Rambling

I read this when I was a teenager. I remembered the story and remembered enjoying it. I remembered crying as I read parts. I have read a decent number of books written in the 18th and 19th century, including long ones like the Count of Monte Cristo. At times, this book is painfully redundant, long winded, goes on tangents it reproaches itself for, and sometimes are completely unnecessary. I would often picture the other characters in these scenes, listening to this tangential sermons or redundant speeches, according to their character, just sitting waiting for them to finish, rolling their eyes, drinking from their glasses, or watching with a half smile because it's just ridiculous.

if you aren't completionist, aren't reading it for commentary on 19th century anything at all, and just want the story... find an abridged copy.

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Fantabulously gloriously amazing and good

The seemingly pointless ramblings lead the reader to understand the motivations and drives of the protagonists and how what we see unfold in their lives is an inexorable out come of who they are and how they came to be who they are...deeply deeply shows how humans distant in time, are still linked by a commonality of being human...and suggests that humans of any age are linked by their common shared humanity.

Listen to it, you will be as one with the story.

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I laugh out loud every time

Les Misérables is in my life canon, even with the lengthy chapters about French culture, history, and religion. My first read-through was an abridged version as an adolescent, and it taught me the distinctions between humane and inhumane, charitable and base, vulnerable and impervious.

In adulthood, I listen carefully for those reminders, wanting to be like the Bishop, and Jean Valjean, actually seeing the Fantines and Eponines around me, wanting to ease suffering.

With all the solemnity and tragedy, hope and irony of the piece, I still find myself bursting with incredulous laughter at the skill of Hugo as a writer. Read sincerely, Hugo’s writing, thinking, and way of seeing are astoundingly beautiful, poetic, and recreative.

I love this book, its stories, and its author.

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The movie is better!

This book is way too long winded and full of meandering descriptions of events and places and people who have no connection at all to the story... I've literally been listening for the last hour and a half to the narrator just rambling on and on about stuff that has no point and has still not gotten back to the plot... just going on and on and on ad nauseum about slang. if I were reading the actual book, rather than listening to an audio book, I'd have thrown it at the wall already, several times... i finally just gave up after the hour long lecture about slang. slang for gods sake. who even cares about nailing down every aspect and usage of slang?? i don't even care how the story ends.. its just not worth the headache anymore...

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