Les Miserables
Enriched Classics offer readers accessible editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and commentary. Each book includes educational tools alongside the text, enabling students and readers alike to gain a deeper and more developed understanding of the writer and their work.
Les Miserables tells the story of ex-convict, Jean Valjean, and his valiant struggle to redeem his past. A potent social document of the poverty, ignorance, and brutality of man, Les Miserables is also a rousing adventure story, famous for such unrivaled scenes as the brilliant depiction of the Battle of Waterloo. Victor Hugo reached the peak of his powers in this far-reaching novel of nineteenth-century France. Here are combined the dramatic skills of Hugo the playwright, the rich imagination of Hugo the poet, and the compassion of Hugo the man.
Enriched Classics enhance your engagement by introducing and explaining the historical and cultural significance of the work, the author’s personal history, and what impact this book had on subsequent scholarship. Each book includes discussion questions that help clarify and reinforce major themes and reading recommendations for further research.
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Community Reviews
This was my ongoing audiobook at the gym and dog walks etc for the last few months. It was unabridged. It really, really needed to be abridged. I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved the themes. But Victor Hugo insisted no one was allowed to edit the book and oh man does it show.
Things I did not need to read/hear about from this book: the complete history of the Paris sewer system, the nature and use of slang in literature, the evils of convents, a 40 plus page retelling and tactical and LANDSCAPE analysis of the battle of Waterloo (which has next to nothing whatsoever to do with the plot of the book).
And I especially didn't need that complete history of the Paris sewer system to take place right in the middle of an escape scene in the climax of the whole book. Just like I didn't need the digression on convents right in the middle of a chase scene.
And I didn't need a massive character biography backstory for a bishop that is involved in the plot for a total of 3 connected scenes comprising maybe 2% of the plot.
And then there's the actually relevant digressions, which are useful thematically but still go one for about 5x or 10x what is needed: the nature of riots, the history of poverty in the city, the class structure of the 1830s, generational changes, ....
Hugo simply cannot control himself. Even apart from the digressions, character dialogue will often go into massive lists of alternative phrases or repetitions. It's like he said, ok, I want this character to say he's old. Then he makes a list of 100 different ways he could have the character say that he is old. Then he just puts them all in. It's not realistic. It's not funny when it happens constantly. It's just a particular form of laziness.
And then there's Hugo's habit of telling a story with an anonymous character and then later revealing this anonymous man is one of the main characters. Except that it's almost always the same character. And he does it like 10 times. Tell any joke. Use any metaphor or saying. Do those things 100 times and they lose their effectiveness. They become formulaic cliche. And in these instances, they often just feel like a total waste of time.
Despite all of that, the story is amazing. The characters are great. Hugo's tendency for minute examination is truly great when it comes to the internal moral dilemmas of characters. His thematic digressions into the cultural and historical context do actually enrich the story and the experience of reading it. It's melodramatic and saccharine and there are way too many coincidences, but damned if it doesn't pull on your heart strings. It's a great book that just needed an editor and a little bit of consideration of the reader on the part of the author.
Things I did not need to read/hear about from this book: the complete history of the Paris sewer system, the nature and use of slang in literature, the evils of convents, a 40 plus page retelling and tactical and LANDSCAPE analysis of the battle of Waterloo (which has next to nothing whatsoever to do with the plot of the book).
And I especially didn't need that complete history of the Paris sewer system to take place right in the middle of an escape scene in the climax of the whole book. Just like I didn't need the digression on convents right in the middle of a chase scene.
And I didn't need a massive character biography backstory for a bishop that is involved in the plot for a total of 3 connected scenes comprising maybe 2% of the plot.
And then there's the actually relevant digressions, which are useful thematically but still go one for about 5x or 10x what is needed: the nature of riots, the history of poverty in the city, the class structure of the 1830s, generational changes, ....
Hugo simply cannot control himself. Even apart from the digressions, character dialogue will often go into massive lists of alternative phrases or repetitions. It's like he said, ok, I want this character to say he's old. Then he makes a list of 100 different ways he could have the character say that he is old. Then he just puts them all in. It's not realistic. It's not funny when it happens constantly. It's just a particular form of laziness.
And then there's Hugo's habit of telling a story with an anonymous character and then later revealing this anonymous man is one of the main characters. Except that it's almost always the same character. And he does it like 10 times. Tell any joke. Use any metaphor or saying. Do those things 100 times and they lose their effectiveness. They become formulaic cliche. And in these instances, they often just feel like a total waste of time.
Despite all of that, the story is amazing. The characters are great. Hugo's tendency for minute examination is truly great when it comes to the internal moral dilemmas of characters. His thematic digressions into the cultural and historical context do actually enrich the story and the experience of reading it. It's melodramatic and saccharine and there are way too many coincidences, but damned if it doesn't pull on your heart strings. It's a great book that just needed an editor and a little bit of consideration of the reader on the part of the author.
First, the book is far more involved than any of the movies or plays. The storyline is different (as is so often the case). It's a difficult read in some ways, but brilliant. There is a reason why there is an award named for Victor Hugo. It's dark and, at times, depressing, but is still redeeming. It illustrates a side of society that (especially today) is not what is being taught. (I think people prefer to stick their heads in the sand more than they used to.) There are elements of cruelty and the ugliness of human character that made me want to deny that people could be that way when I was a teenager but, as an adult, I cannot deny. Nonetheless, I do not deny reading it in any way. It is why I have seen the movies (the one with Anne Hathaway is closest to the book, by the way). Highly recommended!
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