Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8031 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-24
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1232 pages

About the Author
Victor Hugo was born in 1820. He was one of France's greatest poets, dramatists and novelists. During his lifetime he produced twenty volumes of poetry, nine novels and ten plays. He was deeply concerned with the social and political developments ofhis time and his outspokenness eventually forced him to leave France until 1870 when he was elected to the national assembly. Norman Denny was educated at Radley College.

Customer Reviews

If you thought Classics were 'boring', think again
I decided to read 'Les Miserables' more out of a challenge to myself than anything else. I honestly thought it was going to be one of those 'boiled cabbage' books that taste pretty dull but are very good for you. I could not be more wrong. From the first chapter, I was surprised by Hugo's sense of humour and sharpness. His take on the clergy and their not-so-humble lifestyle set the tone of the book and acted as a promise that it wasn't going to be a 'tour de force' of morals and religion.

And then it just got better, and better, and better. The plot had more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie's novel, the characters far more rounded than the two-dimensional figurines one encounters in Dickens' writing. These characters are memorable. Jean Valejan, Cosette, Marius, the evil Javert: I dare you readers to find a book in which the characters become so alive, so vivid, so intense and so human. By the end of the book (almost 1000 pages of!)you just don't want to let them go. I frantically read and read for days until, almost at the end, I slowed down and tried to make it last a little bit longer, and yes, when the last page was turned, I felt totally and utterly BEREFT. Les Miserables is a story that will stay with me forever. If classics ever put you off, do yourself a favour, and read this wonderful novel.

Warning!
This particular book is the ABRIDGED edition! This is fine if you are happy to read the 'lite' version as seen in the musical show. If you want to read the more complex and fascinating book that Hugo actually wrote make sure you are getting the whole thing!

Beautiful
This book is complexly written and with extremely diverse vocabulary - both in english and in the french excerpts within this book. The theme of sorrow is developed and converged from various angles in an elegant portrayal that recurs on several ocassions. The overall result: thought provoking self-diagnoses that leaves the reader inspired (if not over-whelmed) by the author's vivid imagination. The author has delicately intertwined religion, politics, love, vengeance, suspense, sorrow and various other themes in an altogether historic France...simply beautiful. Indeed one of the greatest books ever written.