Rating: 
Summary: A vivid and captivating story of humanity in all its forms.
Review: This 1400+ page book follows the life of Jean Valjean, a man sentenced to nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. The story begins in 1815, shortly after Jean Valjean is released from prison. He seeks lodging for the night with a bishop, but steals away the next morning with a set of valuable silver. Caught, he is brought back to the bishop, who proceeds to make him a gift of the silver, and tells him to use it to start a new life for himself. Due to constraints on review length, I will not go into a full synopsis here - I'm sure you can find a good overview of the story in one of the other numerous reviews here, but rather I will discuss some key aspects of the text.I really loved this book. Hugo's writing is excellent, and he does a superb job of tying all ends of the story together. Nothing in the book is irrelevant to the central plot, even if the connection cannot be seen immediately. Hugo captures the intricacies of human interaction, and how one event can set off a chain reaction. For example, if Monsieur Myriel, the Bishop of Digne, had not forgiven Jean Valjean for his theft and given the silver to him under the condition that Jean Valjean use it to make a better life for himself, then Jean Valjean would never have reformed. He would not have settled down, become Monsieur Madeleine, and built a fortune and good reputation. If this had not happened, then Jean Valjean would not have become connected with Fantine. He would not have become Cosette's benefactor. Cosette would have grown up with the abusive family to whose care she was entrusted, and would have lived a miserable life. She certainly would never have met Marius. This book, set in the decades following the reign of Napoleon, provides tons of information on the time period. Reading the reactions of different characters to historical events helped me better understand the differing mentalities of the era. Marius, raised by his grandfather, adopts anti-revolutionary ideas and disapproves of the Napoleon. But when Marius finally discovers the truth of his father, he switches viewpoints. His father served under Napoleon, and had beliefs in direct opposition to Marius's grandfather's. When his father dies, Marius is gripped with guilt at having shunned him. He takes it upon himself to learn all he can about Napoleon and his time, and ultimately adopts his father's philosophy, estranging himself from his grandfather. This highlights the societal rifts created by differing political viewpoints, even between family members. Hugo had two main points to make in this book. One, that every action has consequences, often surpassing expectation; and two, that life is not black and white - there are shades of grey. I have addressed the first of these with the example of the kindness shown to Jean Valjean by the Bishop of Digne. The second point is well-made via the character of Javert. The police inspector is driven by duty. For him, something is either right or wrong, with no middle ground. Jean Valjean has broken the law and must be punished. Motives and circumstances make no difference - a crime is a crime. Because of his inflexible viewpoint, Javert is shaken when Jean Valjean later spares his life. He would rather have been shot than saved by a criminal. His upheaval is compounded when he discovers Jean Valjean, carrying Marius, at the exit of the sewer. A criminal that saves not one, but two peoples' lives is incomprehensible to him. Javert fails to reach a conclusion that satisfies his strict philosophy. He cannot bring himself to condemn the man that has saved his life and asked nothing in return, but not to do so would go against what he sees as his duty. Caught between these two ideas, and unable to justify either, he throws himself into the Seine and drowns. Had Javert been able to see the world in shades of grey, he would have realized that Jean Valjean was a victim of circumstance - a good man, forced by events beyond his control to break the law. Some books are difficult to understand due to a lack of supplied background information. Les Miserables is just the opposite. For the most part I really enjoyed the book, but there are several point at which Hugo goes overboard in his description, to the point where the information isn't necessary. These sequences become tedious at times, like slogging through a deep mire. My motivation to go on was the interest I had in the central story, knowing that eventually the book would return there. Examples of such overly long tangents include the Battle of Waterloo sequence, the description of Paris street life, the history of the convent where Jean Valjean and Cosette hide, and the history of the Paris sewers. At these points it seemed almost as if Hugo were attempting to make the book into a history text, rather than a novel. On the whole, however, I was very satisfied with the book. As I have said, Hugo's writing is excellent. His detailed descriptions of everything in the story makes it come alive. Referencing specific street names in Paris gives it realism. Minute details of human interrelations are captured vividly, and one feels as if the characters are real. There were points where I felt great compassion for Jean Valjean in his nobleness despite hardship, and places where I detested Marius for his insensitivity. There were places at which I was greatly annoyed with Cosette for her naivete and submissiveness, and toward the end I even pitied Javert for his inability to resolve his internal turmoil. The invocation of such emotions in the reader are signs of a good writer. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It will remain one of my favorites for a long time to come.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST book I have EVER read
Review: All I can say is, if you don't read this book, you haven't lived. Make sure you get the full version though to get the most out of it. And yes, I know that Hugo goes off on tangents, spends far too long on the battle of Waterloo etc. But really, the rest of the book - the interwoven plots, the characters, their motivations -make up for these ten times over. The musical and movies CANNOT do justice to this masterpiece. Please, if you've seen them, make the effort to read the book - it will be well worth it. This book made me think about human nature and the definition of a "good" person for a long, long time afterwards. It is one of the few books where I have cried at the end - not just because of the ending, but because I was so moved. Anyone who gives this book less than 4 stars is a philistine. It will change your life.
