"The greatest of escape stories" Guardian "What makes The Count Of Monte Cristo such a superior story is that revenge is not the only emotion driving the plot... it is an almost perfect story - also in the mix are love, friendship, jealousy, faith, education, snobbery and class" Sunday Express "The Count of Monte Cristo sustained my sanity and my life. It is a beautiful book. Incarceration coupled with interrogation can play cruel tricks on the mind and many are driven to suicide.The book taught me to hope when I was living at my mental limits" -- Zhuang Zedong, former world table tennis champion and the greatest sportsman in China's history The Times "One of the most romantic of all novels" Mail on Sunday "The Napoleon of story-tellers" Washington Post