Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Les Misérables: Fantine (Les Misérables #1)

4.4 of 5 stars 4.40 · rating details · 1,739 ratings · 150 reviews

Jean Valjean, un ancien forçat condamné en 1796, trouve asile, après avoir été libéré du bagne et avoir longtemps erré, chez Mgr Myriel, évêque de Digne. Il se laisse tenter par les couverts d'argent du prélat et déguerpit à l'aube. Des gendarmes le capturent, mais l'évêque témoigne en sa faveur et le sauve.

Bouleversé, Jean Valjean cède à une dernière tentation en détrouss...more

Paperback, 982 pages

Published January 8th 2000 by Livre de Poche (first published January 1st 1857)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Great Classics Every Individual Should Grow Up Reading

11th out of 25 books — 5 voters

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo

1st out of 27 books — 2 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 16, 2013 Gean Rossi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Acabo de terminar el primer tomo de esta obra maestra.
No diré mucho ya que pasaría hasta un día entero haciendo una reseña de este libro.
Sin dudas es un libro increíble, Victor Hugo nos mete en una atmósfera llena de amor, pobreza, trabajo, emociones, y sobre todo de miseria, con cientos de personajes que llegamos a conocer como a nuestra familia.
Si pudiera le pondría cien estrellas a este libro! Ya haré una reseña más larga y completa para cuando termine el segundo tomo.

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not an easy read. Thank God I purchased a Kindle to look up A LOT of words. Some were in French and were not in my Kindle. Some sections required slower, more in depth reading, thus it took me a while to finish this. <>
<>
Les Mis is such an eloquently worded and captivating story. I struggled, as I am sure many have in some areas, and tried to just go slower. It is also tense and exciting, so that you tend to want to skip over some of those beautifully explained historical eve...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2012 Zoe Cooper rated it 3 of 5 stars

Les Mis is a classic novel that uses a lot of symbolism to describe life and the trials people face every day. Although slightly pessimistic, Victor Hugo does an excellent job of capturing those naked feelings that people face everyday, and portrays them in a very appropriate manner. Main character, Jean Valjean, faces a series of choices that will determine his fate while he is chased by Javert, another main character. Throughout all their tribulations, they both learn valuable lessons at the c...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 05, 2012 Jill rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own, classics, historical-fiction

A truly brilliant and timeless novel. Yes, the author does tend to ramble, but he presents so beautifully the honorable yet ultimately tragic beliefs of the revolutionaries, the transformation of Jean Valjean from brute peasant into a truly great man who lived his faith simply and honestly, the naivete of Marius and his final growth of understanding, the inability of Javert to accept even the existence of grace, and all the marvelous, timeless side characters surrounding these central characters...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2013 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is not what you think if all you've seen is the musical or one of the movie adaptations. The cliche description would be "sweeping" or "epic", but even such hyperbole doesn't come close to describing it. The story of Jean Valjean and Cosette is like a coat tree on which Hugo hangs the history of France from Waterloo to 1832, his theories of politics and religion, minutely detailed descriptions of various parts of Paris in the 1820's and 30's, the history of its sewer system, a critique...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Tori Gingrich added it

When I was younger, I had read the abridged version of this book, and now that I am much older, I decided that I wanted to try and give the regular book a try. I thought that this book was amazing and way better than the abridged version that I read, even though it was really hard to understand because of the language that was used. The writing style was a little dull though, even though it was beautiful, I felt as if the author would just go on and on about one certain thing and eventually, I w...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 20, 2011 Mrsgaskell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 10-star, classics, read-in-french

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’m proud of myself for having made the effort to read this epic in French. At times it was a struggle to read through some of the political and historical digressions, because of lack of knowledge on my part, but Hugo is a brilliant writer and I think that this is probably the best book I have ever read. It isn’t necessarily the one I enjoyed most, although overall I certainly did enjoy it. My favourite characters besides Jean Val Jean include the good Bishop, Eponine, and Little Gavroche. From...more

1 like · like · see review

May 06, 2012 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone.

"Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God." Vol. 1, Book First, Chapter XII

The power of grace.

I always knew I should read this classic work, but it always seemed overwhelming. I am ready for it now.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Alex M. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, reread

Okay, I LOVE this book, but I feel like being half-tired all the time in a foreign country is not the ideal time to reread this brick. I want to read things right now that require no thinking or history of Parisian sewers or convents.

Man, the Waterloo crap is WORSE than I remember, how is that even possible.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 28, 2012 Mohamed Hamed rated it 3 of 5 stars

من ذكريات الماضي البعيد برضو، أفتكر أن الشخصيات في الرواية كانت بتنطق بالمعاني، فاكر أني حبّيت الرواية دي لما قريتها زمان ، و لما شفت الفيلم افتكرتها ..

1 like · like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Hind rated it 5 of 5 stars

دائما ستبقى رواية البؤساء من اغلى واروع الروايات بالنسبة لي
انها من الروايات التي تسكنك الى الابد

1 like · like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 Tiffany Schwartz rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm not quite sure any review I (or anyone) can give would ever do Hugo's masterpiece justice. I've never felt such a out of body , emotional roller coaster , or spiritually moving experience simply by someone's words. When I think about my time in my first apartment at 18 yrs old , eating ramen noodles, dating a man 11yrs older than I ( therefore freaking my parents out) , and being not sure who I was in life....I will always remember this book as a life changing , soul finding, earth shatterin...more

like · see review

Feb 20, 2013 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I decided to read Les Mis after seeing the film and being intrigued enough to wish for more detail of the context of urban poverty and the doings of the doomed revolutionaries. I was also determined to read the unabridged version, which necessitated two volumes as no single volume presented itself.

'Les Misérables' is an extraordinarily dense, allusive, and digressive novel. Even just the first volume, in fact, reads rather like a series. For instance, at one point Hugo spends forty pages descri...more I decided to read Les Mis after seeing the film and being intrigued enough to wish for more detail of the context of urban poverty and the doings of the doomed revolutionaries. I was also determined to read the unabridged version, which necessitated two volumes as no single volume presented itself.

'Les Misérables' is an extraordinarily dense, allusive, and digressive novel. Even just the first volume, in fact, reads rather like a series. For instance, at one point Hugo spends forty pages describing the events and outcomes of the battle of Waterloo. At another, he meditates on the historical role and obsolescence of convents. Both of these sections have nothing to do with the narrative, but are nonetheless fascinating and profound. Throughout the novel, I was very conscious of the passage of history. It is very impressive that Hugo manages to emphasise this so strongly, whilst also evoking extremely sympathetic and well-realised characters. The struggles and dilemmas of Fantine, Valjean, and Cosette are especially moving. The angst of Marius is certainly epic. Paris is a major character in itself, its suburbs and slums beautifully described.

Although much is dark, tragic, and existentially bleak, there are also moments of farce and amusement, as well as sheer nail-biting drama. Even though I knew from the film the basic progression of events, I was at times terrified for Valjean and especially Cosette. Volume 1 closes upon Marius, and Volume 2 promises to devote more time to the student revolutionaries (Les Amis de l'ABC) which I'm looking forward to. The two-volume edition that I have includes useful footnotes to explain some allusions and translate scraps of French and Latin as necessary. The somewhat ironic tone of these notes is both entertaining and fitting, in my view.

Much as I am enjoying wallowing in 'Les Misérables', though, and much as I appreciated the film version, it continues to baffle me why someone would read it and be struck with the thought, "This would make a great musical!" Perhaps it has to do with the epic emotions on a dramatic historic background? In any event, both musical and book work well, so I shall just chalk it up to inspiration.(less)

like · see review

Feb 12, 2013 Robert Federline rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This edition was the first English translation of this tome, and was unabridged. At 450 pages, I was startled to learn that it is only part 1 of 5. I find the book to be very well-written. It is, however, so much more than a novel - it is an exercise in current events. The problem for the modern reader is those events are now 150 years old. Many of the names and events no longer bear the importance, immediacy nor familiarity they would have for their original audience.

