“Les Miserables
(1862) by Victor Hugo is a grand romance, a history lesson, a sociopolitical
treatise, and a touching human drama in one epic novel.” (From the Introduction of Simon &
Schuster’s Enriched Classic version of Les
Miserables.)
I’ve found it difficult to write a review of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. The reason being that I find it nearly
impossible to summarize the book in just a paragraph or two! The length of the book itself (nearly
600 pages in the version I read) makes the task daunting. But I don’t want scare anyone away from
this literary masterpiece! It’s a story that begs to be read – a
heart-wrenching, intricate tale of a convict who meets radical mercy and forgiveness. And responds by living the rest of his
life with radical sacrifice and integrity towards others. Whether portrayed as evil or good, all the characters in the story are rich
and their lives speak many lessons.
I read a version of this story years ago – one that was adapted
and abridged. I found it
excellent. But a friend recently
encouraged me to read a complete and unabridged version. Wow. Victor Hugo had a way with words – the ability to sum up an
ideal or philosophy in one-liners that are stunning. At times throughout the story, I would gasp after a sentence
or be stabbed with conviction. His
ability to weave words together in such a way that grabs the heart was, and is,
an amazing gift.
The version I read was a Simon & Schuster Enriched
Classic. I would encourage you to
read it or one like it that includes footnotes. As Hugo was a Frenchman, the book is sprinkled with French
terminology and references to French history. The footnotes made it easy to quickly look up an explanation.
Les
Miserables is a story that those who do not know God should read – for
they will find Him. And it’s a
story that Christ-followers should read – for they will be challenged again and
again in their walk with Him.
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