Les Misérables
Penguin Classics
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Les Misérables
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Written by:
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Christine Donougher
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Victor Hugo
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Robert Tombs
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
This Penguin Classic is performed by an ensemble cast which includes the BAFTA award-winning actor Adeel Akhtar (Killing Eve, The Night Manager, Les Miserables), Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey, The King's Speech), Natalie Simpson (Outlander, Les Miserables), Emma Fielding (Unforgotten, Les Miserables) and John Owen-Jones, who was the youngest actor ever to play the part of Jean Valjean in the stage show of Les Miserables, and who has appeared as Jean Valjean on Broadway and in the West End. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Robert Tombs.
Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty.
Public Domain (P)2020 Penguin AudioFeatured Article: Top Ten Best French Authors on Audible Canada
Few countries have housed writers whose works are as enduring and celebrated as the French. From Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Marcel Proust, and Emile Zola, to heartwarming French Canadian tales by Gabrielle Roy and Rich Carrier, French authors have brought us some of the best stories throughout the decades. This list looks at some of the best works from classic French writers and Canadian favourites alike, exploring the importance of French literature and the French voice. Each of these works has been translated from française and is performed for English-speaking audiences while maintaining the famous French style that makes these short stories, novels and audiobooks the classics that they are.
What listeners say about Les Misérables
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nilton C. Teixeira
- 2024-04-04
Brilliant!
Les Miserables (also published as “The Wretched”)
A brilliant modern translation by Christine Donougher.
And what a masterpiece!
Simply magnificent! Unforgettable characters!
For drama’s lover this is a treat.
An enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, sacrifice and redemption and a testament to the survival of the human spirit, set during the French Revolution.
The night before starting this book I went to the theatre to see the latest musical production of Les Miserables. It was my fifth time and it was so marvellous that I decided to finally face this book.
And what a wonderful surprise this was. Much better than I expected. But there are lots of “fillers” that perhaps are not included in the abridged version.
I do have to applaud all of those people who worked on the adaptation for the musical/play and for the movies, as they did an excellent job keeping the essence of the original story (especially William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Herbert Kretzmer who all wrote the screenplay for the 2012 movie adaptation directed by Tom Hooper).
I do have several free editions in ebook format, as well as another paperback by Penguin Classics which was translated by Norman Denny.
As a simple example, which may give you an idea, see below a comparison between the translations by Donougher (1) and Denny (2):
(1): “Still hidden at the corner of Rue Mondétour, irresolute and shivering, Marius had witnessed the first phase of the fighting.
(2): “Crouched at the turning of the Rue Mondétour, Marius had witnessed the beginning of the battle, still irresolute and trembling.”
(1): “Some time after the events we have described Boulatruelle had a severe shock.”
(2): “Some time after the events we have just related, Sieur Boulatruelle experienced great excitement.”
My favourite part of the book was the opening “Fantine” (Part 1). There was a lot of heart in this section that left me emotional (and how I hated the Thénardiers! In the musical they are hideous but hilarious).
e-book (Kobo) - Penguin Classics (translation by Christine Donougher and an introduction by Robert Tombs): 2011 pages (default), 623k words - unabridged
Paperback - Penguin Classics (translation by Christine Donougher and an introduction by Robert Tombs): 1456 pages, 366 chapters - unabridged
Audiobook narrated by: Adeel Akhtar, Natalie Simpson, Adrian Scarborough, Emma Fielding, John Owen-Jones
Length: 65 hrs and 41 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 2020-04-23
Publisher: Penguin Audio
PS. I had the pleasure of reading this book while simultaneously listening to the audiobook. Both were the same edition, and I can certify that the audiobook is word by word accurate.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Donna Busque
- 2023-06-16
A classic as relevant today as when it was written.
It would serve society well to revisit the social questions raised in this novel. It is a reminder that the factors contributing to socioeconomic disparity have not changed much over the centuries.
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