Notwithstanding this unavoi...more This edition was the first English translation of this tome, and was unabridged. At 450 pages, I was startled to learn that it is only part 1 of 5. I find the book to be very well-written. It is, however, so much more than a novel - it is an exercise in current events. The problem for the modern reader is those events are now 150 years old. Many of the names and events no longer bear the importance, immediacy nor familiarity they would have for their original audience.

Notwithstanding this unavoidable result of age, it is well worth reading and I will undoubtedly continue with the unabridged version. No one should be ashamed, however, to read an abridged version, just please do not rely on Cliff's Notes, Spark Notes or some similar cheat system. The characters are alive and fully developed, and are worth getting to know.

This first part of the novel is subtitled "Fantine." Even so, the first dozen chapters deal only with the good bishop (Msgr. Bienvenue - Welcome) and form a lesson on how one becomes holy and divests oneself of worldly attachments. The good bishop is unquestionably a holy man driven by concern for others. He is excellent at sublimating his own needs to the care of those less fortunate. He manages this without disclosing to the world the depth of his charity. At the same time, certain interactions teach that even the good among us are able to hide our flaws from ourselves. His reaction to a dying hermit with a bad reputation teaches him the dangers of prejudice and our flawed condition as human beings.

In the famous incident with the silver candle sticks and Jean Val Jean, we also see the constant need of even those who are good to overcome our petty natures and to rise above our secret desires and prejudices. These two incidents are reminiscent of St. Francis of Assisi kissing the leper.

Fantine herself, for whom this section of the novel is named, is fully drawn. She has, in the modern parlance, made bad choices, without herself being bad. We see in the ironic suppression of her by M. Madeline (the reincarnation of Jean Val Jean) demonstrates the self-perpetuation of mindless evil and injustice in an attempt to follow the unfeeling law.

Jean Val Jean and Javert are obviously two sides of the same coin. Both come from bad circumstances. Javert strives mightily and is able to overcome the disadvantages into which he was born. Val Jean, starting at lower middle class succumbs to the temptation and despair momentarily to steal a loaf of bread, not even for himself, but to help his sister's child survive. One serves the law and one becomes its servant.

Val Jean is not automatically better than Javert, however. it is only when he learns the lesson of Mercy, as taught by Bishop Bienvenue, that he begins to realize his true potential as a man. Even then he must hide his past from society because of the prejudices and unbending unforgiveness of society. As Val Jean he cannot ever be seen as having "paid his debt to society" but will forever live under the pall of his condemnation as a convict, however minor his crime may have been.

The true distinction between Val Jean and Javert is that Val Jean learns mercy. Javert knows only the law. Both try to live godly lives, but without the leaven of mercy, justice is a bitter meal which poisons all who sit at its table. Respect for the law is necessary for an ordered society. An understanding that the law was made for man, and not man for the law, is necessary for a healthy society.(less)

like · see review

Jan 28, 2013 Mark Temple rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A wonderful book worthy to be up there with the classics.
As with any classic you have to have the right mindset, be persevering resolute and own a big dictionary.
At times the book is a real pleasure to read and at other times a real labour.
The characters are some of the best I've ever read, right up there with any Dickens characters, Jean Valjean and Javert by far my favourites.
I loved the chapter when Hugo compares a drowning man to a convict stuck in the penal system. No matter how much he...more

like · see review

Oct 29, 2012 Kingfan30 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books, bbc-big-read, telegraph-novels, adaptions

I've been putting this book off for a while, firstly because its quite big and comes in two volumes and secondly the font size is pretty small. And like the show in London, every time we visit we have a chat about going to see this and end up watching something else. But the time had come to pick it up and to stop putting it off.

