Rating: 
Summary: Worth the effort
Review: I started the unabridged version in tenth grade and continued to read it off and on until I finaly decided to finish it this Summer (two years later from when I started it). I have never read a plot this wonderful. Hugo amazingly begins so many differant plots which all tie in together into one phenomenal end. This book shows what one act of kindness can do to a man who has nothing, and what the price of making a promise really is. And though there are lengthy parts where Hugo talks about History and philosophy, reading them only deepens the insight into the book. From the Thenardiers, and Gillenormands, to the Bishop who gives Valjean a second chance, to Fantine's horrid death, to Javert's noble act to do the right thing--not arrest Valjean--, to Jean Valjean's blessed end, I have read no greater book. I used to praise The Sound and the Fury as my favorite book, but that pales in comparison to Les Miserables' greatness. This is one book in which I feel should be required reading for the entire human race.
Rating: 
Summary: An extraordinary book, but it requires a lot of effort
Review: Hugo's classic novel, Les Miserables is an incredible novel, complicated in its construction and storylines, the novel suffers a bit from Hugo's tendency to explain in excruciating detail, though even that cannot detract from the fascinating stories that Hugo weaves, bringing to life so many deep and complicated characters. The range and depth of topics covered in the book from love to war to greed to struggles with conscience is in and of itself, mindboggling. The fact that Hugo handles all of these subjects so well is a testament to his power as a writer. Hugo was one of the most influential writers of his time and his work continues to speak to us today. Les Miserables is not one story, but many stories, all of which will captivate the reader, draw them in and create bonds between the reader and the characters. It is, quite simply a very long book and the length and complexity will no doubt discourage some. Regardless of length or the range and scope of topics Hugo attempted to touch upon, it is a wonderful read and I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Victor Hugo (or any writer for that matter) at his best!
Review: Easily one of the all-time greatest works of literature, Hugo's Les Miserables is the tale of a man, Jean Valjean, and his search for humanity. The story begins with the description of Hugo's perfect man: a minister in the church that lives on basically nothing and lives to promote the good life of others. An ex-convict, Valjean, presents himself at the minister's door one night (after he has been turned down by everyone else) and is given a room. Valjean, so corrupted by prison, robs the minister in the night and walks away with place settings and silver candlesticks. When the gendarmes bring Valjean to the minister the next day claiming that they have found a thief, the minister explains that he has given Valjean the items, they were not stolen at all. At this point Hugo introduces the theme of redemption (the minister has bought Valjean from evil, and Valjean becomes a good man) which is seen throughout the rest of the book. Some of the most memorable characters of all time are contained in the following pages: the revolutionary Marius, the beautiful Cosette, the scheming Thenardier, and Police Inspector Javert. Les Miserables is easily one of my favorite novels of all time, and I recommend it to anyone that can read. The storyline is intriguing, the characters real, the situations exciting and the impact great. I consider myself a better person for having read this book, and I honestly learned a great number of lessons from it.
Rating: 
Summary: A good story smothered by a lot of boring nothing.
Review: Maybe it's this translation, but none of the scenes that are supposed to be emotional are all that emotional. When Jean Valjean tries to decide whether or not to reveal himself and allow a condemned man to go free, it reads like a high school debate club tryouts, rather than the deepseated emotional turmoil that Hugo keeps saying is happening.Besides the deadness of language (which COULD be the translator's fault) there is also the 19th century novel pratfall of providing a lot of useless information. While the beginning with the priest is a great stand alone piece that could be published seperately (his only role in the overall narrative is to allow Jean Valjean to take money from him in order to make Jean Valjean into an honest man) the rest of the time, the asides are just dull. I didn't care about the battle of Waterloo, teh Parisian sewer systems, the exact architecture of the nunnery in Paris or Hugo's personal belief system in regards to the church and cynics. I really didn't care after reading 100 pages that had the bare minimum to do with the plot. I did care about Jean Valjean, the cop, the whore, the adopted daughter, but after 600 pages I was sick of wading through Hugo's useless filler to get to the plot. The next time I try tackling this book, I will read an abridged edition, and I recommend that everyone else does the same. This is not somethng that i usually recommend, but in this case, I have no problem doing so.
