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A review by tumblyhome_caroline
Les Miserables: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Victor Hugo
5.0
What an amazing, truly amazing book. Quite a few years ago I went to the theatre to see the musical adaption of this and really did not enjoy it one little bit. So I assumed I would not like the book. I was very skeptical about picking it up to read along with the Hardcore Literature book club (https://youtube.com/c/BenjaminMcEvoy) but thank goodness I did.
The book is described above, so I won’t repeat that except to say that there is a well known story line AND many digressions about subjects as diverse as the battle of Waterloo, convents, the Paris sewer system, poverty and the 1983 rebellion.
It would be easy to skip these sections and just enjoy the main storyline and I think you could, but it would do the book such a disservice. I think Victor Hugo has written a book that purposefully breaks up the story so the reader doesn’t just rattle through it. Every so often, he just pulls you up and offers you a view of such complexity and importance, one that you would miss if your eyes were fixed on the single path you are travelling along and the goal of finishing the book. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the digressions more than the main story, but that is mostly because I enjoyed going away and looking at the history as an aside. Doing that really was fantastic. I learnt lots.
Also I would say that some people have complained the book is too long. I don’t believe it is and that is because I don’t mind length, I don’t mind a book that isn’t a quick story fix, I want my reading to be long and languid, I want to hear about more than just the direct storyline. And I think Hugo does this well.
I would say that the characters could be more fleshed out but I think the bigger picture is best served with keeping them as they are. Despite this comment some of these characters got right under my skin. Also I don’t agree with all his opinions in this book, sometimes they are a bit idealistic, but still well worth reading about.
The writing can be poetic at times and I can see, reading this, that Hugo was a poet
Lastly, there are one or two absolute heartbreak moments. I won’t spoil anything but to say it can be embarrassing if you are in a public place reading.
The book is described above, so I won’t repeat that except to say that there is a well known story line AND many digressions about subjects as diverse as the battle of Waterloo, convents, the Paris sewer system, poverty and the 1983 rebellion.
It would be easy to skip these sections and just enjoy the main storyline and I think you could, but it would do the book such a disservice. I think Victor Hugo has written a book that purposefully breaks up the story so the reader doesn’t just rattle through it. Every so often, he just pulls you up and offers you a view of such complexity and importance, one that you would miss if your eyes were fixed on the single path you are travelling along and the goal of finishing the book. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the digressions more than the main story, but that is mostly because I enjoyed going away and looking at the history as an aside. Doing that really was fantastic. I learnt lots.
Also I would say that some people have complained the book is too long. I don’t believe it is and that is because I don’t mind length, I don’t mind a book that isn’t a quick story fix, I want my reading to be long and languid, I want to hear about more than just the direct storyline. And I think Hugo does this well.
I would say that the characters could be more fleshed out but I think the bigger picture is best served with keeping them as they are. Despite this comment some of these characters got right under my skin. Also I don’t agree with all his opinions in this book, sometimes they are a bit idealistic, but still well worth reading about.
The writing can be poetic at times and I can see, reading this, that Hugo was a poet
Lastly, there are one or two absolute heartbreak moments. I won’t spoil anything but to say it can be embarrassing if you are in a public place reading.