It starts off well, I enjoyed the first part of the story. It then skips to new characters and I was a bit confused as to what was going on and then all of a sudden ever...more

like · see review

Aug 13, 2012 Angelica Bondoc rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have watched the play before I decided to read the book, so I somehow knew what to expect in the turn out of events. Unfortunately, I have read the shortened version of this book with 400 pages and not the original one.

It's about this convict, Jean Valjean, prisoned for 19 years, and his struggles to choose the right or wrong path. For society had destroyed and killed him, he had come to loathe the world that chained him for just stealing a piece of bread to feed his sister and her starving...more I have watched the play before I decided to read the book, so I somehow knew what to expect in the turn out of events. Unfortunately, I have read the shortened version of this book with 400 pages and not the original one.

It's about this convict, Jean Valjean, prisoned for 19 years, and his struggles to choose the right or wrong path. For society had destroyed and killed him, he had come to loathe the world that chained him for just stealing a piece of bread to feed his sister and her starving children. He meets this bishop who had sheltered him for a night after everyone repudiated him for he had a yellow ticket that showed that he was an ex-convict. But when everyone was asleep, out of habit, he stole some silver and ran away. Some guards saw him running and caught him without a second thought, to see why this individual is in such a hurry. They had found out that this person have in his hand, two silvers. He started to persuade these guards that the bishop had gave these silver, but the guards were not foolish so they brought Jean to the bishop and the priest said that he did gave the silver, and gave him two additional candleholders which is in high value, and questioned why he left so early that Jean forgot the other presents. The bishop thanked and dismissed the guards and as Jean is free, the bishop stated that he had bought the soul of Jean Valjean to do good and to use the precious silver to become an honest man. Ashamed with himself with the kindness that was presented to him, he had lived with this principle and thus, his new life begins.

I thought it was an easy read at the first few pages but I thought wrong, there are a lot of symbolism and some of the sentences were just so long, that sometimes, I fail to understand such sentences, Mr. Hugo does say too much sometimes, too much metaphoric analysis but for me, it's beautiful. My normal reading pace was slower than ever. And a lot of unfamiliar words were used in this book so I had to search every now and then, but I guess it's a good thing because I learn new words. I write them down in a notebook just in case. The events were no surprise to me, but what made me flabbergasted was how affected I was despite my knowledge of the things that would happen. There's something so amazingly beautiful in Victor Hugo's writing that just makes me pause and say "Oh my God." every now and then. It gave my heart so much aching and I could just feel the sadness in pages and pages. At the last part, I swear, I had goosebumps on my legs. I know, it's weird because it was on my legs but the book was HEAVENLY. One of the best books I've read! And if I am not mistaken, the first classic that I bought in a bookstore and read.

4.5 stars! (less)

like · see review

Jul 23, 2012 Johnny D rated it 5 of 5 stars

What can I write about this book that has not already been written by countless readers before me? What possible insight could I have that some academic has not already built up and then deconstructed (because that's what academics do, ammiright?) in a much finer and more eloquent manner than I could possibly even attempt?

The rich characters, the vibrant story-telling, the various themes and underlying philosophies - they've all been written up already. Some people like to retell the entire stor...more What can I write about this book that has not already been written by countless readers before me? What possible insight could I have that some academic has not already built up and then deconstructed (because that's what academics do, ammiright?) in a much finer and more eloquent manner than I could possibly even attempt?

The rich characters, the vibrant story-telling, the various themes and underlying philosophies - they've all been written up already. Some people like to retell the entire story in their review, but I always end up sounding like a five year old describing his favourite cartoon.

"And then Jean Valjean, he was a mayor, but before that, like, at the beginning, he was a prisoner - or convict, right? And then Inspector Javert, he's this inspector, okay? And he's after Jean Valjean, but Jean Valjean stole some candlesticks. But the priest, uuhh, oh yeah and Jean Valjean has a daughter, Cosette, but she's not his daughter and she's not in the story yet and then . . ."

See? That's just not copacetic.