Rating:
Summary: Hugo - The Real Master of the House
Review: I'm glad to see so many young people drawn to the book via the musical or the movie versions. If there were one writer I would want to know on a personal basis via his work it would have been Victor Hugo. He must have had an enormously generous heart and spirit as evidenced by his writing. This is probably the most sympathetic, almost God-like perspective of humanity that I have ever come across in literature. And what a sweeping cyclorama Hugo portrays. From the fields of Waterloo to the sewers of Paris, Hugo's eye of god sees everything. The Waterloo passages are often discarded in the abridgements, but to me they play an important part in allowing the reader to pull back and look at things from this god-like point-of-view. The great panoramic macrocosm of history is seen in conjunction with the vivid details of Jean Valjean's microcosmic struggle. Of course the characters, which I thought were rather cleverly encapsulated in the musical, are here given their true range and scope. That Hugo loved these characters is abundantly clear. This love is absorbed by the reader. Every time Jabert comes close to capturing Jean, it is as if we were in Jean's shoes. Hugo far outshines Dickens in his depiction of lower class existence in a 19th century European city. His Paris is inhabited by much more convincing urchins. All his characters in fact, are much more believable. Dickens is much more overtly sentimental. Hugo lets the story affect the reader. There is no sense of straining to convey an effect. With Dickens, I am always aware of the puppetmaster straining to get a point across. He is a polemical writer compared to Hugo. He relies on heavy-handed bathos. Hugo remains much more in the background and we are left essentially unaware of his machinations. That's why, for me, I respond more viscerally to Hugo as I respond more depply to great art in general. My primary appeal to readers is that they don't do Hugo the disservice of reading an abridged version of this novel. You may not be all that interested in the causes behind the rebellion that led to Marius's mounting of the barricade, but I assure you you will not be bored by the lengthier version. Great writers don't waste their time on superfluous details. Every word is there for a reason. Let the Master of the House display his wares in full.
Rating:
Summary: I'd like to give this book more than 5 stars...
Review: I'm twelve, and at the end of my sixth grade year, and this is the best book I ever read. When I recieved the book, I was a bit surprised by the large amount of pages, but not at all about to give up. The beginning's a bit slow, and may be difficult to understand at first, but once you get into the storyline...well...I'll just say I loved this book so much that it took me four days to finish it. If you've seen the play, you've got to read the book. The book includes a lot of information that wasn't in the play, and is the best book in existence.
Rating:
Summary: I'd like to give Les Miz a higher rating...
Review: I am in sixth grade, and this was the best book I've ever read. I am involved in a program which studies popular Broadway performances, and learns the various songs in them. One of our plays was Les Miserables. I thought the play was quite interesting, so I decided to read the book. The play, I thought was good, but the book is far better, since it includes a prodigious amount of information not in the play. I finished the book in four days. Although some would consider the amount of pages too much, I wouldn't let that stop me. If you do, you have no idea what you're missing out on.
Rating:
Summary: What a Great Read!
Review: I wanted to say being 17 this book was at first intimidating but I got through it during my sophomore year in high school at only 15. I recomend this book to anyone who is interested in human nature and the changable and unchangable aspects of how we think and react to things that are different and strange to us. I wish anyone who reads this good luck and keep at it because it will be one of the best books you will evr read! HAPPY READING!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I Ever Read
Review: Les Miserables is one of the best books ever written. It contains all the elements of a superior novel; fantastic character descriptions, an unpredictable plot, internal and exterior character struggles, and a myriad of intricate details that lead to a happy ending. The reader finds themself swept away in Jean Valjean escaped from Javert and Cossette's beauty and good humor triumphing over her unhappy circumstances. Alone, each character's story is intriguing, but when Hugo contects the lifes of these character, the novel becomes mermizing. The overlapping details and intricacy of novel leave the reader with an insatiable hunger for more. I could not put this book down. The reader is constantly wonder how the next plot twist will effect the characters and the book's final outcome. I throughly enjoy this book and have read it more than once. With each time I re-read it, I learn more about the connections of the characters and I obtain a deeper understanding of the novel. Hugo captures the essence of 19 th century France and allows the reader to be transported into Jean ValJean and Cossette's world. Even though the size of the book can be daunting, I highly recommend reading and re-reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: reading perfection
Review: I finished this book about two years ago, and I still remember the empty feeling I had after I had read the last page. It had become another world to me, a place to escape, and now it was over. Hugo took me back in time to 19th century france, and into the lives of people who were crafted so well that they seem real. Jean Valjean, a long-time convict trying to set his life straight. Javert, the police inspector, relentlessly pursuing Valjean for the theft of a coin from a small boy.Fantine, a poor single mother forced to work her life away to support her child,Cosette, who is being cared for by the greedy Thenardiers(sp?) who constantly abuse Cosette, then petition her mother for more money. I don't want to ruin the reading experience by revealing too much of the plot with my inferior words. I was amazed at the skill with which this story was told, and even the sections of the novel dedicated to expressing Hugo's views, and describing the setting were, for me, a pleasure to read. This book will make you laugh, cry, and sometimes frustrate you to no end. Les Miserables is the epitome of the word "classic."
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