Most people are familiar with the story of Les Mis because of the theatrical version which is itself a masterpiece, but most people don't bother to read the book. I read the unabridged novel and consider it among the most influential books of my life. (If you decide to read the unabridged version be warned; it holds hundreds of boring pages dedicated to subjects not directly related to the plot--such as the history of the Paris sewer system, the rules of convents, and battlefield strategy.) Les Miserables is incredible. As I read it, it evolved into much more than just an exciting story, it became something spiritual. No other book, probably not even the Bible has taught me as much about the atonement of Jesus Christ as Les Miserables. Hugo carefully patterned the priest and Jean Val Jean as Christ-figures to show his readers why God's 'miserable' children need a Savior to meet the demands of justice and what man is capable of if he accepts the atonement.

Les Miserables is one of those books to which I can say I have a very personal relationship. I will always remember turning the last page as I sat on a curb under a streetlamp in front of my office building waiting for my wife to pick me up after work. I closed the book, sighed, and said out loud, "wow!" I didn't even want to talk to my wife on the ride home. I just wanted to sit back and think about Jean Val Jean and what he stood for.

Like a painting, each book means something different to each beholder; this book was a gem for me.