Rating: 
Summary: loved it, loved it, loved it, got sick of it.
Review: When I first read this book, it affected me deeply - turned my view of the world inside out; made me want to give away all my worldly possessions and devote myself to helping my fellow people. It truly felt like a religious epiphany. So I read it again and again and again. Probably, this was my mistake.
By the sixth time through, I had lost the sense of wonder and open-hearted inspiration that the book had originally blessed me with. Instead I was seeing the glaring flaws: the overblown language, the silly, empty love story between Cosette and Marius (why do these two fall in love, exactly, other than because each finds the other good-looking?) and the convenient plot devices (how is it that the same five or six characters keep running into eachother all over France, by sheer coincidence?).
The heart of the book is the conversion of Valjean from sinner to saint, his battles with his own conscience, and the ongoing, perfectly-matched struggle between him and Javert, an equally virtuous but hidebound man who - unlike Valjean - is too far gone to accept divine grace even when it whacks him over the head. The remainder of the book consists mainly of fancy speeches, a background portrayal of a suffering, oppressed people, and a lot of silly romantic tripe. Fortunately, there are some memorable characters (Eponine, Gavroche, Thenardier) to illuminate the pages. My biggest complaint concerns the character of Cosette, a young woman for whom so much has been sacrificed. Her mother gave up her dignity, her health, and finally her life to keep this child alive - and then Valjean took over and also gave up everything for her sake, time and again. And yet, what kind of girl did they raise? Cosette is supposed to be a likable character (and perhaps by mid-1800 standards she was), but in fact she's a silly, frivolous young lady who obsesses over her clothes, falls in love with a man solely because of his appearance, and tops it all off by heartlessly rejecting her elderly, loving father merely because her husband objects to him. She never says a single thing revealing of a worthy character, simply walks around looking elegant and lovely and possessed of charming mannerisms. Her parents were strong-willed, noble people who consistently Did The Right Thing... so, what a shame that Cosette turned out to be not worth their sacrifice. (Oh, I know... Cosette's behavior probably has something to do with Hugo's patronizing cultural and religious bias - he probably had absorbed the notion that a man's virtue is judged on its own merits, while a woman's virtue is judged by how well she pleases her husband. I suppose that in Hugo's eyes, Cosette's instant abandonment of poor, sick Valjean at her husband's request was proof of her goodness and wifely virtue. Still, readers of today - who hopefully expect more from the female half of the population than blind obedience in the name of love - cannot help but be disgusted by her behavior, and more so by Hugo's positive attitude toward this 'wifely submission'). I recommend this book to everyone for its depth, humanity and sweeping plot. Concentrate on Valjean and Javert and try to ignore the icky stuff. And don't read it too many times.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This book was great! Its size scared me at first, but once I actually opened it, I realized that this book is EXCELLENT! It is full of human emotion, passion, drama... basically, everything that makes you want to keep coming back. It tells a great story, makes you reflect on society, and gives you the motivation to open your eyes. HIGHLY recommended!
Rating:
Summary: "The Best Edition to be Found"
Review: This complete and unabridged edition of Victor Hugo's masterpiece, "Les Miserables," which is based upon Lee Fahnestock and Norman Macafee's rendition of Charles E. Wilbour's classic version, is the best edition to be found. The translation is smooth, the typeface is easy to read, and the price is very affordable. The work itself is the most enduring and sought after of all of Hugo's writings, but not likely his best. The "Hunchback of Notre Dame" may be said to rival and even surpass "Les Miserables." However, the depth, the insight, the idea of providence, progress, and revolution, all contrasted with the young and the old, the beautiful and the ugly, the happy and the miserable, makes for an invigorating, engrossing, and sometimes, disturbing read. This monumental classic is reading for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: The Miserable [People]
Review: I read this first last March/April. Got it from the library. I thought it was a very good story. Then at a friend's house I watched a French movie of the book from 1935. It took me several sittings to watch it because it was REALLY long, but suddenly a lot of things clicked and I realised I'd missed a lot in the story, so I went and bought a copy of the book to re-read. A friend sent me a tape of the musical too but I'll review THAT separately. Over the past six months I've been reading the book again. And what I have to say... is this... It IS a very long book. Incredibly detailed. Victor Hugo tends to wander off on tangents... about Waterloo, the slang of the streets, a fanatical order of nuns, or various types of people you encounter in the city. But if you can keep your head above that deep water, which isn't hard if you're paying attention, the parts involving the main characters are unbelievably good. Jean Valjean is a released convict who, through the help of a priest, devotes the rest of his life to God and helping others. He is one of the most unselfish, loving characters I have ever encountered in literature. By no means perfect, but a wonderful man. He becomes mayor of a town, using a different name, and meets Fantine, a young woman who has a child staying in a different town. She is very poor and sacrifices her hair, her teeth, and finally herself to get money to pay for the child's keep. When she dies, Jean Valjean promises to take care of her child. After a series of unfortunate events, he is finally able to keep that promise. He finds Cosette at the inn where her mother had left her and takes her away with him. This is a very powerful, moving story, particularly when read quickly instead of over the course of six months. I recommend it. It is a fascinating look into the soul, a study of several very different characters, and historically informative too... so read it and be moved and enlightened.
Rating: 
Summary: CONTINUITY??!!
