Les Misérables (Signet Classics)

Customer Reviews:

A Great Read.......2007-08-24

Les Miserables, when it gets going, is an exciting and emotional read. There are many, many wonderfully intense episodes, the plot is dramatic, the main characters heroic, repulsive, brave, innocent, tragic. There are passages depicting shocking misery (Fantine's downfall) the joys and agonies of a first love (Marius and Cosette), beyond-the-call-of-duty good behavior (the Bishop, Jean Valjean). The measures Jean Valjean takes to secure a stable environment for little Cossette to grow up in are amazing. One of my favorite parts: the 100-or-so pages in which Jean Valjean must decide whether to blow his cover as the Mayor of a factory town in order to save a poor wretch from the galleys, knowing that his moral act will be a disaster for himself and for his town. (For fans of the musical, this is the number that begins `He thinks that man is me") He is wrestling with his conscious even as he is rushing to get to the distant courtroom before the verdict is read.

I have a lot of nerve giving this great novel a mere four stars. What costs it a star is Victor Hugo's many and overlong digression chapters. Didn't they have editors in those days? These essays are fine in the beginning, as Hugo tries to describe human triumphs and suffering in relation to the larger cosmos. The chapters on the Gamin and on the Bourgeois were actually helpful in understanding Gavroche and Marius' grandfather. As the result of another digression, I now know how to erect my very own barricade, given sufficient cobblestones, furniture and student-power. I found the 50-page passage on Waterloo riveting, though it had one brief but vital connection with the plot. I have also decided NOT to enter a 19th-century convent.

But the long chapter on underworld jargon (`argot' ) would have been fascinating--if I spoke French. The extremely long chapter on the history and layout of the Paris sewers would have been something I would have loved-- had this chapter NOT been dumped into the book just as the barricade falls and Jean Valjean makes his harrowing escape through the sewers with Marius on his shoulders. Too many times Hugo stops the drama in its tracks to go on about something that could have waited for a lull in the action. Or sometimes one of the student characters opens his mouth and doesn't stop talking for many, many pages. (Ayn Rand loved this book and you can see where she got her inspiration for her characters' monologues.)

This is another book I would recommend reading with a library or internet connection at hand. I had to do a little catching up on 19th century French history. For instance, did you know there used to be a gigantic plaster elephant statue in Paris?

I read the unabridged edition, but I wouldn't look down on anyone who reads a shorter version.

A departure.......2007-08-18

Hugo's writing is definitely from a different era of writing. The great thing about this book is that it still is accessible to today's reader. While set long ago and across the ocean, Hugo's story of how hard self-forgiveness is rings as true today as when it was written.

a 19th century soap opera.......2007-06-26

Reading Les Miserable takes you back to the 19th century, not just in the content, but as a reader. You can't enjoy the book unless you allow yourself to amble along with Victor Hugo as he digresses from his plot and then digresses from his digressions. It's hard to imagine this book being published today, as marvelous as it truly is.

That's more a reflection on the nature of publishing in 2007, and our impatient reading habits, than Hugo's writing, which is superb. His descriptions of places and characters are all masterful.

Nevertheless, I find that I'm by-passing huge sections where Hugo takes a wide tangent that has nothing to do with the story, even though these are well written - actually, very well written. The section on Waterloo, for instance, is something I plan to return to when I'm reading French history, but it has nothing to do with the travails of Jean Valjean and Cosette, and I've skipped it for now.

When Hugo remembers he is telling a story, the writing is exciting, dramatic, full of unlikely coincidences that you just accept because it's fun. It's a 19th century soap opera for readers who had little else to read and far fewer distractions than a modern reader, and his perceptively drawn characters entertain us even today.

But be prepared to enjoy Les Miserable over an extended period of time, like you do "The Young and the Restless," with a multitude of story lines, often unconnected.

By the way, in contrast to other readers, I'm enjoying Norman Denny's translation, although not having read the other versions, I can't make comparisons.

Having now published two novels --- A Good Conviction, a NYC-based legal thriller which tells the story of a young man wrongly imprisoned in Sing Sing for a murder he did not commit by a Manhattan ADA who may have known he was innocent ... and The Heretic (Library of American Fiction), a historical novel describing the persecution of a family of secret Jews by the Catholic Church on the eve of the Spanish Inquisition --- I have devised a self-education project to help me learn the techniques and styles of other authors, and thus (hopefully) become a better novelist myself.

"Les Miserable" is one of the novels I've read as part of this self-education project.

I'm organizing my thoughts into various categories relevant to writing, such as ... "beginnings" ... "conflict" ... "characters" ... and others, and I'm posting my observations as a blog, which turns out to be a wonderful way for me to organize and retrieve my notes.

