Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo




Title: Les Miserables
Author: Victor Hugo
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Classic/Historical Fiction
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: some intense scenes, cruelty and death (it has been a while since I've read this so I don't recall specific details of language)
Premise: "In this story of the trials of the peasant Jean Valjean--a man unjustly imprisoned, baffled by destiny, and hounded by his nemesis, the magnificently realized, ambiguously malevolent police detective Javert--Hugo achieves the sort of rare imaginative resonance that allows a work of art to transcend its genre." (Good Reads Description)
Opinions: I read the unabridged version in college. The size alone is daunting, but I have to say it was one of the best books I have ever read. In fact, if you want to get the true beauty of the story than I must insist that you read the unabridged version. Way too much is cut out of the abridged version (the story is still basically covered, but you miss the beauty, the majesty of the story). The depth of character is fully blossomed within the unabridged story, where as it is just beginning to flower in the abridged. This is a story about Jean Valjean and all the people that enter into his life who influenced it (for good or bad) and how he overcomes some of the greatest obstacles to find the true self within. The characters are poignant and the plot fascinating and heart-wrenching. This is a story of growth, love, sacrifice and so much more. This is a definite FABULOUS read.

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