Dark as hell, strong as death, sweet as love

When I was very young, I came across a book by Alexander Dumas called "The Count of Monte Cristo".

For those who haven't read the book, the main protagonist is Edmont Dantes. It is set in the time of the mid 19th century in France; Napoleon has been exiled and political intrigue is at its height. At its core, the book is about love, betrayal, revenge and forgiveness.

I've always loved this book. It is complicated, and one that should be read again. It is not something that can be finished in one reading. Wikipedia in fact has a chart showing all the characters in the book and their relation to one another. Films made on this book have fallen short of the true genius that comprises this genre - but there is a good mini series made by the French starring Gerard Depardieu which does some justice to the novel.

Dark as hell, strong as death, sweet as love - Old Turkish Proverb

I came across this for the first time in my recent trip to Nainitaal, Uttaranchal (Devbhoomi) outside a coffee shop on Mall Road. I thought it was very profound, particularly since death was attributed to be "strong". A bit of research saw that it was actually an old Turkish proverb, though there is some dispute. However, whatever it may be, I thought that it best describes the range of emotions that one sees in the Count of Monte Cristo, which I would strongly recommend to anyone and everyone who has yet not read the book.