This also puts my thinking in the public domain. So if you'd like to see my evolving comments about writing novels, I invite you to take a look at my "Education of a Novelist" blog.

You can reach my blog by searching the web for "weinstein education of a novelist."

LEW WEINSTEIN

Unbelievable.......2007-06-06

I nearly killed myself when my English teacher made my class read this book during our sophomore year. She wanted in-depth notes and analysis, along with answering her 100 questions. The thickness of the book drove me insane! I didn't want to read it at all, and I even asked my fellow classmates to hit me in the head with it so that I can "magically lose the ability to read" and be excused. Of course that didn't work, so I had to force myself to read it.
I quitted after reading about the routines of the bishop the first 100 pages. I found it ridiculous and torture at that time. Thanks to the encouragement of peers and my teacher, I continued reading. After the whole introduction to the bishop, the storyline grew more appealing. By the time that I got to Fantine's miserable life, I found myself crying; her dedication for her daughter is very touching. I am really proud of myself for finishing this book, and I still love it.
After reading the entire book, I realized that each piece of storyline is essential to the story itself. This is a fantastic book. Hugo did an amazing job in addressing the reforms needed in the society (education, criminal justice, discrimination, and sexism). He addressed humanity's corruption in a very powerful way. Give this book a chance, and you will be enlightened.

Simple Story wrapped in a Monumental Novel.......2007-05-29

Those familiar with European literature know the story of Jean Valjean, Victor Hugo's noble character in LES MISERABLE. For those who don't, Jean Valjean is a peasant who is arrested for stealing a loaf of bread and is sentenced to prison; his term is increased due to his unsuccessful escape attempts. The Jean Valjean that is finally released is not the Valjean who entered; prison has taken its toll. But a kernel of goodness exists in him; a chance encounter and an act of kindness by a local bishop becomes the turning point of his life. Through the next forty or so years Jean Valjean lives up to the promise he made the bishop, and is a genuinely good man. Unfortunately, being an ex-convict in 19th century France is a stain that isn't removed. Living under various aliases, he escapes the single-minded Detective Javert, one of the most persistent characters in all of literature, who's determined to return him to prison on a petty charge. There is also Cosette, a child he rescues and raises, fulfilling the promise he made to her dying mother. Valjean's story is the thread that Hugo uses to create this tapestry of salvation and damnation, courage and weakness, perseverance, love, loss and a France that no longer exists.

LES MISERABLE is a simple story but a monumental novel. Hugo writes of kings and emperors, the influential and the inconsequential. He expresses his political views making little effort to conceal them, as he was in exile in England while writing the book. His characters seem unrelated, a collection of thieves, royalists, revolutionaries, students, bureaucrats and an oppressive poverty; but eventually all are intertwined in Jean Valjean's story. The book is an unabridged translation, the writing is superb and it's long. But to not read LES MISERABLE is to deny oneself a masterpiece of Western Literature and the life and times of Jean Valjean.

Average customer rating:

Les Miserables
The mind of a genius, the work of a lifetime
We should be better for reading it...
Be ready for repetition!
Great Story!!!

Les Miserables (Modern Library)
Victor Hugo
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0679600124
Release Date: 1992-09-05

Book Description

Sensational, dramatic, packed with rich excitement and filled with the sweep and violence of human passions, LES MISERABLES is not only superb adventure but a powerful social document. The story of how the convict Jean-Valjean struggled to escape his past and reaffirm his humanity, in a world brutalized by poverty and ignorance, became the gospel of the poor and the oppressed.

From the Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Les Miserables.......2007-05-25

This is an excellent translation of the classic Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. The section on the Battle of Waterloo makes the reader feel as if he were actually present. This is only one of the memorable parts of this wonderful book. My advise-don't waste your time on an abridged version of this book!

The mind of a genius, the work of a lifetime.......2006-09-10

As close to flawless as you could come, no other author can match the storytelling and characterisation. Describes a turbulent period in France, with incredible political and social commentary. Hugo's monumental work explores many themes i.e. why the Restoration was a backward step, the difference between a revolution and a riot; he describes many life's experiences and emotions: the myriad ways people can fall between the cracks into destitution (Fantine, Montepercy); one of the greatest descriptions of falling in love (Marius and Cosette) and how it feels to be in love, the greatest description of a battle (Waterloo), the desperation of a convict (reminds of Henry Charrier -Papillon), the making of men (Marius), unbounding heroism and selflessness(Eponine, Jean Valjean); explores patience, loss, asceticism, rebellion, fulfillment, nationalism, the administation of justice and the overriding theme is CONSCIENCE. I read this and then discovered that Hugo's own daughter lived in Barbados for a number of years living 'on the edge' of destitution. Small world.

