at all.
- 27/01/2010 09:12:22 PM
1570 Views
I apologize if I'm part of the reason you feel ganged up on.
- 27/01/2010 10:40:36 PM
1566 Views
Re: I apologize if I'm part of the reason you feel ganged up on.
- 01/02/2010 12:56:03 PM
1486 Views
Deary me.
- 27/01/2010 05:19:58 PM
1773 Views
By "respect" do you mean that you want me to drop my debates?
- 27/01/2010 05:24:03 PM
1526 Views
Not at all.
- 27/01/2010 05:35:34 PM
1672 Views
I'm sorry as well - if I had any kind of willpower, it wouldn't have gotten that far.
- 27/01/2010 06:29:43 PM
1595 Views
On the nature of the "Book Club"
- 28/01/2010 09:23:23 PM
1436 Views
Any chance of seeing some shorter suggestions?
- 28/01/2010 10:20:59 PM
1693 Views
Yes, shorter would be good.
- 28/01/2010 10:23:28 PM
1490 Views
Well, you should have known better!
- 29/01/2010 01:29:40 AM
1536 Views
- 29/01/2010 01:29:40 AM
1536 Views
All I can say is The Master and Margarita better be one by March. WE WAS ROBBED. *NM*
- 29/01/2010 02:31:48 AM
772 Views
*NM*
- 29/01/2010 02:31:48 AM
772 Views
Well I'm late to the party
- 29/01/2010 06:21:18 AM
1514 Views
No, you're early
- 01/02/2010 01:26:10 PM
1384 Views
I still have yet to see that discussion, Camilla. *NM*
- 03/02/2010 12:46:24 AM
836 Views
Interesting way of dismissing what has already been discussed about the book
- 03/02/2010 04:22:26 AM
1659 Views
Nah, there's been discussion, here and there inbetween the fighting. *NM*
- 03/02/2010 04:39:24 PM
781 Views
*NM*
- 03/02/2010 04:39:24 PM
781 Views
An interesting quote from the book - does it jibe with your experience?
- 29/01/2010 11:23:54 PM
1521 Views