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Summary: Best Book I Ever Read
Review: I saw this first, as a movie, and I liked it well enough to pick up the book. It seemed a daunting read at first, but Hugo weaves his tale so skillfully that by the end, you wish it was twice as long. It's a serious tear-jerker - the only book that has ever made me sob like a baby. Les Miserables takes you through every imaginable emotion in this uplifting classic that leaves you madly in love with life, and eager to do some good in this world.
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Summary: Wonderful classic
Review: This book is written with complete and vivid details. Hugo is long winded in his explanations and descriptions of his world and sometimes I had to grit my teeth to keep reading and not skip parts. The story however gripped me and held me to read every page, one of the greatest books I have read. If you've seen the movie and liked it you will be so much more impressed with the book it has so many more details.
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Summary: Don't let the musical fool you...
Review: I read this after having seen the musical when it was in town. I love the music. I love the story. I love it all. I bought the book and fell in love all over again. There are a few differences between the musical and the book and that's why the book is so wonderful. Once you get over the inital shock of the length of the book, you will quickly read it because you fall in love with the characters and their trials.
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Summary: KhanSmama@arabicunion.com
Review: I read all of his books and he is a very bad man - racist I would say. He is pol himself and always belittles other races, especially black and arabs. This man should be in jail, arruba shallma kebun for him. Hope I will get to him. Don't buy his racist books.
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Summary: Excellent yet slightly inaccessible book
Review: The famous Les Miserables comes in many forms, translations and editions. Mine was exactly 900 pages. I enjoyed the book very much except it's a text which you only start to appreciate about past the halfway point - so not for the impatient! Hugo's style is quite unusual for the moden reader due to his involvement in the literary movement of romanticism as well as his own ideosyncracies. For starters, today it is considered a rule of writing to "show and not tell". This is a rule Hugo breaks often. However, I personally don't find the rule to be that valid - a good telling is better than a poor showing and besides rules of literature are meant to be broken. Les Mis deals with such an epic number of characters, places and events that to show every event would take 9000 pages! Secondly, Hugo is fond of digressions, sometimes over 50 pages long, on tangents. As a result it seems that they are either ramblings irrelevant to the story or essays inserted into it. The essay-like part I don't mind but either of them are something you'll have to get used to. So overall, it's not an easy read and often you'll wonder if it's all just a useless exercise in grandiouseness. But then, the book will hit you and it will put everything you've read before into context and you'll realise how it all fits together in a sublime whole. Or at least that was my experience. It's impossible to outline the plot of Les Mis in a review as it can only really be examined after reading it. It goes in directions never thought possible and takes off again and again. Basically it's about the life of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict who reforms himself but is still pursued by the law. He represents the great virtues Hugo was trying to get across and his persecution by the world (in hundreds of shapes and forms) is the tragedy of the novel. But the novel's title is translated as "The Wretches". As such, it's main other preoccupation is with the unfortunates of French society in the early 19th century. It is here that Hugo launches on his crusade against both society's oppression and human cruelty and on a reverse crusade promoting love and compassion. There are many major characters but all can be exemplified by Cossette - a young orphaned girl mistreated by her adoptive family who are a bunch of criminals. But then, Jean takes her away and shows her life... This is a wonderful book about the depths of suffering and redemption, both on a personal and social context. Despite its many faults, I found that as soon as I finished reading it it was very moving and made all the book's faults seem to exist for a specific/sublime purpose.
Rating:
Summary: Les Miserables
Review: I read this book and I thought it was one of the best books I've EVER read! It was super. It also gives you a chance to learn a little French:) If you read this, be prepared to use a dictionary (Both French and English!) because there are some real difficult words, well, in the edition I read there was some real hard words. But I rate this with high marks!
