Les Misérables: The Book

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.)