Amy's review
Les Misérables
by Victor Hugo
Amy's review
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Amy's review
rating:
bookshelves:
best-ever
Some memorable quotes:
On excess and poverty:
"This ship [The Orion], crippled by the sea's pounding, made a strong impression as it entered the roadstead. It flew a pennant that entitled it to a regulation salute of eleven guns, which it returned shot for shot--in all, twenty-two. It has been estimated that in salutes, royal and military compliments, exchanges of courteous hubbub, signals of etiquette, roadstead and citadel formalities, rising and setting of the sun saluted daily by all fortresses and all vessels of war, the opening and closing of gates, etc., etc., the civilized world, in every part of the globe, fires off daily one hundred and fifty thousand useless cannon shots. At six francs per shot, that amounts to nine hundred thousand francs a day, or three hundred million a year, gone up in smoke. This is only one item. Meanwhile, the poor are dying of hunger."
On Napoleon's fall at Waterloo:
"The excessive weight of this man [Napoleon] in human de...more
On excess and poverty:
"This ship [The Orion], crippled by the sea's pounding, made a strong impression as it entered the roadstead. It flew a pennant that entitled it to a regulation salute of eleven guns, which it returned shot for shot--in all, twenty-two. It has been estimated that in salutes, royal and military compliments, exchanges of courteous hubbub, signals of etiquette, roadstead and citadel formalities, rising and setting of the sun saluted daily by all fortresses and all vessels of war, the opening and closing of gates, etc., etc., the civilized world, in every part of the globe, fires off daily one hundred and fifty thousand useless cannon shots. At six francs per shot, that amounts to nine hundred thousand francs a day, or three hundred million a year, gone up in smoke. This is only one item. Meanwhile, the poor are dying of hunger."
On Napoleon's fall at Waterloo:
"The excessive weight of this man [Napoleon] in human de...more
