Les Miserables - Simon & Schuster

by Victor Hugo, Jean E. Peyrazat (Editor)

“He was no longer Jean Valjean, but No. 24601”

Victor Hugo’s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty. A compelling and compassionate view of the victims of early nineteenth-century French society, Les Misérables is a novel on an epic scale, moving inexorably from the eve of the battle of Waterloo to the July Revolution of 1830. Norman Denny’s introduction to his lively English translation discusses Hugo’s political and artistic aims in writing Les Misérables.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Paperback

Published January 1, 1967

About the author

After Napoleon III seized power in 1851, French writer Victor Marie Hugo went into exile and in 1870 returned to France; his novels include The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) and Les Misérables (1862).

This poet, playwright, novelist, dramatist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, and perhaps the most influential, important exponent of the Romantic movement in France, campaigned for human rights. People in France regard him as one of greatest poets of that country and know him better abroad.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Quite possibly a new favorite book. Political, religious, societal, and other topical rants included, unabridged, tell this interwoven tale so well.

I could go on, but you already have so much book to read ahead of you. Best to get started now.

[Phil Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can be said about this masterpiece? Picking it up to read is almost like giving yourself a homework assignment- it is a book that tells you it must be read. And, the well-known story is remarkable. Hugo's studied and lengthy descriptions of specific areas or events (the Battle of Waterloo, the sewers of Paris..) are as vibrant as anything written then or since. So, the self-assigned "homework assignment" becomes a reader's delight. And, what remains for the reader is a treasure to be tucked away in a safe place or kept under your hat.

[Rotraut Kohlberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zeitweise sehr langatmig...

[YY reads]

still working through the original Brick, but in the meantime...

[victor hugehoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a very good but heavily abridged version. RIP the handkerchief scene 😪

in all seriousness i do recommend to anyone who is interested in reading the brick but scared of how long it is. i still heavily suggest reading the unabridged version though

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not certain he year I read it, but definitely betwen 1957 and 1962.