We should be better for reading it..........2006-06-29

... but this was the most popular book, read by soldiers, North and South, during our Civil War. We should be better for hearing democracy in Beethoven, piety in Bach, compassion in Mozart -- and perhaps we do, one person at a time, but I fear we are always running out of time.

I read this book thirty years ago, over two winters, setting it down midway in March 1977 I believe. I had heard a near-complete reading on NPR, spread over at least a month of Saturday afternoons. I always made sure I was home for that; I was a single parent, then, father of a seven year old boy. To use a cheap term of the day, I could 'relate' to Jean Valjean, and I was thrilled by the music that opened each episode: the March to the Scaffold from Berlioz' "Symphony Fantastique." After the final episode, I went out and bought the Modern Library Giant, and began to read.

The radio production was not complete! While I found the details surrounding the Battle of Waterloo truly informative -- the description of the battlefield as a captial A was a vivid model of simplicity -- the long section on the history of the nuns' order where Valjean and his young ward take refuge, and where she is educated, invited a lot of skimming.

Skim where you will, but try to read the complete book. At some later time you can return to those pages you skimmed, and discover what you missed.

Les Miserable, The Brothers Karamazov, War and Peace, Moby-Dick, Joseph and His Brothers, Remembrance Of Things Past (okay, In Search Of Lost Time), Ulysses -- all of these demand much of us, particularly our time. That is a good thing, considering the many ways modern life invites us to waste time, and I could not begin to choose the best among these. Fortunately I don't have to; I might run to "As I Lay Dying" or "Lord Jim" instead.

Meanwhile, I'm glad I devoted a chunk of my life to this book. I do know I emerged a better man for that, and how sad I was when I read the final page, and closed the book.

Be ready for repetition!.......2006-01-20

This book was written before novels were popularized and thus was written in parts. To bring readers up to speed, many sections of Les Miserables are repetitive. Likewise, there are also many drawn-out sections on the French Revolution.

There are reasons this book is abridged over and over again. It has little to do with length!

I do recommend this version, however. It is the original, unabridged edition by one of Hugo's friends (so you know it's accurate with what Hugo wanted). Start from the beginning, and if you hit a repetitive section or a long section about the French Revolution, don't be afraid to skim over it.

Though it is impressive to say "I've read the Whole Thing," swallow your pride--some sections are honestly not interesting unless you are a real scholar of the French Revolution.

Oh, by the way, this is the greatest story ever written--hands down.

Great Story!!!.......2005-10-01

Les Miserables is a wonderful story told in a magnificent manner. Victor Hugo has been excellent in portraying characters, events and emotions experienced at varying levels of human conscience.

At some places, the lengthy and descriptive background information made me feel slightly bored but in the end it all summed up to be an experience for the lifetime.

Finally, as they have written in Editorial Review:

"LES MISERABLES is not only superb adventure but a powerful social document"

The Musical World of Boublil and Schonberg: The Creators of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre and The Pirate Queen

Average customer rating:

Very insightful

The Musical World of Boublil and Schonberg: The Creators of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre and The Pirate Queen
Margaret Vermette
Manufacturer: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1557837155

Book Description

Two Frenchmen, an idea, and a blank piece of paper. That's how it started. Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg are the creators of the multi-award-winning and much-loved musicals Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre and now an exciting new work The Pirate Queen. Les Miserables alone has been seen by over 53 million people.

The Musical World of Boublil and Schonberg is the first book to offer a comprehensive look behind the closed doors of these intensely private musical theatre giants. Boublil and Schonberg take center stage and talk openly about their methods and the creative processes involved in writing the book, the music, and the lyrics. Additional interviews from collaborators such as their co-writers Herbert Kretzmer, Richard Maltby, Stephen Clark, and John Dempsey; their directors Trevor Nunn, John Caird, Nicholas Hytner, Conall Morrison, and Frank Galati; the choreographer of The Pirate Queen, Mark Dendy; and their long-time producer Cameron Mackintosh gives the reader a full view into their successful process.

Full-color production photographs tell the story of each musical.

Customer Reviews:

Very insightful.......2007-04-11

This book is a wonderfully insightful book to some of my favorite musicals! I really enjoyed the background information as to how some of the musicals came to be, the processes that were followed...everything! I highly recommend this book!

Average customer rating:

The Hobo Philosopher
A great literary masterpiece and a fine French history lesson!
a 19th century soap opera
Fine little book
Norman Denny Translation is Readable

Les Miserables (Penguin Classics)
Victor Hugo
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

French | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0140444300

Book Description

The book is in excellent condition.

