From Goodreads: Victor Hugo’s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty. A compelling and compassionate view of the victims of early nineteenth-century French society, Les Misérables is a novel on an epic scale, moving inexorably from the eve of the battle of Waterloo to the July Revolution of 1830.My Thoughts:
- It took me 2 weeks, but I did it! I read Les Miserables!!! 896 pages!!! It was an amazing journey!
- There are no words to describe the depth and feeling this story holds. I will try to do my best, but there isn't enough time for me write ALL my thoughts for this book.
- If this is the abridged version, I don't even want to see the original. Can you get an unabridged version of this book in English?
- The whole theme of redemption and soul searching is powerful and moving.
- I thought this would be hard to read and hard to understand, but it wasn't. It was actually a really fun and great read! There were some slow parts mixed in with the exciting and interesting parts, but it wasn't too bad.
- The story would have gone smoother without a back story of EVERY character. I enjoyed learning the history of a lot of characters, but there were some I just thought tedious.
- There was a lot of French politics, and I didn't understand or care about a lot of it.
- The characters were wonderful! Each one was so well thought out and so complicated. I loved them all! All except Thenardier, I hate that awful awful man!
- I feel so bad for Javert. He is one of my favorite characters because his personality is so complicated. He isn't a bad guy; he is just doing his job and what he feels is right. He wants to bring justice. He doesn't believe in forgiveness or redemption at all! It is so sad! His confusion at the end is so heart breaking.
- Jean Valjean is an amazing man! One can only hope to be a man/ human being to his equal.
- I kept singing/hearing the music from the the play in my mind while I read different scenes.
- I wish there had been more Eponine. She wasn't in the book very much. I wish we got to see some of the story from her perspective.
- The emotions and descriptions were very deep and thorough. I felt so much during this journey, and my heart just ached! I didn't mind how descriptive most things were, but I just didn't care for the politics and other things.
- If you have the courage and time to read this novel, I highly recommend it!! It was amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is worth the time!
- I feel like my thoughts are insufficient for this masterpiece. I really just can't put how I feel about this story into words. It is a beautiful tale!
- I just want to go out into the world and do some good now!
Congrats on finishing it! I hope to tackle this one someday.
ReplyDeleteWay to go! I too love Javert and feel so bad for him! Awesome recap of this book. It's been a long time since I read it, but I remember loving it then, and that was BEFORE musical fame! :)
ReplyDeleteYou can get the unabridged in English. I own it :) Its a little over 1400 pages. In very small font. If you think the abridged had a lot of politics, the unabridged is worse! He rants about a few more topics like education and convents for like 20-30 pages. LOL one of the things I loved was knowing the back story for every character! I loved this book and all the characters, too. Great review.
ReplyDeleteI read a shorter abridged version in school (about 500 pgs). I loved it. I'd like to read the full version some day. Javert was a favorite as well. I quite disliked Marius and Cosette in the books. I've sneered at A Heart Full of Love in the musical ever since.
ReplyDeleteWow. 2 weeks?! It took me a few months to read it...and I LOVED it...but there were some really long boring bits. :) I read the unabridged version though, that probably made some difference. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing. It was pretty darned amazing, wasn't it? I think it's the most powerful book I've ever (and probably will ever) read. Even with the boring bits included. :)