Les Miserables (Signet Classics)Author: Victor Hugo
Published By: Public Domain
Date Published: 1862
Genre: Classic
Pages: 1488
Recommended For: Adults
Review By: K
Rating: 5
Purchased eBook on Amazon
Summary (From Amazon):
Victor Hugo's towering novel of Jean Valjean, his unjust imprisonment, and his lifelong flight from a relentless police officer.
K's Thoughts:
Ok, YES this book is very long. Yes, there are tangents about historical nonsense that just barely tie into the plot line. I think they are more like interludes to the next section rather then actual content to the book. BUT its Les Mis! If you are like me and want to read the whole, unadulterated version of this classic, I say go for it! The writing style is very classic, by that I mean complex- you do actually have to pay attention to keep the characters straight and stay focused. I would almost compare it to Lord of the Rings in the sense that it is almost overly descriptive. I found myself constantly wanting to skip paragraphs to get to the next moment in the story line. The writing is beautiful and thought provoking- get your highlighter ready before you read, this one has some amazing quotes you wont want to forget.
That being said, I also tried out a few of the abbreviated versions and found them to cut too much. Perhaps a good happy medium would be to get the unabridged version, start at the beginning and skim just the historic spots- kind of self abridge if you must.
Overall, I feel I gained alot of the story that is missing in the Opera. I loved learning more about each of the characters and feeling the emotion that doesn't stem from music, but from drama and rich character development. Don't expect to be able to breeze through the pages, give yourself plenty of time to whittle through this one and I have a feeling you will love it. I know I did.
Parents/Content:
Language: 1 B word, 8 A words, derrogatory words for prostitute, old english swear words.
Adult Content: Um, yes... lots. Prostitution, child abuse, stealing, cheating, escaping convicts, hiding out, wars... and thats just the first half.
Violence: Yes, see above adult content.
2 comments:
I picked up a copy of this, free for my Kindle, but have yet to start it. There are so many classics that I've never read, or haven't read in so many years, that I simply don't know where to start.
Looking forward to this one.
Hurray you finished it! Love love love that book.
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