Daria, loved reading this! I too read The Count of Montecristo in a very big, one volume edition and what a ride it was! It has held a special place in my heart ever since and it's my favourite classic, but I have a feeling War and Peace will come very close to it and Pierre has a bit of the innocence of Edmond Dantes.
Oooh, it never occured to me to compare Edmond and Pierre like that! I guess it stuck with me that Edmond was constantly described as 'supple', which Pierre is decidedly not :D And I can only hope he would not have a reason to grow so cynical. But yes, in terms of reading, W&P seems to be as surprisingly easy and thrilling as Monte Cristo -- who knew!
Edmond has a more resolute attitude, that’s for sure, and he is a great character that keeps us entertained, intrigued and on our toes. Pierre still has to come to terms with the fact that he exists but I trust he’ll get there 😂
Thank you! Such a delight to share love of those reads with others! And interesting to see how such huge volumes aren't actually intimidating and are even inviting to re-reads.
Wonderful, Daria. I'm planning to do one W&P newsletter every month myself. It truly is a remarkable experience to read it at a set pace with so many people from around the world. It sort of defines the term 'world literature'.
Thank you! Oh my, that must be quite a challenge to pick up :D It is great to see how inspiring the book actually is. Yes, I'm certainly understanding the term 'word literature' on another level now, good point.
Wonderful post. Even though reading is primarily thought of as a solitary activity, reading along with other people brings so much more to the book, and it’s a great way to connect with our fellow human beings.
Thank you, my thoughts exactly! I feel like we got so separated, each into his own world and sharing only political slogans at best... Like, we _need_ that deeper connection and shared experience, as humans. Who knew it'd be Tolstoy (and a man on Substack) to provide it.
Lovely post Daria. I am now going to have to add The Count of Monte Cristo to my reading list. The readalong has reignited my love of a good doorstopper of a 19thC novel.
Thank you, Alison! The Count is absolutely worth it, although I admit the fist few hundred pages were a bit of a struggle for me, but then it picked up big :D My mom said she had re-read it multiple times and I see why.
C of MC is ...so far... my favorite novel, given the copious amounts of vile treachery 😏. I wonder how a long slow read of Moby Dick would go though, with everyone lingering over a chapter on the pedantry of disemboweling a whale 🤢
"C of MC", I should remember that 😁 Oof, I can't imagine going through Moby Dick like this, it's such a dizzying book, I wanted to get off that ship as quickly as possible, nothing to savour there 😅
I really enjoyed this, and I had not thought about serialization as having played into the structure (and short chapters). Fascinating. You’ve made me curious about The Count of Monte Cristo! Love this: “The Count of Monte Cristo might be a juggernaut of 1200 pages but it was first released in a newspaper. It is a series! (Which explains its occasional messiness.) So, does it mean that people were discussing it at their gatherings? Were they speculating? Were they creating theories? Coming up with better developments? Was it shameful to admit you were hopelessly hooked or was it hip?”
Also, I have to say, when I first saw this post this morning in Notes, I misread it as “watercolor.” I totally thought you were doing an art project related to the reading. It took a bit for me to realize my misreading! Lol.
Not just short chapters but all those semi-cliffhangers! So hard to stop reading... I wonder how such publication impacts not just reading but writing experience, too. Anyway, Monte Cristo is definitely another page turner, even if it has longer chapters, is a bit darker than W&P and maybe not as psychologically rich - still fascinating.
I do like the comparisons Daria makes between these books having been written in series providing the format for the TV shows. I hadn't known this.
And the observation that her experience watching Mad Men all in a go was different from Game of Thrones one at a time. How it may explain why the same books that provided animated conversations at one time, are now thought of as 'solid bricks of intimidation'.
To think that an entire entertainment industry format came out of something that's already been. And then it all sort of comes full circle when the brick of intimidation is again being used to create a watercooler moment. Fascinating stuff.
