The best book I've read thus far.
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For those intimidated by the length and epic scale of Hugo's magnum opus, you need not be afraid. Whilst reading Les Misérables I was pleasantly surprised by the fluidity and pace of the narrative. It took me no longer than a month to finish the novel, and I became completely engrossed and enamoured by the story. A story covering a wide array of important social issues as well as those issues that lie close to the heart - love, death, hope, redemption and tolerance. All of these are apparent throughout the tale, and told with wonderful style and enormous beauty from that great master of romanticism - Victor Hugo. Some may find his unapologetically florid, overtly poetical language overbearing, I, personally, found it refreshing and a joy to read. Les Misérables is a book you will not find a chore to finish (save for the lengthy Waterloo - only the last part is worth reading - and convent digressions, which some may find interesting, but I found tiresome). You will feel France as you move from Provence at the beginning of the book, to the city of Paris towards the latter half of the book, and will feel a certain connection to the characters as if they were real people - Jean Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, Marius and countless others are truly unforgettable characters, creative inventions few other authors, both past and present, could match. The fact they are 'real' characters and not idealised in any way, but awash with both flaws and qualities, adds to the beauty of Les Misérables - a tale both heartrending and humorous, zealously exciting and quaintly pleasant. You will not be disappointed. I promise, and I urge you read Norman Denny's translation, which retains the style and beauty of the original.
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a lifetime marsterpiece
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I read this book for the first time after being told about the story by a teacher, when I was 13. None of my family thought I would comprehend such a huge and intense book at such a young age. Victor Hugo's style, however, was so good that I quickly fell in love with the book. I am now 29 and it is still the most amazing book I ever read. This is one of those books that you can lose yourself in time and time again...Victor Hugo is a genius!
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Wonderful, except for the digressions
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What can I say about this mammoth novel, which has taken me longer to read than any other book of fiction while still reading at least some pages every day?
It is a colossal, moving and colourful work, filled with some of the greatest figures in French literature. It has drama, pathos, love, hate, cruelty, duty, revolutionary excesses and aristocratic narrowmindedness. The features that for me prevent it being a total success are the lengthy digressions, covering Waterloo, argot, monastical conventions and even the history of sewers and the volume of excrement in Paris. These slow the story down and do become tiresome. The tiresome antics of the revolutionaries on the barricades also grated, they seeming to be more interested in the glamour rhetoric and glory of the act of defiance, rather than a genuine drive for social justice. These digressions at one point slowed me down to a point where I was reading barely half a dozen pages a day and I did almost give up on it at one point. But I knew I wanted to find out what happened to Valjean and Cosette and I am glad I did, sad though the ending was. A monumental work.
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Another Classic Novel By Hugo
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Les Misérables is a suberb classical novel which has stood the test of time. It's cleverly composed prose juxtaposed with the plot place it in the category of the all-time greats. Admittedly it does get slightly depressing in parts, but it adds to the effect of what Hugo was trying to achieve in portaying 19th century France. I may be wrong but I thought the story was an allegory for the real state of France at that time. Prior knowledge of France at this time would be useful but not essential. I say this because the chapters surrounding the battle of waterloo get confusing and knowledge of the Napoleonic era would make it less perplexing.Nonetheless, as previously stated, this knowledge is not essential as I got along fine. Basically the plot follows Jean Valjean, a released convict who was imprisoned for 19 years for stealing bread for his starving family. It folows his rise and fall as Mayor of Montriel-Sur-Mer, progressing through to his journeys as a vagabond. A great classic recommended to everyone fond of archaic literature
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A great literary masterpiece and a fine French history lesson!
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Les Miserables is justifiably known as a great literary masterpiece. However, I had hitherto neither read the book nor seen the show. I am now so pleased that I have read the book before seeing the show and I am sure that I will enjoy the latter so much more through having enjoyed so greatly the former. This edition, translated by Norman Denny, runs to more than 1,200 pages and Mr Denny makes the point in his introduction that Victor Hugo's original contains 'digressions,' meaning that, to some readers at least, certain sections of the book, maybe some 100 pages or more in total, may appear to 'digress' from the principal 'plot.' But even the 'digressions' are valuable, for they give to the less knowledgeable - such as myself - a fine lesson in French history, as does the 'plot' itself. Victor Hugo takes the reader through some of France's most turbulent times, from before the Revolution of 1789, through the Empire of the first Napoleon, and to and beyond the further Revolution of 1848. If one were wanting to be flippant, it would appear that the French were for ever revolting and for ever at the barricades. I do not wish to be flippant, however, and this great tome charts the progress or otherwise of French affairs through the late eighteenth and early to mid-nineteenth centuries with inimitable flair and profound knowledge, for the author lived through most of it, even suffering temporary exile from France when he crossed the authorities of Napoleon III. It is against the background of such ongoing turbulence (which explains so much of later French history) that the immensely moving and complicated tales of Jean Valjean and Cosette and Marius and all of the other larger-than-life characters are told. To those readers with the willingness to spend more than the average time on a tremendous and unforgettable work, this is for you. Read it and then see the show!
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