Customer Reviews:

The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-08-30

The first time that I read this book I was about 18 years old. This is the only book in my life that I have ever read where I can say that "I couldn't put it down". I read this book and I balled like a baby. I remember that I had to go and get a handkerchief and blow my nose while wiping the tears away so that I could continue reading. When I finished the book - and I only read the abridged edition, I said to myself; "If I could ever write a book that could cause the reaction that this book has put onto me, my life will have not been spent in vain. I am still trying to write that book. I have since read the book two or three more times and I'm about to read it again. How a man with just words on a page could create such a reaction is really beyond my wildest estimations.

A great literary masterpiece and a fine French history lesson!.......2007-06-29

Les Miserables is justifiably known as a great literary masterpiece. However, I had hitherto neither read the book nor seen the show. I am now so pleased that I have read the book before seeing the show and I am sure that I will enjoy the latter so much more through having enjoyed so greatly the former. This edition, translated by Norman Denny, runs to more than 1,200 pages and Mr Denny makes the point in his introduction that Victor Hugo's original contains 'digressions,' meaning that, to some readers at least, certain sections of the book, maybe some 100 pages or more in total, may appear to 'digress' from the principal 'plot.' But even the 'digressions' are valuable, for they give to the less knowledgeable - such as myself - a fine lesson in French history, as does the 'plot' itself. Victor Hugo takes the reader through some of France's most turbulent times, from before the Revolution of 1789, through the Empire of the first Napoleon, and to and beyond the further Revolution of 1848. If one were wanting to be flippant, it would appear that the French were for ever revolting and for ever at the barricades. I do not wish to be flippant, however, and this great tome charts the progress or otherwise of French affairs through the late eighteenth and early to mid-nineteenth centuries with inimitable flair and profound knowledge, for the author lived through most of it, even suffering temporary exile from France when he crossed the authorities of Napoleon III. It is against the background of such ongoing turbulence (which explains so much of later French history) that the immensely moving and complicated tales of Jean Valjean and Cosette and Marius and all of the other larger-than-life characters are told. To those readers with the willingness to spend more than the average time on a tremendous and unforgettable work, this is for you. Read it and then see the show!

a 19th century soap opera.......2007-06-26

Fine little book.......2006-11-21

This is a good little book to read. Take some time, sit down, and give it a read through. I think you will be happy that you did. You'll laugh, You'll cry, and if you're like me you'll take a lot of snack breaks. As far as books go this is up there.

Norman Denny Translation is Readable.......2006-07-03

I have both the original Wilbour translation and the Norman Denny translation of this book, and I'd say that the Denny translation is the more readable of the two. Graham Robb, in his award-winning biography of Hugo has called Denny's translation "swiss cheese" and "translation as censorship." However, it's well-written, and the "excised" sections are included as appendices to which any reader can turn. In places where Denny edits the prose, he captures the spirit of the novel.

But the best comparison is made by reading:
here's Wilbour from the beginning of Part Two, Book Four:

"Forty years ago, the solitary pedestrian who ventured into the unknown region of La Salpetriere and went up along the Boulevard as far as the Barrier d'italie, reached certain points where it might be said that Paris had disappeared. It was no longer a solitude, for there were people passing; it was not the country for there were houses and streets. It was not a city, the streets had ruts in them, like highways, and grass grew along their borders; it was not a village, the houses were too lofty. What was it then? It was an inhabited place where there was nobody. It was a desert place where there was somebody. It was a boulevard of the great city, a street of Paris, wilder at night than a forest and gloomier by day than a graveyard. It was the old quarter of the horse-market."

Denny's version of the same passage
" A stroller forty years ago penetrating beyond the Salpetriere by way of the Boulevard de l'Hopital as far as the Barrierr d'italie, would have come to a region where Paris seemed to disappear. It was not a wilderness, for there were inhabitants; not country, for there were streets and houses; not a town, for the streets were rutted like country roads, and grass grew in them; nor was it a village, for the houses were too high. What was it then? It was an inhabited place where there was no one, a deserted place where there was someone, a city boulevard, a paris street, wilder by night than the forest, more melancholy by day than a graveyard. It was the anciet quarter of the horse-market, the Marche-Aux-Chevaux."

Average customer rating:

Good, but...
Les Miserables Rocks!
If you don' t read, you may miss the good thing ( Chalalai 47107010103)
LES MISERABLES IS UTTERLY MISERABLE!!! :(
Les Miserables, By Victor Hugo.

Les Miserables
Victor Hugo
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0449300021
Release Date: 1982-12-12

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Good, but..........2006-06-06

A very good abridgment, but it cuts out much of Hugo's work. As an example it removes the very long and potentially dull narration of the Battle of Waterloo which is a plus for those looking to follow Jean Valjean and his quest for redemption. But it also removes the heartwarming tale of how Jean Valjean rescues Cosette. This offers a nice short read with the core material covered in the full work.

