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CAB - Costa's Audio Book end of the year feature 
Alexandre Dumas "The Count of Monte Cristo"
Plot outline by Auguste Maquet

Early 19th-century Europe, France.
Dantès the protagonist, a young sailor, is cruelly betrayed and wrongfully imprisoned.
Finally breaking free, he uses a hard-earned treasure to accelerate his plans for vengeance.
Re-entering Paris, he dazzles society with wealth and charm.
Weaving subtle schemes, he tests the morals of those around him.
New allies and rivals emerge, shaping the path of his journey.

Volume II Chapter 28-47
00:27 28 Disguised as a Thomson & French representative, Dantès visits Marseilles' mayor, who redirects him to prison inspector Boville, holding large Morrel stakes. Dantès buys them at full price, views Faria's records, secretly pockets his own Danglars-Fernand accusation letter, and confirms Villefort's life sentence order.
14:50 29 The British man arrives at Morrel Shipping to collect debts. Coincidentally, Pharaoh's crew reports the ship sunk, but all safe. The boss pays wages, urges them to leave; crew hesitates. He grants three months' extension and whispers a mystery to the daughter.
40:31 30 Insolvent Morrel, refusing bankruptcy's shame, plans suicide but is stopped by returning son Maximilian. Even the visitor despairs over debts. Then, the daughter announces joy: a mysterious giant diamond dowry arrives, and Pharaoh returns loaded with cargo, fully restored.
1:13:48 31 Baron Franz, at sea hunting, heeds sailor Gaetano's suggestion to hunt goats on Monte Cristo island. He stumbles upon smugglers; their leader invites him to dine at his mansion, blindfolded. Craving adventure and sensing immense wealth, Franz agrees without suspicion. A lavish feast in a luxurious cavern follows, where the two bond joyfully.
2:03:47 32 The next morning, Franz searches for hours for Sinbad’s hidden grotto entrance but fails. He heads to Rome to meet Viscount Albert de Morcerf, son of Count Fernand Mondego, for the pre-Lent carnival. Arriving late and unprepared, they can't rent a coach needed for festivities.
2:16:11 33 The hotel owner warns Franz and Albert of bandit dangers, especially Luigi Vampa. Skeptical guests prompt Vampa's tale: a quick-minded young shepherd who loved learning, sculpting, shooting, and beautiful Teresa. Fleeing bandit chief Cucumetto hides with them, despite a large capture reward.
3:17:27 34 The hotel owner continues: At a splendid party, Teresa danced with a nobleman, coveting the hostess's ornate costume. Envious Vampa, desperate to claim her, promises it, then sets the house ablaze, stealing it amid panic. He guides lost traveler Sinbad, earning two jewels in return.
4:25:26 35 At the Colosseum, Franz overhears Monte Cristo (Dantès) promise bandit chief Vampa to buy innocent shepherd Peppino's freedom from a beheading for aiding bandits with food; Vampa pledges eternal loyalty. Next evening at the opera, Monte Cristo arrives with stunning Haydée in Greek attire. Countess G— fears him as a vampire. Morning brings news of his loaned coach for the carnival. Franz and Albert visit, shocked he's the island host.
4:57:05 36 Before breakfast, Monte Cristo invites Franz and Albert to view an execution from his private windows, confessing his fascination with them. They debate human justice's flaws. At the event, Peppino is reprieved; Monte Cristo impassively watches the other's brutal death, savoring vengeance's fulfillment.
5:37:39 37 During the three days of the carnival, Albert becomes engaged in an elaborate flirtation with a beautiful woman. He is eager to have several love affairs while in Rome and decides to devote all his energies to pursuing this opportunity.
6:11:27 38 The beautiful woman is Luigi Vampa’s mistress Teresa, setting a trap to kidnap Albert during flirtation. Franz gets a ransom note, seeks Monte Cristo's aid. Peppino guides them to the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian lair. Vampa warmly greets Monte Cristo, frees Albert with apologies. Unfazed yet grateful, Albert thanks his savior.
6:29:57 39 For saving his life, Monte Cristo requests Albert introduce him to Parisian society in three months. Delighted, Albert agrees. Franz, wary after noting Monte Cristo's involuntary shudder shaking hands, warns of the island encounter and overheard Colosseum talk with Vampa—yet Albert grows more enchanted.
6:46:26 40 On the day Monte Cristo is due at Albert’s house, Albert hosts a breakfast with friends eagerly awaiting the Count's arrival. Key guests include Lucien Debray, secretary to the interior minister, and Beauchamp, a prominent journalist.
7:36:42 41 At Albert’s, Monte Cristo charms all but singles out Maximilian, who once saved Château-Renaud. Maximilian annually marks his father’s miraculous deliverance with heroic deeds. Monte Cristo recounts capturing Luigi Vampa, sparing him under lasting protection.
8:07:40 42 Albert tours Monte Cristo through his home, displaying a sorrowful portrait of Mercédès. Introduced to his parents, Fernand is charmed, failing to recognize Dantès. Mercédès knows him instantly, terrified, and cryptically warns Albert against danger.
8:17:23 43 After taking leave of the Morcerf family, Monte Cristo purchases a summerhouse in Auteuil. The previous owner was the Marquis of Saint-Méran, whose daughter married Villefort and died soon after.
8:31:50 44 Monte Cristo inspects his summerhouse, while steward Bertuccio grows visibly distraught. Pressed for answers, Bertuccio reveals a tangled, ominous history tied to the estate, setting the stage for confessions that deepen Monte Cristo’s unfolding designs.
9:21:53 45 Bertuccio recounts vengeance on Villefort: stabbing him at Auteuil, discovering and rescuing a buried infant, Benedetto, who grew vicious and vanished. Later, smuggling in France, Bertuccio hid in Caderousse’s inn, witnessing a sinister plot unfold.
9:54:29 46 Caderousse murders jeweler and wife, framing Bertuccio, who’s jailed until Abbé Busoni intervenes. Freed after Caderousse confesses, Bertuccio becomes Monte Cristo’s steward. Meanwhile, Benedetto, cruel from childhood, murders his adoptive mother for money, sealing his monstrous path.
10:26:00 47 Monte Cristo schemes to charm Danglars and Villefort: he overpays for Madame Danglars’s prized horses, then flaunts them pulling his coach while establishing limitless credit with Danglars, leaving the banker humbled and astonished.

