"Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss."--Edmond Dantes, The Count of Monte Cristo
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Are the only ones who get happy endings! I wanted Mercedes and Edmond to get together. It was interesting that Villefort, in my opinion, got the worst punishment. He lost his parents-in-law from his first marriage, his daughter Valentine (at least he thought he lost her), and then his current wife and son, Edward. Then he went insane. Of all the people Dantes sought revenge for, I think he felt the worst about Villefort. Then again, the dialogue was obscure in certain areas and I had a hard time keeping up with who was saying what. Haydee, who really had a screwy background (daugher of a murdered sultan, mother dies after they're enslaved and Fernand sold both of them for a profit). It was interesting that Haydee went away with the Count in the end, not Mercedes; the Countess was too broken by the Count's revenge and her feelings of being a coward in her lonliness. In the end, Dantes tries to find peace and sails away. Having hope is the central message in the last few chapters, which was an interesting twist. The ending did seem a bit rushed for all the setting up Dumas did. Maximillion was the starstruck soldier who fell in love with Villefort's daughter, whom Dantes wants to kill as part of his revenge. He robs Danglars of his money--the thing he valued most. I did like that Edmond repayed Monsieur Morrel (his former employer when he was first mate of the Pharaon) and his entire family (encluding Maximillion more than once). He gives Julie (Max's sister) and her lover a way to be married; he fakes Valentine's death (resulting in M. de Villefort's insanity) so that Max and her can be together and blesses them with his entire treasure trove of riches. Also, I felt the whole thing between Fernand and the Count was anticlimactic. No duel, no showdown. Fernand goes to the Count, who reveals he is Edmond Dantes, then goes home to find Albert and Mercedes leaving. Ouch. But not ouch enough compared to Danglars and--most especially--Villefort's fate. This story is sort of for hopeless romantics and sort of not. I was rooting for Mercedes and Edmond the entire time (because they get together in the movie, damnit!) but it wasn't meant to be. Still, it's a great read if you're willing to push past the confusing dialogue and references to their time and all the French words that mean absolutely nothing unless you have an understanding of that era in time. The theme of revenge is best served cold is almost counteracted by the message that God reigns supreme and you can't take Providence into your own hands. Essentially, let God distribute judgement. Dantes regrets a lot of his actions later on: when Villefort goes crazy or when Maxilillion confesses he's in love with the already poisoned Valentine and begs him to do something about it. In the end, he prays for hope and Haydee refuses to leave him and gives him a sign of hope. Again, a good read.

~Amriah

Recent Writing

Chain Reaction (fixed poetry)
Trapped (acrostic poetry)
Deviating for a Day (fixed poetry)
And God Laughed (theological prose?)
Tense Assumptions (fixed poetry)
Creeks in My Heart (poetry)

Clubs

~devLIT
=Inked-Page
*Prompt-A-Day
*ProsePlease
~Prose-R-Us
=RawEm0tion
*RenderWonderland
*Self-Publishing-Club
*simplyprose
*The-Novelist-Club
*WordCount
*writeaway
*Writers-Workshop

Books I've Found Helpful

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark.
This book has helped me the most out of all the other reference books! It makes sense, explains in a concise way (or at least in a way I can understand), and is funny. What more can you ask for in a how-to-write book?

Painless Grammar by Rececca Elliot, PhD.
This is a middle school/high school grammar book. However, I've been reading through it and found that I have been making basic grammar mistakes all the time. This is a non-boring way to learn (or re-learn) the basics of grammar.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.
This is the original Elements of Style, written in 1918. There are other, more recent copies (the later ones are written by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White) for sale but this one is online and free so enjoy.

_{I'll add more to this as my collection grows. This is the basics and more than enough material for the beginning (or intermediate) writer.}