Les Miserables Rocks!.......2006-03-04

Although I bought Les Miserables for school i fell in love with the novel. It is great, I did not fall asleep while reading it, I related to the characters, and there is a lot of truth in the book. I loved it! Four hundred pages, for me, is a lot better then a thousand fourhundred.

If you don' t read, you may miss the good thing ( Chalalai 47107010103).......2005-08-23

I think it is interesting. When I read it , I feel sad about Jean'slife.But sometime I think I am excited during his escaping from the police. Moreover, in this story has many ideas that can use in life such as we should generous to poor people and everyone who wants to change their life to be better person.

LES MISERABLES IS UTTERLY MISERABLE!!! :(.......2005-08-05

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME! I WASTED 15 HOURS READING THIS HEADACHE OF A BOOK, WAITING FOR IT TO GET BETTER, GUESS WHAT, I JUST TURNED THE 400TH PAGE AND I AM STILL WAITING!!!

Les Miserables, By Victor Hugo........2005-05-27

AMAZING!!! This is my favorite book! The story of jean valjean the convict whom adopts a young girl by the name of cosette. This book may be hard for some to read or may be a bit boring, but I recomend this book to anyone. I also recomend seeing the musical. It would be a bit more exciting for some to watch than to read, But the book is great too!

Average customer rating:

ugh, ever hear of overdoing something?
Absolutely memorable
One of the greatest classics of all time
The Best Book Yet
A work of greatness - Read a contemporary review

Les Miserables (Enriched Classics)
Victor Hugo
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0671504398

Book Description

Victor Hugo
Les MisÉrables
Translated by Charles E. Wilbour
Abridged, edited and with an introduction by Paul Bénichou

Published simultaneously in nine languages in 1862, Les MiséRables is a vast tapestry set against the chaos of post-Napoleonic France. A cast of hundreds is woven into the epic story of the ex-convict Jean Valjean and his valiant struggle to redeem himself. A potent social document of the poverty, ignorance, and brutality of man, Les MiséRables is also a rousing adventure and a passionate parable of love. Here, Victor Hugo displays his skills as a dramatist and poet, and shows his deeply felt compassion for all mankind.

Pocket Books' Enriched Classics present the great works of world literature enhanced for the contemporary reader. This edition of Les MiséRables contains the original introduction by Hugo scholar and Harvard professor Paul Bénichou, as well as his accomplished abridgment.

Customer Reviews:

ugh, ever hear of overdoing something?.......2004-04-28

Don't read it, it's crap. It's 520 pages of mumbo-jumbo. If you can understand half of what is said I must say you belong at oxford teaching a literature class.

Absolutely memorable.......2002-12-14

At mid-life, why did I finally read "Les Mis"? Because of the "buzz" - something I rarely subscribe to - and because a canvass of the great works of world literature dictated I do so.

I expected to confront a somewhat labored and overly drawn melodrama, and I did - but one, I found, whose characters are burned into your memory forever. A tremendous story of redemption and commitment, "Les Mis" resonates with anyone who loves, or has loved, deeply. Hugo is a storyteller of the first rank. Long after this read is over, you're willing to forgive some contrived coincidences and broad characterizations. Subtle, it isn't; grand, by all means. So I ended up making a leap of faith.

And maybe, that's what Hugo had in mind all along with this masterpiece.

One of the greatest classics of all time.......2001-11-17

I'm not sure how anyone who's read through this book can rate it at less than five stars, unless he doesn't enjoy classic literature or perhaps read a poor translation. Hugo's general knowledge and genius are stupendous. He delivers coherent digressionary essays on all manner of deep topics external to the main plot of the novel: the human psyche and motivation, spirituality, convents and monasteries, human rights, love. He weaves all this in with his solid grasp of history, warfare and battle tactics, politics, and even sewer construction. Not to mention an enthralling story that was considered robust enough to make into a recent high-budget Hollywood film.

I just finished the Penguin (Denny) translation last night after about two years of working on this ~1250 page beast (I took breaks of, oh, around four months every now and then). I read 600 pages in the last three months or so in a rather determined effort to finish it up. I found Denny's translation generally outstanding. Very readable and never bogged me down. He moved a couple of the lengthier digressions to separate appendices at the back of the book. I read those too; they were worth it!