I could complain about Hugo's overzealous descriptions of every goshdarn piece of architecture that even remotely figures in the story, but I won't. I'm not afraid to admit that I skipped a lot of that. Yeah, whut? I'm pretty much a gangster when I read the classics, skippin' irrelevant words like a badass. What you gonna do about it?

I briefly considered critiquing the translation, but that would either involve advancing beyond Beginner's French or pretending that I had advanced beyond Beginner's French. Not going to happen. Also, I really don't know which translation I read.

Then I remembered that one review I had read somewhere focused almost exclusively on the book's bindings. Yes! I can do this. I remember the book I read was a blue hardcover with gold lettering on it. And let me tell you, that binding was 100 per cent awesome. Not only did the pages stay in the book throughout my entire reading experience, but absolutely none of them were ripped, folded or torn in any way.

Big deal, right? Actually, it is. That book was a library book that had been in circulation since the late seventies - so nearly twenty years of the great unwashed masses pawing at every page of the book. And those pages were still turning like it was the first day that the binding had been cracked. Cracked, not split, you dig? Anyway, you could lay that book flat and turn the pages and they would stay open without you having to rest your fingers on them - that's how good the binding was.

Okay, I do remember some of the corners of the pages had been bent by some lazy fart who couldn't be bothered to get a bookmark (I mean, seriously, you can make your own bookmark in about two seconds - fifty seconds if you have arthritis or something).

Of course, it is not the fault of the binding that some lazy bloke (it was probably a man) had folded the corners on certain pages. And, of course, folded pages don't affect the binding at all. All this to say that the binding held up for twenty years quite well. That's a five star binding, baby.

Five stars!(less)

like · see review

Jul 11, 2012 Andreea Obreja rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone!

Shelves: favorites, french-literature, owned, read-in-romanian

I adore Victor Hugo!
Seriously, he's brilliant!
1. I was surprised how easy this book is to read. I didn't even get bored when he just had to describe the entire Waterloo battle. It was interesting. Which means he can write.
2. The way he understands perfectly the characters of those he writes about (of the characters). Especially, Jean Vanjean, of course. All his thoughts and the debates in his head are just brilliant!
3. He has a way with words that makes you want to take out entire pages as quot...more

like · see review

May 21, 2012 Hunter Newbold rated it 4 of 5 stars

Les Miserables is about a man named Jean Valjean, who is a convict from the beginning of the story because he is a poor man that needs food and he steals some food from a bakery. He is put in prison and is frequently trying to escape, which only increases his time. He is finally successfull in escaping and is always on the run. He is always hiding from the police, specifically inspector Javert, who sets his sights on catching Valjean. Valjean takes the responsibility of caring for a daughter nam...more

like · see review

Aug 21, 2012 ruff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best, kuru-bucs

Overall, this was a very enjoyable book. The action and story is not very catchy at the beginning, but it gets better and better as you read. There are some key-moments where it gives you that feeling that rips you away from reality and just forces you to read on, like a good book should.

The style used to describe in unique, the author possessing great history knowledge, as well as giving the impression of having read many philosophy authors, which he does not hesitate to enumerate throughout hi...more Overall, this was a very enjoyable book. The action and story is not very catchy at the beginning, but it gets better and better as you read. There are some key-moments where it gives you that feeling that rips you away from reality and just forces you to read on, like a good book should.

The style used to describe in unique, the author possessing great history knowledge, as well as giving the impression of having read many philosophy authors, which he does not hesitate to enumerate throughout his own story, passing his knowledge to the characters. Fact that is quite surprising, for it is a paradox how people who cannot buy food can have bought themselves books written by the grandest minds of the world. This is one point that caught my attention.

At one point, whether they appeared in a dialogue between two people, where one of them turned the whole conversation into a speech, or if they were simply related by the author, these lots of political and historical facts appeared, in pages and pages of an endless paragraph. As they were mainly French people mentioned, it turned to be quite frustrating, seeing the explicative note being larger than half of the page. Mentioning that the font size used in explicative notes is always smaller than the one used for the text, one could really want to drop the book when seeing these essays appearing all over and over again.

