The Count of Monte Cristo A Review

  

Mild spoilers and Mini Rant ahead!

Many years ago, I bought a condensed copy of the Count of Monte Cristo. It is one of my treasured volumes. Later, my siblings gathered to listen to the audiobook. When I heard that PBS was airing a miniseries adaptation, you can pretty much expect how excited our household was. We were a bit late and had to catch up on the previous episodes. I was told by my siblings that under no circumstances was I to watch ahead of them. Their faces told me that I shouldn't push my luck unless I was craving a riot.

 

 

My siblings are exactly like me when a story they love gets turned into a show or movie. They want it to stick as close to the storyline as possible. They can understand minor characters disappearing and other slight changes but all major points should remain the same. This series hit somewhere in between.

 

I won't go into too much detail on the tale as you can pretty much look up the book synopsis on Wikipedia. The story flows pretty much how it should.Whoever scouted the locations, props to you. Also, the costumes were beautifully chosen and period correct. The casting director chose the perfect actors for all the roles. Sam Caflin is a superb Edmond Dantes. Jeremy Irons as the Abbe Faria was pure genius. I was intrigued by their choice to focus on Edmond's personal struggles as he embarked on his path of vengeance. Most make a passing mention in a scene we don't dwell on long. But here it was constantly, yet subtly, shown that those 15 years left scars on his soul. I personally liked that direction.

The ever present pining for Mercedes is still there. All I can say here is that we at least get closure on this dead relationship. Most revive it. I only know of one that cut it. I am okay with Edmond and Mercedes never getting back together. They don't in the book so please let us not waste our creative licence reviving a dead horse.

Do you know what we should spend our creative licence on? Haydee. We should spend it on her. This series did have her. But she only comes in on episode 5 out of 8 and plays such a tiny role I wanted to scream in frustration. Only one other version, to my knowledge, has Haydee in it. It too gave her an underwhelming amount of attention. That old version had her rage. This new version had both her strength and determination. Sadly both didn't carry her character to the end she is supposed to have. She and Edmond are supposed to be a couple at the end. Why is it so hard for people to get that memo? Like Edmond can move on, you know. Probably the healthiest thing for him. If the screenwriters of the future say that there isn't enough source material to build a new relationship, remember that creative licence I mentioned. Maybe use it. Harping on and on over your ex is exhausting. The Count was never so. Also, don't think that since Haydee got Edmond in the book, we should give him to Mercedes on the screen. It has been done enough. Learn to let go. Edmond did. Is everyone too scared to tackle the complex emotions that were swirling around? Or do you feel like the daughter of Ali Pasha is unworthy of The Count of Monte Cristo? Someone do Haydee justice! I am one step away from starting a petition.

Aside from that, I wished we saw more of Lt. Morrel and Valentine. Their storyline was the one that had the most impact on Edmond. Prior to the climax of their tale he didn't really heed anyone's advice or care about the casualties left in the wake of his vengeance. They were his wake up call. Not having it felt like the story lacked the proper amount of tension. Also characters that should have died, didn't. Certain connections were never made. Just little things here and there that get to you when you stop and think about it.

LB3 and I both agree that is was both satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time. I know that makes little sense but what can I say? We are something like purists when it comes to adaptations. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Maybe I Shouldn't Have Asked

 Sometime last year, the younger Siblings discovered One Tree Hill and The O.C. together. They didn't know that those two shows were my ultimate favorites as a teenager. I watched the reruns daily.

I had watched The O.C. three or four times and I stopped watching One Tree Hill in the early half of season 5. Our Digital Converter box refused to pick up the channel so I sadly let it go. 

Fast forward several years, LB3 and LS2 managed to get the two Series. When I found out I was like "Yes! Now I can finally finish it!" So I asked them to let me know when they started Season 5 of One Tree Hill (so I could pick up where I left off) and Season 4 of The O.C. (Yes, it's the last season. It is also my favorite. Sue me).

I let them watch peacefully. I didn't bombard them with questions about where they were. Sometimes I' d ask what they thought of a character but that was it. I didn't even give spoilers unless they cornered me and pressed for it. And what do I get in return?

They finished The O.C. without me and I have absolutely zero clue about what season of One Tree Hill they are presently on. All I know is it's not 5. 