The plot itself is intricate but involves a relatively small set of characters considering the length of the book. Somehow, through various coincidences, the characters' actions affect each other throughout the entire novel. The hero Jean Valjean, the inflexible Javert, and the evil Thenardier are present through most of the story and their individual aims and goals are what keep the story moving. Hugo also successfully superimposes this plot on the turbulent political atmosphere of the time and the characters are each directly affected by events outside their control.

Les Miserables is simply one of the greatest works produced by the human mind in all of recorded history. You owe it to yourself to take the time to work through it at some point in your life. You'll be a better person for it. And I think that Valjean is a good model for the right and honorable way to try to live our lives.

The Best Book Yet.......2001-10-18

i beleive that les mis was the best book that i had ever read in my whole entire life. the story of jean valjean was a very sad thing. it is unfortunate that he had been run down all his life for stealing a piece of bread that wasnt even for himself. also, i think that javert needs to get his facts straight before he makes life difficult for another person. i think that the ending for marius and costee is very romantic.

A work of greatness - Read a contemporary review.......2001-10-11

The story of Jean Valjean is a classic tragedy, reminiscent in his fate of other great characters such as Oedipus or any of Thomas Hardy's heros. It is also wonderfully French - and despite the gargantuan size of the book, one never gets lost in the tale but is absorbed in the story.

I came across an original review of Les Miserables at The Atlantic Monthly's website. The article is interesting because the reviewer clearly felt that "Les Mis" was a kind of pulp fiction and that a con trick was being played on the general public to encourage them in the belief that they should read this book if they wanted the kudos of their pals - Hugo as a 19th century Stephen Hawking, in other words. However, the author noted that "few who take the book up will leave it until they have read it through". This seems to be the general consensus, even today.

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

In CliffsNotes on Les Miserables, you examine two themes from Victor Hugo's epic: the struggle between good and evil in the soul of one man, and society's struggle toward a greater good. Addressing many of the social issues of his day, Hugo wrote this novel, which traces the path of Jean Valjean as he changes from convict to saint. Hugo believed in the spiritual possibilities of human beings and has chosen the story of the poor and outcast to illustrate this "perfectibility of man."

With expert commentaries and critical analyses, this study guide helps you explore the profound social problems of the early 1800s, which influenced Hugo's work. You'll also gain insight into the author's life and other major works. Other features that help you study include

Introduction to the novel
A brief synopsis of the novel
Chapter summaries and analyses
An Interactive quiz to test your knowledge
Essay topics and review questions

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure – you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Customer Reviews:

...and I read the book, too........2002-08-13

Well, it's Cliff's Notes. There isn't much to say. But it does quite a fair job of clarifying the splendid cluttered mess that is Hugo's novel, and my ten-year-old copy is much loved. Don't read an abridged "Les Mis"; read the unabridged, with this on hand. It's much more fun.

a true romantic love story..........2002-07-02

the first time i read the unabridged copy of les mis, i was in high school, and we had just started the book when we all took a hugh trip to ny to see the play on broadway. i was sitting next to me very best friend Tynaries, when intermission ended and eponine came out and sang "on my own", when just as she lie dying in marius' arms at the barricade he kissed her lightly, then i gasped and gripped the arm of my chair. but suddenly, Ty grabbed my hand, gave it a tiny squeeze, then leaned over close to me, kissed my lips softly and whispered, "i'll keep you safe, always...," and handed me a very old hand-kerchief which was the one i had made him in home ec when we were 12, i had embroidered (really badly) his initials on the corner. we've been together since, and that has been almost 7 years, and he wrapped my engagement ring in it the night he proposed. but to get back to the main topic, i just previously picked the clift notes up at a local bookshop and found it to be just as i remembered that night so very long ago in my heart. [i love you Ty, always....]

Ahhhh... Good old Notes...........2000-03-25

Okay, I was browsing through my library and I stumbled across the Les Miserables cliff notes (I have read the whole thing unabridged 4 times). I picked it up to look it over, and was impressed. I checked it out, and took it to school the next day and gave it to my friend who was reading the abridged version and I gave it to her to read. She liked it much better. She said it was, "Shorter (she's not exactly into long books), more emmotional (eep), and included many things that the abridgement left out. Two of my personal favorite parts- Jean Prouvaire's Last Poem, and Orestes Fasting and Pylades Drunk, which were included in Cliff's Notes. Bravo!

It's really great!.......1999-11-04

Well, I first went to see it in NY, Broadway and it fascinated me.So, I decided to order the Lesmis in concert from the DVD store and also got the book. It's really great. It's set during the French Revolution. I incredibly sugest you buy this for it is sure to reach you in your heart

My Fave Book EVER.......1999-10-21

You really have to be into drama when you read this! You have to love to read and have to understand 5 things going on at once! Victor Hugo wrote an awesome book when he wrote Les Miz!! I fell in love with every character!! He wrote a fantastic book! I have read the abridged 2 time sthe unabridged once and i've seen the play 3 times and have both movies!!