That is why I felt like skipping most of these parts, which, seemingly, did not affect the way I understood the story, therefore, their purpose was just so people who wanted to read a book, and not the feelings the rulers' ways gave to V. Hugo, which considered it would be a good thing to introduce his opinions in his characters.

Also, the whole description of the Waterloo battle was quite unnecessary, since the important event at the end of that book, that is Thernandier rescuing the dying soldier, could just have been placed there without bothering to relate the so-called battle and make perfect sense.

Furthermore, there were certain errors made by the author regarding time:
-in the first part, the fourth book, there is stated the fact that 'ten months passed since the “hoax” ', when the period between the “hoax”, which took place in summer1817, and the present, which was in spring 1819, was almost two years.
-in the same chapter, later on, when Fantine is interrogated on the age of her little girl, she answers that Cosette is almost three years old. Whereas Cosette was born in the late summer of 1817 and the present time was spring 1819, therefore, she had approximatively one year and a half. This error continues to perpetuate throughout the rest of the book.

I give this book 5/5 for the story and the characters and 3/5 for the overall description.
(less)

like · see review

Jun 30, 2011 Mr Buchanan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*** p. 40, end of Book One

Bit of an experiment on two counts:

1) reviewing as I read (hell, it is a tonne of pages)
2) listening as I read (via the joy of Audible, among other sponsors!)

*** p.250 or something

So far, so enjoyable - Book One has featured a series of anecdotes spanning a decade in post-revolutionary France, all of which go towards establishing that the bishop Meriel is something of an all-round good egg. There's a particulary memorable set piece in which Meriel argues in a tete-a-tet...more *** p. 40, end of Book One

Bit of an experiment on two counts:

1) reviewing as I read (hell, it is a tonne of pages)
2) listening as I read (via the joy of Audible, among other sponsors!)

*** p.250 or something

So far, so enjoyable - Book One has featured a series of anecdotes spanning a decade in post-revolutionary France, all of which go towards establishing that the bishop Meriel is something of an all-round good egg. There's a particulary memorable set piece in which Meriel argues in a tete-a-tete with an unreformed revolutionary on the latter's deathbed, and both learn from their opponent (it was wonderfully voiced on the recording too). Hugo is on hand to guide the reader among the evidence and anticipate any misgiving we might have - you can already feel him placing the first bricks in what will emerge as a great cathedral of an argument. I think that this is one of the aspects of Hugo which gift his narratives with tension - the underlying knowledge that he *will* have a point to prove, and he will journey with you towards it, albeit down interminable and winding byways!

At the end of the first part, this has been a breathless and unremittingly wonderful journey. And I'm barely a quarter of the way through this doorstop! Hugo has an eye for the extremities of drama which has been passed down to modern soap opera. In the latter incarnation, the drama is, deep down, largely sensation for its own sake. But Hugo marshals the moral outrage of a messiah with his stylistic gifts. The material here has real didactic thrust - whether the target is the idiotic bourgeois, the blind French justice system or the heartlessness of revolutionary zeal. And it is peopled by such vivid characters - the saintly reformed convict Valjean, the hapless beauty Fantine and the terrible, remorseless inspector Javert. It's hard to fathom that all this was put together just up the road from here. I'm enjoying the combination of the book with an excellent audio-reading which allows me to perform such heroic feats as the cooking and washing up without pausing the story.

*** um p.600 and something - lots of Books in...

Guilty secret (1): I still haven't finished this book a year later!
Guilty secret (2): I have forgotten a good number of the characters' names now!

This isn't to say that it wasn't all going swimmingly - it's just, well, life, children, barbecues, my endlessly faddish nature... I don't know - basically, I put the book down one day still believing it was one of the best novels in the history of the universe and then forgot to pick it up again. With school looming, I decided to leave it for the next summer, and so here we are now. I'm definitely going to have this book on-the-go again in the next few weeks and expect to finish it by the end of July. Honestly! So more to come then...