I should have saved my breath. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Time Loops Get Old Fast

 Time loops sound so fun when you watch movies or tv shows. But if you honestly think about it, wouldn't that be awful? There is no tomorrow. Any plans you made will never be fulfilled. And you know what will happen. Below are two books about people who just want tomorrow to come. Blurbs from Goodreads.

Midnight Strikes - Zeba Shahnaz

In this explosive fantasy debut with a time-loop twist, a provincial girl must work with a roguish prince to stop an attack on the royal family and escape a nightmarish curse that forces them to relive the same night again and again.

Seventeen-year-old Anaïs just wants tonight to end. As an outsider at the kingdom’s glittering anniversary ball, she has no desire to rub shoulders with the nation’s most eligible (and pompous) bachelors—especially not the notoriously roguish Prince Leo. But at the stroke of midnight, an explosion rips through the palace, killing everyone in its path. Including her.

The last thing Anaïs sees is fire, smoke, chaos . . . and then she wakes up in her bedroom, hours before the ball. No one else remembers the deadly attack or believes her warnings of disaster.

Not even when it happens again. And again. And again.

If she’s going to escape this nightmarish time loop, Anaïs must take control of her own fate and stop the attack before it happens. But the court's gilded surface belies a rotten core, full of restless nobles grabbing at power, discontented commoners itching for revolution, and even royals who secretly dream of taking the throne. It's up to Anaïs to untangle these knots of deadly deceptions . . . if she can survive past midnight.

The last thing one expects when going to a royal party is your world ending. The last thing one expects after dying is time rewinding to just before abovementioned party. Anaïs just wants to stop dying. Or reliving the worst night ever. Her desperation to end her loop is visceral. You feel her mental exhaustion.

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman  

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lev Grossman comes a magical-realist romance that turns the Groundhog Day premise inside-out and upside-down—coming soon to Amazon as a major motion picture.Mark is 17-years-old and trapped in a time loop, and that’s just fine with him. It’s summertime and he’s spending this one infinitely repeating day reading his way through the town library. Then he discovers someone else in the loop with the brilliant, haunted Margaret. Together Mark and Margaret set out to find every wonderful, amazing, perfect thing that happens in that one day—a journey that will take them to the dark secret that waits at the very heart of their endless day. Thrilling, funny, and deeply romantic, this novella is perfect for fans of John Green, Nicola Yoon, and Jandy Nelson. 

When tomorrow doesn't seem likely to make an appearance anytime soon, finding the little fun or perfect things that happen every day sounds like a good way to stay sane. Because repeating the same day gets old fast. It's also fun when you have company. That way you either stay sane together or go nuts together. That last one was my opinion. 

As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Christian Historical Romance

Would you like a faith based historical romance that you can read aloud to your Great Nanna without blushing? Then, I have a few book suggestions for you! I will give you a variety so you can pick a period that suits you. All blurbs are from Goodreads.

So Fair a Lady by Amber Lynn Perry

Boston, MA 1773: Shards of Eliza Campbell's life crash to the ground when she discovers a devastating secret: her father was a spy for the Sons of Liberty. Determined to uncover the truth--at any cost--not even a marriage proposal from the dashing British Officer Samuel Martin can dissuade her. When rescued from British capture by handsome patriot Thomas Watson, Eliza discovers what her father risked his life for and yearns to know more. But will her budding attraction to this courageous patriot damage her already wounded heart?

After years of being blackmailed by Officer Martin, Thomas plans to start a new life in the small town of Sandwich. However, when his actions place Eliza and her sister in danger, he must act quickly to protect them from falling into enemy hands. If the three of them are discovered, their lives will never be the same. Now, not only must he protect Eliza, he must protect his heart from a love that is sure to wound him far greater than any British soldier ever could.

This one is set during the American Revolution time period. With America's 250th birthday coming up, seems nice to start here. It has been a while since I read this one so I am going to toss it in my reread pile. Oh, this is book 1 of her Daughters of His Kingdom series.

Wings of a Dream by Anne Mateer

Rebekah Hendricks dreams of a life far beyond her family's farm in Oklahoma, and when dashing aviator Arthur Samson promised adventure in the big city, she is quick to believe he's the man she's meant to marry. While she waits for the Great War to end and Arthur to return to her so they can pursue all their plans, her mother's sister falls ill. Rebekah seizes the opportunity to travel to Texas to care for Aunt Adabelle, seeing this chance to be closer to Arthur's training camp as God's approval of her plans.

