Les Miserables by Victor Hugo...

Submitted by Johnhfcx t3_zzubde in books

From Jean Valjean falling over-board, and being lost at sea, with his whole life flashing before his eyes. From when he was sentenced to life in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. To where he was able to successfully rebuild his life, and even become to mayor of a small town...

This book covers such and emotional and geographic scope, anyone whose actually sat down with it, will struggle not to fall in love with it.

Hugo even goes into great detail describing the battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon was finally beaten once and for all. And how, through a series of bad luck events, such as his reinforcements showing up late, whereas Wellington's arrived early, his time had finally come.

And for those of us trying the French language manuscript, it is written somewhat in an old form of French. It helps having a good French-English dictionary to hand, when working you way through it. This is such a rich text, I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants to better their understanding of French history, from the 1789 French Revolution, and subsequent terror, on to the subtleties of a world, Without smart-phones and the internet, and thus very different from today's landscape.

But the dealing with the concepts of loss, family, greed, power, and self-sacrifice, and so ideas which are still relevant today.

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bikeidaho t1_j2dl5x7 wrote

Also a great Broadway play for those of you who want the TLDR version..

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2dlp2n wrote

Yes thanks bikeidaho, there is a great musical, which is taken from the books. Thanks for reminding me!

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bikeidaho t1_j2dlu60 wrote

Lots of parts left out of the play write but over all still incredibly amazing. The music captures the emotions so well.

The movies... Eh, just didn't do the story justice.

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2dmp4u wrote

Yes, there were large chunks of the books cut out. But they often do that with movie releases I find. Still a great effort though. I think we would all agree.

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No-Push5299 t1_j2dxnfe wrote

Yeah, but the book >>>> the play. I see the play as an original work, loosely based on the novel.

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mojito_sangria t1_j2f3e0w wrote

The musical is somewhat misleading, as it may depict Javert as being assigned with the only mission of pursuing Jean Valjean in his life.

And it missed out some interactions between ABC friends, espcially between Marius the Bonapartist and others republicans

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Calm_Rays t1_j2fp8t4 wrote

Wolverine v Gladiator v Borat v Catwoman

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juan-love t1_j2dt8y5 wrote

Better still there's a great bbc adaptation

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2dvrxj wrote

Yes Juan. I saw that as well. Personally I didn't really like it. It just didn't appeal to me for some reason. I prefer the stage musical, and Victor Hugo's original text, which is actually two or three books, altogether. Although there are some versions which compile them into one!?

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juan-love t1_j2dxm9a wrote

I much preferred the book as being so much richer but as someone who just doesn't like musicals I appreciated the bbc version, although I agree it was far from perfect. I thought their war and peace adaptation hit the mark much better.

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morty77 t1_j2dw48y wrote

I read the unabridged version when I was 16 one summer. when Valjean is on his deathbed blessing cosette I literally had to stop reading to weep for the loss of such a beautiful man. 30 years later when I open to that scene, my eyes well up again. Hugo is truly a genius!

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Whaffled t1_j2fk67m wrote

Hugo never stopped grieving the death (at 19, by drowning) of his daughter Léopoldine. These emotions inform Valjean's love for Cosette.

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Hidromedusa t1_j2dqpek wrote

The chapters dedicated to the system of canals and drains in Paris... incredible book.

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2dsyuh wrote

Wow that sounds good. I think it's from when they escaped the city. I haven't got that far yet.

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Hidromedusa t1_j2du4it wrote

>Wow that sounds good. I think it's from when they escaped the city. I haven't got that far yet.

Oh, although the story is known, luckily I didn't say more! Just to say that when you finish reading this book you feel that you have received an unforgettable gift. It's one of my favorite books, and for a long time it was the best book I'd ever read.

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Nice_Sun_7018 t1_j2f31tb wrote

When I think of all the unnecessary chapters that Hugo was begged to cut out and refused, I think of how I will never read these superfluous chapters again - except for the bit about the under-city sewers. Fascinating chapters and something most of us don’t ever think about, and Hugo came in hot, so passionate about the topic. I love it.

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smolly_ho1y t1_j2doc31 wrote

This book made me fall in love with french literature. And the only book that made me shed a tear

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Fuschiagroen t1_j2e0ina wrote

It's one of my favs. The musical scratches the surface, basically just the highlights but is a good starting point for people that might be intimidated by the sheer size of this tome of a book.

I found that the depth in this book astonished me. I wasn't prepared to be totally lost in it. Lost in a good way. The depth of the characterization, the backstories of these people, just makes them unforgettable. Fantine was already a tragic figure in the musical, but my god when you read her backstory--none of which is really touched on in the musical--it makes you appreciate the despair you hear in the songs she sings in the musical (provided it's acted well).

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2e21o1 wrote

Yes in the book she dies a broken women. Head shaved and sold her body. Jean Valjean vows to look after her child, before she leaves this world. And so that is why he has a mission, before the police constable Javert finally tracks him down, and tries to get him sent back to the galleys!

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Hot_Recognition_6112 t1_j2dm6xi wrote

It is a cult-classic because of all the above reasons and my heart tells me it will be appreciated by future generations as well.

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No-Push5299 t1_j2dy8oa wrote

It's crazy how relevant the book still is (well, the prologue says it better). I also tried the original French and I agree with the dictionary's advice (it's somehow “harder” work, but absolutely worth it). It doesn't help that even today's written and spoken French are basically different languages 😆

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bhbhbhhh t1_j2dm0tu wrote

I'll need to read Bernard Cornwell's book on Waterloo to accompany the battle sequence. Likewise with Adam Zamoyski's book on the 1812 campaign for War and Peace.

