From the Bookshelf of Should have read classics…

Les Misérables

Victor Hugo

Start date: December 1, 2012

Finish date: January 31, 2013

Discussion: Buddy Reads-Current

Why we're reading this: This is the group read for December and January. We will now change it to a buddy read for the remaining …more
[close] This is the group read for December and January. We will now change it to a buddy read for the remaining time.

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Jun 20, 2018 Dish Wanderer rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: human-relationships, victorian-lit, romanticism, french-lit

Les Miserable – Victor Hugo
*Spoilers ahead—avoid reading if you hate them!*
If you have been following my reviews, you should know by now that I tend to not like (much) the very popular books. This book is (surprise!) yet another example of the same! I am giving it three stars. The reason I read it was because a friend of mine was moving and giving away books and so I took this one as it has been on my vague to-read pile since forever because this is a book which is on all the lists and is much Les Miserable – Victor Hugo
*Spoilers ahead—avoid reading if you hate them!*
If you have been following my reviews, you should know by now that I tend to not like (much) the very popular books. This book is (surprise!) yet another example of the same! I am giving it three stars. The reason I read it was because a friend of mine was moving and giving away books and so I took this one as it has been on my vague to-read pile since forever because this is a book which is on all the lists and is much loved by the general populace. However, I was a tad irritated with myself because the version that I read was an abridged one and it was only for 400 pages! Whereas, as I now know the original is more than a 1000. Jeez! I only realized that I was reading the abridged version when I read some of the Goodreads review. Gah! I hate reading abridged versions of things; I am not ten years old! Anyhow, I shall be reading the unabridged version hopefully sometime in a few years.

19th century European novels tend to be about society and the various ills that plague said societies. This one is also about the various plagues like poverty, ignorance, war, lack of compassion and empathy; you get the picture. Hugo in his Author’s Preface wrote that “[…so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless.” And herein lies the appeal of the novel; ignorance, misery and poverty are still a huge part of the human condition in 2018 as it was in 1862. Here the novel scores; as a social document of how penury was driving people to do either good (Valjean) or bad (Thenardier) in 19th century France. The accounts of how Fantine is driven to give up her daughter; Valjean trying to escape his galley slave past, the Thenardiers using treachery to eke out their living, Marius only eating penny rolls in abject poverty strike you and make you think about your own privilege.
There are some very striking episodes in the novel which grip you and stay with you long after you have read them like when Valjean crosses the Paris sewers, the revolution, his encounter with Javert and the Thenardiers and many more. However, it does read very melodramatic most of the times, what with the chance escapes and misunderstandings, the non-recognitions et al. It honestly reads like a Bollywood film. Sorry but not really; it does read like that with all its melodrama.
Another word on characterization. The characters are not that well fleshed out and their inner life is not as deftly explored as you would get in some other French novels like Nana, Therese Racquin or even Madame Bovary. Jean Valjean is the best fleshed out character in the novel and the most memorable. I wish the other characters also had an in-depth characterization as his character. However, I did read the abridged version so maybe I missed a lot of that? Also, I didn’t know Fantine was a prostitute until I read goodreads review; that part is completely glossed out in the abridged version. Argh!
The female characters leave much to be desired. They are either angels (Cossette) or “whores” (Eponine). I had a lot of expectations from Cossette as a character but she is really dull and uninteresting. The last part of the novel really drove me mad. When Valjean stops coming to see Cossette why doesn’t she go and see him instead? I mean wouldn’t you go see your father if he stops coming to see you suddenly?
The best part about the book for me has to do with privilege and how Maruis realizes not only his socio-economic but male privilege –“For five years Maruis had lived in poverty, in privation, in distress even, but he perceived that he never known real misery. Real misery he had just seen. In fact, he who has seen the misery of man only has seen nothing, he must see the misery of woman; he who has seen the misery of woman only has seen nothing, he must see the misery of childhood.” (pg. 205) Voila! Finally a male character who realizes his privilege! This was the singular most amazing and wonderful moment for me in the novel.
A word about Paris which is as much a character in the novel as Valjean. I really enjoyed reading about Paris; the beautiful parts but also the dirty, smelly ones. The city is an important character unfolding the plot for the readers. Paris is my favorite! Would like to take a Les Miserables tour of the city!
All in all, the novel has its moments and is a good read on 19th century Parisian society. Maybe I can write a better review or will like it more once I read the unabridged version sooner rather than later.

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