So this is the post I was I intending to write when I ended up
writing “Books, Kindles and Thankfulness” instead. I started out writing what was
supposed to be a bit of a background introduction before I talked about my
recent reading of Les Misérables, but
as is often the case for me, other thoughts surfaced and developed as I wrote,
and I soon found that the background intro had evolved into the post itself.
Anyway, today I decided that it was probably high time I wrote the rest of the
post!
I have never come across a hard-copy book of Les Misérables (although I don’t claim to have searched very hard),
so I was excited about being able to download it for free once I got a Kindle. Perhaps
if I had laid eyes on a hard-copy of it first, I may have been better prepared
for the MANY hours of reading that would ensue!
I am now aware that Les Misérables
actually consists of five volumes that have typically been published as five separate
books. Each volume contains multiple “books”, which are further divided into
chapters! I finally finished this lengthy classic about a month ago.
Although it is incredibly tedious in places, it is definitely well
worth reading. I do not mean, however, that this is a book I believe everyone
ought to read. If you do not love classic literature, don’t do it to yourself! What
I do mean is that Les Misérables is a
brilliant story – but a brilliant story that I would hate to see ruined for
anyone simply because of the overwhelming length of the book. I do not recall
ever recommending a movie over its book before, but, since there are numerous
quality film and theatre adaptations of this story available, I make an
exception here.
Having said all of that, I don’t want to dissuade anyone who has
contemplated reading this book. If you do choose to read it, your experience of
this extraordinarily powerful story will be deepened and enriched.
You will discover the background story of each character, allowing
you to understand them better and to view situations from multiple angles. For
example, you will read about the various ways in which Fantine struggles to
provide for her daughter for probably the best part of a year, before she finally
resorts to prostitution as her last hope. I found the deeper insights into
Javert’s character to be particularly fascinating.
You will find almost every gap in the plot filled; you will not be
left wondering what transpired after Jean Valjean set out with the bishop’s
silver that could possibly have resulted in him becoming mayor!
If you are anything like me, you will be awed
by Victor Hugo’s incredible attention to detail (of a different nature, but in
the same league as Tolkien, in my opinion) – even if it does frustrate you at
times! In some places, he includes chapter upon chapter of background
information and description that do absolutely nothing to advance the plot. The
first “book” is unfortunately one of these sections. Don’t let this put you off
if you do decide to read Les Misérables!
Promise me you will persevere at least into the second book where the plot picks
up before you decide whether or not you want to continue!
Lastly, as an added bonus, you will further
your own education if you read this book! I believe that you would pretty much
need a degree in French history to completely understand everything in Les Misérables, but my ignorance did not
seem to hinder my understanding of the plot at all. I skimmed through a few of
the sections relating to political figures and historical events that were
completely over my head, but I still actually managed to learn a thing or two
about French history!
(As a side note, if anyone has read this book
and has a reasonable knowledge of French history, I’d be fascinated to hear your
opinion concerning which characters, events and other details are actually historical and which are fictional.)
