Rating: 
Summary: read it - you'll be glad you did
Review: This must look so boring to anyone looking up these reviews, all 5 stars, very few dissenters. i suppose this is because anyone not interested in the book smply doesn't read it. Some bits, like the Battle of Waterloo were a bit tedous, but nothng takes away from the whole book. I just had to keep readng till I was finished. I was crying so much at the last page, i could hardly read. I saw a film version of it about a year ago, and I remember thinking that it was nothing compared to the book. I'm going to see the musical next February in Dublin for my 19th birthday and can't wait. This book is just the best, stick to it and no harm can come to you by reading it all. the characterisaton is amazing
Rating:
Summary: Deep and fascinating
Review: All the commentaries on "Les Miserables" that I have read point out that the main theme of it is that man can change. That, indeed, is something I get from this book, but the more important idea I see is that man HAS to be able to change in order to live. It is absolutely essential. The two main characters, Jean Valjean and Javert, are really not so different from each other in most respects. Both have flaws that deserve disapproval and virtues worthy of respect. The one difference between them, the one that makes them total opposites of each other, is that Valjean is capable of change while Javert is not. Valjean was horribly punished for a minor offense; he leaves jail bitter and hateful towards humanity. An act of kindness shows him that he is wrong in that respect; that the world, harsh and unjust as it can be, should not be hated outright. When presented with proof of his error in the face of the Bishop of Digne who trusts him and gives him a blessing to start a new life, Valjean changes from a bitter and ruined man into a success story; everything he touches turns to gold. Ultimately, by the time he dies, he has achieved everything anyone could hope to achieve. Javert, on the other hand, cannot do that. He firmly believes that "once a thief, always a thief". He does not believe in reform. He remembers Valjean as a criminal; having encountered him years later, as the Mayor of a town which he singlehandedly revived as a successful center of industry, Javert only sees the convict he guarded ten years ago. He is blind to all else, as are all fanatics. When Valjean has the chance to kill Javert with complete impunity, something that would be reasonable from the security standpoint and understandable as revenge for years of torment, he lets him go; this is the final, incontestible proof that even someone like Javert cannot ignore. This demolishes a system of beliefs that guided him his whole life, much like the Bishop's act of mercy demolished the hate Valjean nursed for 19 years. But while Valjean was able to change his views and profit by it, Javert cannot. Valjean's kindness toward his tormentor presents the latter with something he did not believe existed - a kind convict. Unable to incorporate this new entity into his world-view, Javert takes the only course of action open to him - he commits suicide. This seems to me to be an act of cowardice of the worst sort - die rather then admit error. This lack of flexibility did not allow him the option of putting this new knowledge to use and, therefore, caused his destruction. That, in my opinion, is the main theme of "Les Miserables".
Rating:
Summary: Les Miserables is a MUST READ
Review: Les Miserables in definitely in the top five books I've ever read. If you've seen the recent movie, don't let that stop you from reading the real thing. The movie does not do this book justice.This book is an absolutely riveting story of bitter convict transformed through an act of kindness into a most humble and generous man. However, Jean Valjean cannot, or more appropriately, society will not allow him to break free from his past. Just an absolutly fantastic book that will evoke strong emotion and possibly cause yourself to search your soul over societal questions and issues. If you've ever even thought just a little bit about reading this book - DO IT. Read the unabridged version. Don't let editors decide what to leave out. You can always skim the parts that don't interest you.
Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorite radio works and a superb adaptation
Review: This recording is a treasure on any number of levels. It is an excellent realization of the original novel (unlike, say, the flat and uninvolving 1998 motion picture), which provides a wonderful additional window on the material to audiences familiar mostly with the stage musical. In particular, it includes a number of priceless moments neglected in the musical version, and makes time for a certain amount of the philosophical musing which is hard to pack into an up-tempo dance number. It is, in my opinion, among Orson Welles' very best works for the radio, and features superlative work from him as a writer, director and actor (the work is all the more spectacular when you realize that it was all done live, in front of the mike, in one "take"). His script is a study in the use of the radio medium, and the performance is a joy to listen to. There have been a great many renditions of Les Miserables: good, bad and indifferent. This is one of the best; go buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Above and beyond any piece of literature that I've read!
Review: Being 15 years old, I thought I had read some heavy literature. When I read Les Mis, I was absolutely breathless! I don't often get emotionally attatched to books, but I felt like I was losing a parent when that book went back to the library! Exceptional! I recommend it to anyone who thinks to undertake the lengthy, yet well-worth it, task of reading this piece of heaven.
Rating:
Summary: Worth every minute, every page, every accolade it gets
Review: Bar none, Les Mis is the BEST book I have ever read. I don't usually like very descriptive writers (i.e. Thomas Hardy), but even the in-depth writing of the French Revolution kept me glued. I carried this book with me everywhere and read every minute I could. I truly felt Valjean's emotions through Hugo's writing, and I was rooting for Marius and Cosette even though I already knew the story! The best book ever written.
Rating:
Summary: The most moving story ever
Review: Les Miserables is by far the most sublime and touching works that I have ever had the privilege to read. Every character was portrayed as if they were real people, and I felt emotions towards each one. I also enjoyed the author's departure from the main story, even though they were a bit drawn out at times. For modern readers, I feel that this helps to explain many aspects of the Paris in the story which provide valuable insights into the characters' actions and beliefs. Even to this day, I still pull out my copy and read sections of the book just to relive parts of the story. I highly recommend this book to every reader!
Rating:
Summary: The Most Meaningful book everwritten to Express Human Nature
Review: I wrote this Speech in English class to Express my feelings about this book... My father bought me this book for my birthday, Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. At first my father was skeptical about my reading the book and he thought he had made a mistake in giving me such an advanced book. He told me that Les Miserables was a complicated book and had a tremendous meaning to it. He was afraid I wouldn't be able to understand it. I have recently finished reading the book. It took me six months to read the book and I loved every moment of it. I took a new approach to the way I think, now I am more a philosopher than a mediocre thinker. Behind the plot of the story there was a great meaning of what life is all about and human nature. I is not only the main character searching for justice but about the world living one terrible lie. The book touches fragile aspects of crime, love, poverty, and the meaning of life and death. Sometimes life is unfair and you cannot change the way it is, but make the best of it. Things I have Learned What is justice? Anyone, would say it is what the law says and how people abide by it. A man caught stealing money from the poor should in fact go to jail. A man who has killed should also be executed. But what about morals? A man who steals bread to feed his starving family goes to jail. A man kills an man who attacks and threatens the lives of his family goes to jail. This changes the scenario, but who is really the convict? This idea put me to think. Is it okay to overlook the good thief and punish the bad thief? No, its not just to either one of them. The just to do would be to punish them both, but then the innocent suffer. This book has well over a thousand themes. Each one uniquely different towards the reader, but there is a principal message behind the book, the Miserable's name is mankind. No matter in what society, region, or country, they are all still affected by the same kind of miseries.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling and Full of Truth
Review: Victor Hugo's Les Miserables touched me far deeper than any book I have ever read. Fantine's struggle was descibed to a tear, and I could actually feel the transformation Jean Valjean was going through. The depictions are wonderful, and although I am only 14 and "inexperienced", I think that Les Miserables is and ever shall be, the best book written.
Rating:
Summary: My one obsession
Review: Yes it's long, yes it's about the miserable...BUT IT's FANTASTIC! Read it, on a rainy day! it's the best book. It's a classic story, and it's the best. It's better then the musical, which is hard to beat...
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