Les Miserables

Les Miserables Volume 1 by Victor Hugo, 743 pages


Les Miserables is a book that you have to really commit to. It is a book you need to know is a slog before you start it and resolve yourself to push through it. Otherwise it is not a book that can be finished. This is Hugo's fault. He has a style that is full detailed at best and rambling to nonsensical at times. There are entire chapters that could be deleted from the book and nothing important would be loss. I am looking at you "Waterloo". The person Hugo has narrating the story is also a jerk. Many times in the description of events the narrator throws in this; I am sure the reader will forgive me if I explain this in detail. No, no I will not forgive you, please continue the story that you are telling. This same narrator also has this tendency to fully describe everything and the history of it, especially cities. While this does add depth to the story it also really slows everything down. Hence the two volumes.

If you don't know the story it is thus: Jean Valjean, a former criminal being pursued by Javert raises a girl named Cosette after promising her mother Fantine that he would. There is a lot more going on than that, and even more to the story than what appears in this volume. Like a brewing uprising that is not even in motion yet.

I look forward to see how Hugo wraps everything up but I also dread slogging through some more useless chapters that I know are coming. It is easy to see why this book ends up on peoples to read or to finish shelf forever.