Average customer rating:

Les Miserables
Victor Hugo , and Mark McKerracher
Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0453009662

Book Description

It is hardly surprising that Victor Hugo's 1862 masterwork should have inspired one of the most phenomenally successful musicals in the history of the Broadway stage. Les Miserables has long been recognized as one of the finest novels of all time, a brilliant fusion of unforgettable characters and universal themes. Its hero is jean Valjean, the noble peasant imprisoned. A sweeping story of love and honor in the depths of the Parisian underworld, immerses us in an epic struggle between good and evil, and carries us onto the barricades during the uprising of 1832 with a realism that is unsurpassed in modern literature. We experience the desperation of the prositute, Fantine; the amorality of the rogue, Thenardier; and the unquenchable desire of all human beings to be genuinely free. Hugo saw Les Miserables as a means of dramatizing his bitter criticism of French society, but the novel that resulted transcends its own time and place. It's an ever-fascinating story, a sweepting spectacle that dazzles the senses as it touches the heart, and this audio edition captures its lasting greatness.

Average customer rating:

Another great broadway book...
Les Mis Piano Book
Awesome!!!
Looks nice, but a few problems
Best Musical Ever-- but difficult to sing and play

Les Miserables: Vocal Selections

Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0881885770

Product Description

This terrific songbook features 14 vocal selections from the beloved Broadway musical: At the End of the Day Bring Him Home Castle on a Cloud Do You Hear the People Sing? Drink with Me (To Days Gone By) Empty Chairs at Empty Tables A Heart Full of Love I Dreamed a Dream In My Life A Little Fall of Rain Master of the House On My Own Stars Who Am I?. Also includes beautiful full-color photos from the production.

Amazon.com

The international musical sensation Les Misérables is captured in this piano/vocal book that includes 14 of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's songs--about everything you could want, save the full-company number "One Day More." The book has an introduction by Boublil and a full synopsis with color photos. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Another great broadway book..........2007-05-12

If you love Les Miz and want to sing or play the music, buy this. If you love musical theatre, buy this book! It has all the great songs from the show.

Les Mis Piano Book.......2006-08-09

Overall, I am glad I bought this book. The main thing I was disappointed about was that the lyrics to the songs are not included.

Awesome!!!.......2005-08-26

Being a huge fan of the Les Miserables musical, I borrowed this book at the library hoping to be able to play some of my favorite songs on the piano. I was not disapointed!

Since I play piano by playing the guitar chords giving for each song, I was so happy to find that the book contained all the chords that I needed to play the songs.

From the start I was able to play all the songs pretty well (with the exception of 'Stars', but that's because I barely know the tune to begin with, lol), and with practice I was able to play many of them VERY well.

Its a fantastic book. I have had so much fun singing the songs and accompaning myself on the piano!

Looks nice, but a few problems.......2005-08-06

This is a great book for the singer that loves musical theater. As a musician though, I would have liked Bring Him Home to be in the correct key. It is a major 3rd below the original key, or at least from what is sung on broadway and any traveling show. I was hoping to use this piece for an audition, but now I will have to see if I can get a hold of the real score since this was published assuming that anyone buying it would be incapable of singing the piece (an insult to the singers buying it if you ask me).

Best Musical Ever-- but difficult to sing and play.......2005-01-26

I am a huge Les Miserables fan I bought the vocals hoping I can take it on auditions the music is really hard to sing and the instrumentals are nearly impossible to perform.
I love the music but, the vocals in this are for mature voices and it takes a lot of praticing to be able to sing these songs well.
Still buy the vocals it's worth the effort--

Les Miserables (Barnes & Noble Classics)

Average customer rating:

A fine edition of a timeless classic
Best Fictional Book Ever! (Great Translation as well)
Excellent
Wonderful

Les Miserables (Barnes & Noble Classics)
Victor Hugo
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Medical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1593080662

Book Description

One of the most widely read novels of all time, Les Misérables was the crowning literary achievement of Victor Hugo’s stunning career. Though he was considered the greatest French writer of his day, Hugo was forced to flee the country because of his opposition to Napoleon III. While in exile he completed Les Misérables, an enormous melodrama set against the background of political upheaval in France following the rule of Napoleon I.

This newly abridged edition of Les Misérables tells the story of the peasant Jean Valjean—unjustly imprisoned, baffled by destiny, and hounded by his nemesis, the magnificently realized, ambiguously malevolent police detective Javert. As Valjean struggles to redeem his past, we are thrust into the teeming underworld of Paris with all its poverty, ignorance, and suffering. Just as cruel tyranny threatens to extinguish the last vestiges of hope, rebellion sweeps over the land like wildfire, igniting a vast struggle for the democratic ideal in France.