Main Characters
Count of Monte Cristo/ Edmond Dantès – now fully assuming his role, manipulating Parisian society.
Albert de Morcerf – Fernand and Mercédès’s son, Monte Cristo’s key link into Parisian aristocracy.
Fernand Mondego (Count de Morcerf) – now a senator, married to Mercédès.
Mercédès (de Morcerf)– Fernand’s wife, Albert’s mother, who instantly recognizes Monte Cristo.
Baron Danglars – now a wealthy banker, ambitious, one of Monte Cristo’s main targets.
Eugénie Danglars – talented pianist, pressured toward a marriage alliance.
Heloïse de Villefort – Dominates the household intrigue; her secretive, manipulative actions drive much tension.
Valentine de Villefort – moral center, target of Heloïse’s schemes, and love interest of Maximilien Morrel.
Maximilian Morrel – son of Dantès’s former employer, a French army captain, admired by Monte Cristo.
Haydée – mysterious, dignified companion/slave who accompanies the Count in Paris society.

End of the year features: 
Horror- Songs of a Dead Dreamer, The Lottery; Classic- The Count of Monte Cristo; Absurd- Metamorphosis 

Complete Collections: 
Last Unicorn, Brothers Karamazov, Fellowship of the Ring, Winnie the Pooh, Jane Eyre, Angels and Demons, Perfume, Great Gatsby, Jekyll and Hyde, Maigret, 1984, Metamorphosis, Dracula, Don Quixote, Dorian Gray, Diary of a Young Girl, Lord of the Flies, Liar's Poker, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Great Expectations

《讀你聽》里程碑 
2021: 0 太太陪同旁聽 全配樂 無剪接 附旁述 總結 文字大綱 不定時播出 
2022: 2.0 全配樂 DaVinci剪接 小字典 作品介紹 智能主持+插畫 文字大綱 定時播出 
2023: 2.1 DaVinci, Descript, CapCut, Suno 大綱+人物介紹+字典 每周播出 
2024: 2.2 初階電容咪 Audacity, ChatGPT注解+插畫 分秒顯示 一小時内容 

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