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Summary: The word "masterpiece" does not do this book justice
Review: Perhaps the crowning achievement of all French literature, Les Miserables is truly one of the greatest novels of all-time. It is, to be sure, an immense tome -- a monolith, epic in scope, larger than life itself. Its Table of Contents lists not chapter, but BOOKS. Still, though the novel is only slightly less than 1,500 pages, it is worth every minute that it takes to read it. Clearly, the book was written in a bygone era: the "Show, don't tell" rule was assuredly not in vogue at the time. Every time a new character is introduced, Hugo gives a mini-biography of them, these sometimes being 20-50 pages long. Ditto for every new scene that is introduced: Hugo spends many pages and many words painting extremely precise, very detailed pictures of the surrounding landscape. Not only do we know where the Bishop lives, we know how many chairs he has in his house, where they are located, and each item of cutlery that goes on his dining table. This is the first such account given in the book; many more follow later. These expository passages are what make the book unique. Several of them, such as the lengthy and famous book on the Battle of Waterloo, have little to do with the basic plot of the book itself, only tying in toward the end. Given the length of these sections, and the sometimes hardly-apparent connection to the rest of the book, they are sometimes laborious to read. With that said, the reader who makes it through them is richly rewarded: it makes the following pages that involve the people and/or locales just described that much more vivid and realistic. While reading through these sections, the reader need not worry: every one of them ties into the story, eventually -- and enriches it, at that -- no matter how loosely they seem to relate to the plot at the time. Also, Hugo periodically stops to make philosophical and ideological points on the matters being described. This is a technique that we rarely see in fiction, and one that may sound like a cumbersome idea that takes away from the story's realism, Hugo makes great use of it. It enlivens and enriches the subjects he is exploring, serving to set the book up on another level. Indeed, this book can hardly be called mere fiction: it encompasses philosophy, sociology, psychology, ethics, and just about everything thing else ever besides, while also managing to be a great drama, an engaging and emotional story, and a suspenseful masterpiece. Indeed, the heart of the book's greatness lies in the contrast between these long expository passages and the dramatic action, which is some of the most suspenseful ever found in literature. It is obvious that subsequent fiction has mined the treasure chest of Les Miserables to the extent that it is not hyperbolic to say that every writer, and every piece of fiction or drama of any kind, that has come since, owes a debt, often a huge one, to this book and to Hugo. The other important part of this book is, of course, its characters. Hugo, even more than Charles Dickens, painted vibrant, lifelike, realistic characters that live and breathe, love and hate, and change as their surroundings and situations change -- and, indeed, they are full of contradictions and inconsistencies, just like real human beings. Hugo, who draws their portraits at length, draws them so well and so realistically that they almost seem real. It is hard to believe that the drama played out in this did not really happen and that the characters do not really exist; indeed, after the reader is done with the book, he or she has, no doubt, expended an emotional load. With these wonderful and believable characters and the dramatic story, Hugo guides the reader through the entire catalog of human emotions: love, hate, pity, sadness, melancholy, hope -- and everything else besides. Yes, the story is certainly melodramatic, and the reader's credulity is often stretched by its series of coincidences, but the story never fails to be engaging, vibrant, and, above all, absolutely masterful. Hugo tugs at our heartstrings. Tears flowed from my eyes at several different points while I was reading this book, particularly near the end. Few books have hit me with the totality of emotional impact that this masterful work of literature did. Quite simply put, if this book does not move you, you have no soul. A good knowledge of French history is necessary in order to fully appreciate the book: events from the Revolution of 1789 onward are continually referred to, and the political and social contexts that underlie the dramatic events of the book are essential to understand. It often blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction by vividly describing actual events and then placing the books characters squarely in the middle of them. The book is rich and complex, and the plot twists and twists and becomes endlessly entangled. So many characters are introduced that it is often hard to keep track of them all. To me, it is incredible that a human mind could come up with all of this -- the huge cast of characters, the convoluted plot, the tangle of emotions and themes. Hugo, a major political presence in his day, used this book as a canvas for his criticism of the French social order and prison system. A humanitarian in the noblest sense of the word, he was appalled at the plight of those on society's fringe, and he used this book to shining a light on their condition, and, hopefully, to help them out a little. In so doing, he created a true masterpiece that went above and beyond his intentions. It is a huge, sprawling, epic work that encompasses so many themes and emotions that a thousand-word review can never even hope to do it justice. It is a true testament to the power of the human mind.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, i guess...
Review: Les Miserables is probably one the greatest books ever written. That may be why it has lasted since it was first published in 1862. It is an important work, as it has greatly influenced other writers who came after Victor Hugo. But I'm sure you all already know this. The story is familiar and loved, so I'm not going to give another synopsis like the reviews already in place. This translation of the book is currently one of the newest and most highly praised that I know of, and compared to my old translation, it is an easier read. Not that it has been "modernized," but the writing is much more fluid and thought out than just straight translation, and shows that the he reallly understood what he was translating.
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