A monumental classic dedicated to the oppressed, the underdog, the laborer, the rebel, the orphan, and the misunderstood, Les Misérables is a rich, emotional novel that captures nothing less than the entirety of life in nineteenth-century France.

Customer Reviews:

A fine edition of a timeless classic.......2007-05-09

This is a stellar book. Hugo's epic confronts questions of religion, morality, the relation of the law to both, history, architecture, and love. His prose is so sublime and his narrative so well-crafted that the sheer literary joy one receives from reading is enough to buy this book. His character portraits are exceptional; Bishop Myriel's character is unequaled in grace and understanding. But Hugo's critical examination of crucial human and supernatural questions is what really makes this book sparkle. The reader will find himself wrestling with difficult moral dilemmas, feeling the highs and lows of each new plot twist and gaining a new understanding for that class of people described in Hugo's title. Be prepared for dedicated study, however; this is no beach reading. The reader should keep a computer handy and pointed at Wikipedia, as Hugo's text is littered with references to Dante, Milton, the Bible, antiquity, and contemporary French authors and artists.

The only detraction (from this edition, not Hugo's work): since this is an abridged version, several sections and even chapters have been clipped entirely from the book. While not absolutely central to the story, these sections provide the reader with a helpful background. If you want Hugo's description of Waterloo, or his exploration of French prison slang (argot), another edition is necessary. However, the translation is readable and attempts to keep intact several French words which add to the book's flavor.

All in all, this book is a must read; a necessary part of a liberal education.

Best Fictional Book Ever! (Great Translation as well).......2006-06-09

I read the Hunchback of Notre Dame and was so impressed with Victor Hugo's writting ability that I wanted to read his grand achievement, Les Miserables. I decided however, that I wanted a slightly abridged version because Hugo has a tendency to go for numerous pages about the scenery etc that holds no value to the story but I didn't want a version that was abridges that it butchered the story. I found what I was looking for.... 830 pages of the best fictional story ever.

This is a beautiful story about a man who comes across hard times who does a bad thing (stealing) to help do something good (feed his widowed sister's family). He gets caught and ends up spending 19 years in prision. He finally gets released and no one will let him in because of his criminal past except a bishop who later that night he steals his silver. When he is recaptured and they bring him before the bishop. The Bishop does something amazing, he tells the police he gave him the silver and that he forgot to take the candlesticks as well. Jean Val Jean later on gives his life to god and does so many remarkable heartwarming things that it will make you say, ahhhhhh.

This story also has plenty of action, adventure and romance. Javert is one of the most interesting fictional characters ever. It also makes you feel sorry for the poor and desolate and lets you know that their problems are sometimes formed from bad luck not necessarily laziness. The story of Fantine is so sad it will make your heart wrench.

Just a wonderful heart warming book with so much detail and story that you will never forget.

Excellent.......2005-09-20

When I bought this book, I had already read the full version of Les Miserables- Which is AMAZING, by the way. This version cuts out the descriptions of both the covent and Waterloo which rather improved it. Those parts are still very good writing; but when I want to find out what happens next to Jean Valjean and Cosette and instead I get 100 pages telling me about this convent, well, It gets a tad frusterating. Especially since you can't tell whether it's important or not. (and believe me, it isn't.)
So, those cuts were good.
However, I was very disapointed at the cut of a lot of Marius's love letter to Cosette. The editors kept a few lines, but it loses the flow and beauty of the original letter. Yes, I know the letter was four pages to begin with, but I still think that it's worth reading.
On the whole, this version is worth buying, as the story isn't hurt at all by the cuts.

But the original version is still worth reading.

Wonderful.......2005-03-15

To be honest, when I started reading this book I didn't think that it would be very good. The book's beginning tells of a generous bishop who is kind to a released convict. The convict goes on to become the mayor of a important city, because of the bishop's influence on him. Meanwhile, a young girl is abandon by her lover, left alone and pregant.
If I while to tell you more of the story, I would ruin it for you but I will tell you this: this book is about exreteme povetry, where people are forced to do horrible things in order to survive. It is also about how your actions can affect the lives of others.
I realize that this review does not do justice to the book but I hope that you will read it because it is very good. I have read a lot of books and out of all of them this is one of the best.
The reason that I like the Barnes and Noble eddition is because it gives you quotes from the story, information about the life of Victor Hugo, an introduction by another great writer, easy and understandable end notes, and lists other books and such that provide further reading.
I really hope that you will take the time to read it because it is good, even if you didn't like my review.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books