Daria, loved reading this! I too read The Count of Montecristo in a very big, one volume edition and what a ride it was! It has held a special place in my heart ever since and it's my favourite classic, but I have a feeling War and Peace will come very close to it and Pierre has a bit of the innocence of Edmond Dantes.
Oooh, it never occured to me to compare Edmond and Pierre like that! I guess it stuck with me that Edmond was constantly described as 'supple', which Pierre is decidedly not :D And I can only hope he would not have a reason to grow so cynical. But yes, in terms of reading, W&P seems to be as surprisingly easy and thrilling as Monte Cristo -- who knew!
Edmond has a more resolute attitude, that’s for sure, and he is a great character that keeps us entertained, intrigued and on our toes. Pierre still has to come to terms with the fact that he exists but I trust he’ll get there 😂
I'll be highly surprised if Pierre gets half as mesmerizing as Edmond 😅 But I'm sure looking forward to him growing into his bear looks :D
Well written. My thoughts exactly. I love The Count; one of my very favorites like Cristina said too. I think I’m now due for a re-read.
Thank you! Such a delight to share love of those reads with others! And interesting to see how such huge volumes aren't actually intimidating and are even inviting to re-reads.
Wonderful, Daria. I'm planning to do one W&P newsletter every month myself. It truly is a remarkable experience to read it at a set pace with so many people from around the world. It sort of defines the term 'world literature'.
Thank you! Oh my, that must be quite a challenge to pick up :D It is great to see how inspiring the book actually is. Yes, I'm certainly understanding the term 'word literature' on another level now, good point.
Wonderful post. Even though reading is primarily thought of as a solitary activity, reading along with other people brings so much more to the book, and it’s a great way to connect with our fellow human beings.
Thank you, my thoughts exactly! I feel like we got so separated, each into his own world and sharing only political slogans at best... Like, we _need_ that deeper connection and shared experience, as humans. Who knew it'd be Tolstoy (and a man on Substack) to provide it.
Lovely post Daria. I am now going to have to add The Count of Monte Cristo to my reading list. The readalong has reignited my love of a good doorstopper of a 19thC novel.
Thank you, Alison! The Count is absolutely worth it, although I admit the fist few hundred pages were a bit of a struggle for me, but then it picked up big :D My mom said she had re-read it multiple times and I see why.
C of MC is ...so far... my favorite novel, given the copious amounts of vile treachery 😏. I wonder how a long slow read of Moby Dick would go though, with everyone lingering over a chapter on the pedantry of disemboweling a whale 🤢
"C of MC", I should remember that 😁 Oof, I can't imagine going through Moby Dick like this, it's such a dizzying book, I wanted to get off that ship as quickly as possible, nothing to savour there 😅
I really enjoyed this, and I had not thought about serialization as having played into the structure (and short chapters). Fascinating. You’ve made me curious about The Count of Monte Cristo! Love this: “The Count of Monte Cristo might be a juggernaut of 1200 pages but it was first released in a newspaper. It is a series! (Which explains its occasional messiness.) So, does it mean that people were discussing it at their gatherings? Were they speculating? Were they creating theories? Coming up with better developments? Was it shameful to admit you were hopelessly hooked or was it hip?”
Also, I have to say, when I first saw this post this morning in Notes, I misread it as “watercolor.” I totally thought you were doing an art project related to the reading. It took a bit for me to realize my misreading! Lol.
Not just short chapters but all those semi-cliffhangers! So hard to stop reading... I wonder how such publication impacts not just reading but writing experience, too. Anyway, Monte Cristo is definitely another page turner, even if it has longer chapters, is a bit darker than W&P and maybe not as psychologically rich - still fascinating.
I do like the comparisons Daria makes between these books having been written in series providing the format for the TV shows. I hadn't known this.
And the observation that her experience watching Mad Men all in a go was different from Game of Thrones one at a time. How it may explain why the same books that provided animated conversations at one time, are now thought of as 'solid bricks of intimidation'.
To think that an entire entertainment industry format came out of something that's already been. And then it all sort of comes full circle when the brick of intimidation is again being used to create a watercooler moment. Fascinating stuff.