***

I've just realized that I have technically finished this book as it is only Volume one of Les Miz - I feel somehow whole again. (less)

like · see review

Aug 18, 2009 Edward rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I purchased this first volume of Victor Hugo's famous work. My history, in all respects, has many voids; so my knowledge of European history near the time of the French Revoution was, let's say, severely lacking. I learned that if I wanted to have any more than a marginal understanding of this historical novel, I was going to have to do some serious homework. The problem became that as I was doing some of this 'serious homework,' I became distrac...more

like · see review

Jun 23, 2011 Nina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bbc-book-challenge, chunksters

4 stars and a half to volume 1. Just magnificent

I love Hugo's social insights and how you can feel his indignation at how society can ruin people's lives. He never judges the unfortunate poor at the bottom of society - instead, he stands shoulder to shoulder with them and speaks their cause. But those who live in the dark caverns below society (i.e. those who chooses dark instead of light), he disapproves of.

In a way this has a slight Dickensian feel to it in that the book is peopled with lots...more

like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 Rachel Matsuoka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Les Miserables is a key revolutionary piece. Victor Hugo earnestly depicted the 99% of France through the eyes of a handful of generally very well illustrated characters. Through his writing, he exposed the horrible injustices they faced each day of their life. Hugo's political statements were very powerful and became what I liked best about this epic novel. The only complaint I have was that Marius and Cosette's storyline (which is supposed to be one of the most important storylines) was actual...more

like · see review

Apr 08, 2013 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this a hard read to begin with but soon began to enjoy it as you learn of the characters and their hardships and ordeals. Some of the language is challenging in today's age, and I found parts of the book unnecessary and quite slow, but I ended up really involved in the book and thoroughly enjoyed it.

like · see review

Mar 23, 2013 Jo Jeffery rated it 3 of 5 stars

This for me was 2 books in one- a very long (tedious) read in places and then in other places completely gripping!
I resented the chapters of history that didn't include any of the characters and and admittedly skim read the "battle of Waterloo", "French Revolution" etc however once the story was rolling it was formidable -Jean Valjean is a worthy hero with a colourful career, and if I was rating the book without the history lesson it would be a 4.5*!

like · see review

Apr 12, 2013 Max Williamson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved reading this book but to be honest it took me ages! Not sure I took everything in but it was definitely worth the hard work, maybe an abridged version would have suited me better. It enticed me to go watch it in the West End and yes I did cry!

like · see review

Jun 08, 2013 Caty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, french, kindle

This was definitely worth reading! Yes, the book is rather long, but it is well-written, the storyline is great and keeps you reading, Hugo knows how to perfectly portray a character, and hey, the e-book is free! ;)

like · see review

Jun 06, 2013 Maxime Ouellet-payeur rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic

They don't call it "Les Misérables" for nothing. Still, the first volume is excellent and a must-read for those who have a passion for historical novels. Hugo is one of those authors who can grasp the period he lived in and present it to an audience born a century later.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

Cultural > France

17 users

Historical Fiction

14 users

Literature

9 users

European Literature > French Literature

7 users

Novels

6 users

Literature > 19th Century

4 users

Book Club

3 users

Politics

2 users

See top shelves...

About Victor Hugo

Victor-Marie Hugo was a French poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights campaigner, and perhaps the most influential exponent of the Romantic movement in France.

More about Victor Hugo...

Books by Victor Hugo

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Les Misérables: F...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Les Misérables: Fantine
avg rating	preview: Les Misérables: Fantine Goodreads rating: 4.40 (1739 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1572079.Les_Mis_rables?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362853913l/1572079.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1572079.Les_Mis_rables?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Les Misérables: Fantine by Victor Hugo[/url]

Les Misérables: Fantine (Les Misérables #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (79)

Genres

About Victor Hugo

Books by Victor Hugo

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Les Misérables: F...

Les Misérables: Fantine (Les Misérables #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (79)

Genres

About Victor Hugo

Books by Victor Hugo

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Les Misérables: F...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (79)