Review: By the time Victor Hugo completed Les Miserables he was 60 years old, back in France from a lengthy exile and considered a national "Hero". And from what I read he was also a nasty ... who never let his novels get edited, and there lies the problem.
I believe it was because of his fame that V.H. got away with publishing this mountain of a book.
But just an aside, I never saw the Broadway show, I never saw the movies, so I went into this novel untainted and expecting nothing. But what I got was just plain annoyed. This book is about 1,500 pages, of that about 1000 pages are not really needed to tell the tale of Les Miserables, these other 1000 pages are a history lesson or V.H. spin on the air of France at this turbulent time in history; that would be wonderful if you were a history buff or liked to know about France's political atmosphere, but for me, as I'm sure like many others, we were just interested in the story of the people and their plight, it didn't matter if this book took place in France, these people could have lived in Turkey or China. People and their emotions don't change with geography.
Actually, I believe that V.H. sat and pontificated with his pen about the superiority of the French people and all the bells and whistles that are associated with their history. That is perfectly fine, but I was more interested in Jean, Cossette, and Javert. I now realize why there was an abridged version to this book, and had I known then when I know now I would have picked that version up instead.
If this was V.H. first novel and he was not well known and just came in off the street, those editors would have tore his manuscript to pieces. I like continuity of a story, and this novel went off on too many tangents to where I felt cheated >:-(
My opinion as to why many people loved this book was because they were so enamored with the play and the story that they already had a positive bias toward this book.
Not one of my favorite classics...sorry to offend. The story was great, but the fat in between has to go.
Rating:
Summary: Les Miserables
Review: Hugo is brilliant. I've read this book countless times, and find new insight in it every time. I continue to be incredibly impressed with his chapter about Cosette and her discovery of her own beauty- how real and (especially for a man) insightful it is. Two of the truest lines I've ever heard: (upon the discovery of her beauty) "...she perceived, however indistinctly, that she was armed." "Women play with their beauty like children with a knife, and sometimes cut themselves."
There is a chapter in which Cosette reads a letter that Marius has deposited in her garden, and it is full of beautiful, (I know I'm overusing this word, but there isn't a thesaurus handy and it's the perfect word for this book) insightful prose about love, the discovery of it, the joy of it, and the pain that comes when it is threatened.
Gavroche, the endearing gamin, is extremely funny in the quaint, charming way that is very classic, very Parisian, very Hugo.
The tragic deaths of almost all of the main characters are beautiful and poignant, and the descriptions of the ABC society (the young student revolutionaries) are wonderful.
The only qualm I have about this book is Hugo's slightly overdrawn descriptions, but they are hardly sufficient reason to overlook this treasure.
Please read this book, you'll be overjoyed that you did.
Rating:
Summary: The Frenchman's Masterpiece
Review: This is the most sweeping, epic and historical novel ever written. It is sheer perfection. It is full of romance gained, romance lost and the romance felt deep inside every man, the romanticism of love of country, liberty and freedom. It's full of heroism and horror, deception, betrayal, dissapointment and heartache. Valjean is redeemed by a man he beats and steals from and he is miraculously changed around and goes on the most wonderful transformation, even on the run from the devious and sinister, unrelenting Javert , Prefect of Police. Marius and Enjolres are inspiring in their energetic and brave characters. The innocence of childhood, Eponine and Cosette both and the Friends Of the ABC. This is a dark and mysterious, thirlling and suspensful, the scene when Marius is just a thin wall away when Valjean and Cosette are next door with the Thenardiers has me covered in goose bumps as I balance on the edge of my seat. This is a truly magical and inspired novel, suitable for all ages, recommended for all ages and is required reading for anyone who read this review. I want you to read it and e-mail five double spaced word processor pages on just how wonderful a perfect masterpiece this is.
Rating:
Summary: Urgent, MUST-READ for all who love God, citizenry, animals
Review: This is a brilliant work of literary art with which the reader can, like experiencing a fine painting, examine and meditate upon the prismatic content in each paragraph and come away spiritually moved. While reading, imagine Hugo's work being conveyed to you by the greatest orator you can conjure and it really comes alive with immeasurabble profundity. Thank you, Victor Hugo for sharing with us your sheer genius, gifts, talents! Rest In Heaven Gracefully . . . for eternity!
Rating:
Summary: Life transforming
Review: The other reviews go into so much detail, suffice it to say that reading this book, though it does take persistence, will literally transform and enlighten your soul, as well as give you back a piece of your humanity.
Rating:
Summary: Simply incredible
Review: "Les Miserables" is the greatest piece of literature ever written, hands down. I read the book when I was 13 and enjoyed it as much as a 13 year old could. I finished rereading it again today, 11 years later. Now that I have 11 years more experience with world literature, I can stand by my original assessment of the novel: it is simply brilliant. Hugo's characterizations are unparalleled. No one who reads the book could forget Valjean's spiritual awakening and the deep sacrafice made at the end, Javert's relentless pursuit of Valjean and what happens to him when he finds his belief system is fallible to say the least, Marius and Cosette's love, Thernadier's scheming, Enjolras' spark of leadership, Eponine's pathetic state, or Gavroche's kindness to his brothers and fearless death scene. The images and themes will continue to haunt me throughtout my life, and I look forward to reading the book again in 10 years and seeing how age will change it again.
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