It was OK, except for the "death potion" gimmick,.
Where as in Ivanhoe the ghost was used to complete the story and would have been difficult with out it, I don't think Dumas needed it.
I see a common thread between this and the Country Parson; in that story Balzac is very interested in and well versed in finance too. I'm getting the impression that the French may have been the early capitalists? People from low places moving up the ladder, people from high birth falling in disgrace all based on finance.
For some reason I did not feel much for these characters, Dumas is a little dry.
The slow and obscure way that the revenge plot was revealed made for anxious reading.
The number of names was overwhelming so I needed and recommend a character list, to keep track of them.
I am convinced that this requires a second reading to smooth out the stammering story.
We learn about Carnival in 19th cent. Rome that was very interesting and that there is an actual island named Monte Cristo!