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Barnacle_at t1_j2e43r6 wrote

First time I read it, I cried freely at the end.

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2e7yn7 wrote

Nice. Yes I cried when Cosette lost her mum (Fantine). But at least she had Valjean to look after her, as she grew up. They're all long dead now. But their memories keep them alive. Thanks for reading.

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TraditionalEnergy471 t1_j2e532b wrote

Oh, I love this book, but I've only read it in an English translation. I need to get my hands on a French copy, but that might take a while...

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kultsinuppeli t1_j2e6ndm wrote

Sometimes I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Was this book really good? Really?

I feel like the book is a quarter of Jan Valjean's story, a quarter of completely semirelated historical descriptions of whatever, a quarter of drawn out monologues which mostly seem to be prose for prose's sake, and a quarter of historical namedropping.

I don't think describing battles or sewer systems are positive additions to the book. Curious, sure, but why on earth are they there?

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RainbowsAreLife t1_j2exkf7 wrote

It's definitely not for everyone. One of my favorite books of all time and I always come away from a re-read observing something new about it, but yeah, the digressions are insane. There was a cheat sheet wayyyyyyy back in the earlier days of the internet (on geocities, basically) about the "beginner's guide to Les Mis" for people wanting to read the story but not the digressions. It was a really useful and handy reference for skipping anything irrelevant to the main story and cited exact chapters and chunks to bypass without missing out on anything at all. Perhaps something like that is still out there, OR you can just pick up an abridged copy to cut out the fat.

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2fqr77 wrote

Yes but you know I really like the world Hugo paints. With such colour, and the emotional journeys his cast go through. I'm only about half way through the first volume, which is itself one of two. But this book is truly massive, what's more the script is driven and remarkable. I really can't fault him for this. Leave it with me, ta.

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2e8w64 wrote

It's easy to be critical of a book you haven't read.

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kultsinuppeli t1_j2ebshe wrote

I'm sorry if the message was unclear. I did read the book through. Still think it was a mess.

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2ed6dp wrote

Okay. Well sorry if I was rude. This book really spoke to me, from the viewpoints of Valjean, and all the others. I liked it because it seemed real to me. Really spoke to me. Not to mention the beauty of French language the book was originally written in. Which I recommend you picking up a copy to read, if you haven't already done so.

I liked it because it felt real to me. I cried when the main characters died, and laughed at their jokes. Actually I've found French comedy films on dvd are so much better than their English counterparts. And I like how they call the United Kingdom Le Royaume Uni. It has such a nice ring to it. We can't all like the same stuff. Keep it civil.

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kultsinuppeli t1_j2efhn2 wrote

I think it's great that you liked it! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy people have different tastes in books.

It just feels strange that I rarely hear negative comments from people who have read through it. Maybe because it's a bit of a brick.

I find the book interesting in the historical sense, and as a view to the time and society it was written, but that's about it.

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ChrisNYC70 t1_j2e9nv9 wrote

I read this at 18 after seeing the show and was just blown away. I think I consider Les Mis to be the first real book I every read.

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QuijoteMX t1_j2evqhk wrote

One of the few books that have made me cry, I want to re read it for a while now.

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RainbowsAreLife t1_j2exmk4 wrote

One of my favorite books of all time with some of my favorite characters of all time. I first read this book when I was 14. Since then I've delved into several rereads. I'm nearly 36 now!

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mojito_sangria t1_j2f45r2 wrote

One of my favorite books in classical literature. It was an epic covering the tumultuous history of France through the scale of common people like Jean Valjean. On a social bases, it showed how an unjust society could transform a man to a criminal, a women to a prostitute and children to devastation. On a personal bases, it showed the path of redemption of Jean Valjean.

I hope that I could read the original verses in French one day.

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Pristine_Power_8488 t1_j2fnj2h wrote

For all the numbskulls posting about some version other than the BOOK, the point OP is making is that the book is a work of genius. Hugo's novels changed laws in France. That, imo, is the test of greatness--does your work affect the future constructively.

I love the part about the boy, the mudlark, who lives in the elephant. The whole book is so f-ing amazing if you don't read it, you're a deadbeat.

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run-that-shit t1_j2dxmf8 wrote

I’m still on the chapters about the bishop. Enjoying it, but I find myself googling historical people and events a lot because I’m unfamiliar with subjects like the French Revolution.

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2e19tb wrote

Yes the Bishop is in the opening chapters of the book. He lives with two ladies. One a cheerful and plump lady, who is talkative and merry. The other a slender and meek lady, who what she lacks in conversation, she makes up in godliness.

The two women take good care of the bishop. I won't spoil it for you what happens. Thanks for reading.

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Fencejumper89 t1_j2ec8nn wrote

I'm a huge fan of Hugo. Loved Les Miserables! However, in my opinion, his best book is The Man Who Laughs. If you haven't read it yet, I absolutely recommend it.

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Johnhfcx OP t1_j2edb0p wrote

Ok I will add it to my Amazon wish list thanks

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spoilt_lil_missy t1_j2f9xsx wrote

I love it! I think it’s got the greatest love story - between Valjean and Cosette - (I mean the father/daughter bond). He sacrifices pretty much everything to make sure she’s happy.

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Kapatapus t1_j2ff434 wrote

I've just gifted this to my dad for Christmas. He loves the stage show and was thrilled to receive the book.

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JanesPersuasion t1_j2fr8ns wrote

One of my all time favorites. It is one I re-read every couple of years.

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