But the Spanish flue epidemic changes everything. Faced with her aunt's death, Arthur's indecisiveness, and four children who have no one else to care for them, Rebeka is torn between the desire to escape the type of life she's always led and the unexpected love that just might change the dream of her heart.

I have lost count on how many time I reread this one. Set during the tail end of World War I, It is a tale from the home front. The struggles and triumphs of every day life at a time when the world around you seems to change faster than you can imagine. This is one of my favorites.

The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky

Worlds lie between the marketplaces of India and the halls of a magnificent country estate like Highland Hall. Will Julia be able to find her place when a governess is neither upstairs family nor downstairs help?

Missionary Julia Foster loves working alongside her parents, ministering and caring for young girls in India. But when the family must return to England due to illness, she readily accepts the burden for her parents’ financial support. Taking on a job at Highland Hall as governess, she quickly finds that teaching her four privileged, ill-mannered charges at a grand estate is more challenging than expected, and she isn’t sure what to make of the estate’s preoccupied master, Sir William Ramsey.

Widowed and left to care for his two young children and his deceased cousin’s two teenage girls, William is consumed with saving the estate from financial ruin. The last thing he needs is the distraction coming of a kindhearted-yet-determined governess who seems to be quietly transforming his household with her persuasive personality, vibrant prayer life, and strong faith.

While both are tending past wounds and guarding fragile secrets, Julia and William are determined to do what it takes to save their families--common ground that proves fertile for unexpected feelings. But will William choose Julia’s steadfast heart and faith over the wealth and power he needs to secure Highland Hall’s future?

If you liked Downton Abbey, you are going to like this book. This was set a few years before WWI. This is book 1 of a trilogy but can be read as a standalone. I have yet to read the two other books so I will be shoving this one into my ever growing reread pile.

Counted with the Stars by Connilyn Cossette

Sold into slavery by her father and forsaken by the man she was supposed to marry, young Egyptian Kiya must serve a mistress who takes pleasure in her humiliation. When terrifying plagues strike Egypt, Kiya is in the middle of it all.

Choosing to flee with the Hebrews, Kiya finds herself reliant on a strange God and drawn to a man who despises her people. With everything she's ever known swept away and now facing the trials of the desert, will she turn back toward Egypt or surrender her life and her future to Yahweh?

Let's go all the way back to ancient Egypt. Richly written, I read this book in the span of a day and a half. I can't imagine the amount of research she must have done to be able to write so vividly. This is Book 1 of her Out of Egypt series.

The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen

Believing herself guilty of a crime, Olivia Keene flees her home, eventually stumbling upon a grand estate where an elaborate celebration is in progress. But all is not as joyous as it seems.

Lord Bradley has just learned a terrible secret, which, if exposed, will change his life forever. When he glimpses a figure on the grounds, he fears a spy or thief has overheard his devastating news. He is stunned to discover the intruder is a scrap of a woman with her throat badly injured. Fearing she will spread his secret, he gives the girl a post and confines her to his estate. As Olivia and Lord Bradley's secrets catch up with them, will their hidden pasts ruin their hope of finding love?

Another book I have reread countless times. This is set during the Regency Time period. There is a slight mystery so you can have fun with that. It is a standalone.

Flights of Fancy by Jen Turano

Miss Isadora Delafield may be an heiress, but her life is far from carefree. When her mother begins pressuring her to marry an elderly and uncouth duke, she escapes from the high society world she's always known and finds herself an unlikely candidate for a housekeeper position in rural Pennsylvania.

Mr. Ian MacKenzie is known for his savvy business sense and has built his reputation and fortune completely through traditional hard work. But when his adopted parents are in need of a new housekeeper and Isadora is thrown into his path, he's unexpectedly charmed by her unconventional manner.

Neither Isadora nor Ian expected to find the other so intriguing, but when a chain of mysterious incidents on the farm point to a larger threat, they'll have to set aside everything they thought they wanted for a chance at happy-ever-after.

If you enjoy things set during the Gilded Age, you will enjoy this. It has witty and endearing characters, a plotline that is solid, and loads upon loads of charm. Honestly, I would recommend anything Jen wrote. I read almost everything she has written. This book, in particular, is book 1 in her American Heiresses series. Prepare to work those abdominal muscles as you will be laughing alot.

And there we have it. I hope you (and that Great Nanna who may or may not exist) find a story you can enjoy. This is just a tiny sliver of the Christian Historical Genre. It is very large and we would be here forever if I tried to cover everything. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.