Les Misérables

A story of hardship, sacrifice, and harsh reality of class division - including during the time of the French Revolution. Centers around one man, but with many sidelines and long detours.

read, re-read, and read again!

A masterpiece which confronts humans to good and evil.

This is a sprawling novel in which we are confronted with concerns about good and evil and reward and punishment. At times Hugo's sidetracks into discussions of issues that add nothing to the plot of novel are a little disconcerting as is the level of coincidence that brings the central characters into contact with each other at key points of the story. Overall though a gripping read.

I've read this three times over the years and each time it captures me again.

This is the worst book I've ever read in my life. Incessantly boring, Indescribably nonsensical, ridiculously unrealistic. There seem to be about three characters in the entire book who just repeatedly meet up with each other again and again through strained and inconceivable plot conceits. Utterly awful - I had to force myself phycially and mentally to make it to the end. Perhaps the age of the book and the fact it's a translated work does not flatter the impact the text originally had but, ultimately, it's just bad.

(edit: 50 Shades of Grey was worse but this is second)

Génial; à lire absolument.

The original, unabridged edition deserves to be much more highly rated than it is. Through Victor Hugo's historical and philosophical digressions the reader obtains a definite feel for life in France in the early to mid 19th century. Similarly, the central character --- Jean Valjean --- is shown to be a very complex person who deserved far better out of life. The 1885 English translation of the five volume original available for free download (as an HTML file) through Project Gutenberg is highly recommended.

Such a beautiful story.

One of the best books ever written. You have to read it to know why.