More than any other book, les miserables changed that. I went to the store today and bought les miserables, only to find out once i got home that it is the abridged version. In 19thcentury france, jean valjean, who for decades. In the 90s, when excitement about les mis on broadway was at its peak, everyone had that gray paperback version of the book. Because of the novel s length, it can be reffered to as the brick. The narrator for this book has a fascinating range and magically creates many clear voices. It was an instant popular success and was quickly translated into several languages. Hugos wrenching story centers on jean valjean, an honest peasant sentenced to five years. Directed by gavin taylor produced by cameron mackintosh written by alain bouilli herbert. Click the link for more information on the show, to buy tickets and much much more. This was at a time when i had just finished a grueling job rushing through 18 to 20 hour days nonstop which had lasted 7 years, and id spent much of that time dreaming of just sitting and reading long novels, without. Les miserables 10th anniversiry concert full youtube.
You need to read this book about three times before you really appreciate it. Hugo hoped les miserables would encourage a more progressive and democratic future. Les miserables the musical is based on victor hugos epic novel, spanning two decades in the life of jean valjean. Its great because its an imaginative, beautifully crafted and uplifting story. Set in the parisian underworld and plotted like a detective story, the work follows the fortunes of the convict jean valjean, a victim of society.
Collecting les miserables by hugo, victor first edition. The epic novel is divided in five volumes, each of which is divided into several books and subdivided into chapters, totaling 48 books and 365 chapters. Les miserables is primarily a great humanitarian work that encourages compassion and hope in the face of adversity and injustice. I have read this abridged version of les miserables numerous times with my sophomore honors students, and les miserables is very likely one of my favorite books. That the prolixity is sometimes appropriate to the speakeras. Notable for its many subplots and digressions from the main storyline, the novel.
A favorite of readers for nearly 150 years, this stirring tale of crime, punishment, justice, and redemption pulses with life. The novel is divided into five volumes, each volume divided into several books, and subdivided into chapters, for a total of 48 books and 365 chapters. Considered to be french novelist victor hugos masterpiece, les miserables, which was published in 1862, is a sprawling historical and philosophical epic that covers from 1815 through the paris uprising in 1832. I say this book is not at all to be treated as a story. Les miserables 10th anniversary concert i do not own this. With its gargantuan length and exaggerated coincidences, les miserables is not read for its subtlety or the cleverness of the plot. Les miserables the book by victor hugo is incredibly long, but. It takes out the long digressions of the convent, waterloo, and other dissertations, leaving a wellcut story that doesnt take out any important details. If youre really up to it and like a good long book, the unabridged is about 4500 pages, but its divided into 5 volumes and then the books in each.
Les miserables, by victor hugo, is an epic historical novel that, though titled les miserables, which translates to the miserable people, is also a story about undying love set largely against the backdrop of the june rebellion, also known as the paris uprising of 1832. It is most definitely abridged, as my les mis fanatic daughter, upon first glance at the number of pages and chapter titles, emphatically attested to. Victor hugos les miserables debuted 150 years ago in 1862 and now has become the. In practice, the show will run a little longer or a little earlier depending mostly on the conductor, but the show runs just under 3 hours. Les miserables by victor hugo goodreads share book. Buy les miserables classics by hugo, victor, denny, norman, denny, norman, denny, norman from amazons fiction books store. Featuring such unforgettable characters as the quintessential prisoner of.
It is not the full, unabridged version of les miserables. Playbill gives the run time as 2 hours and 55 minutes, including 1 intermission. One day, an ex convict wanders into the bishops village and cant find any food or lodging because everyone turns him away. Two thirds of the book doesnt advance the plot, but it is a description of french life with amazing attention to detail. I have watered the garden, worked out at the gym, and ridden in cars all the while embracing each word of les miserables. Its also insightful social commentary, among the best and most interesting of writing genres, if you ask me. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. I normally would never read an abridged version, but now i dont know if i should take the book back sometime next week and try to find an unabridged version, or if i. How les miserables was the biggest deal in book history. Les miserables is a 2012 epic historical period musical film directed by tom hooper and scripted by william nicholson, alain boublil, who wrote the original french lyrics, claudemichel schonberg, who wrote the music, and herbert kretzmer, who wrote the english lyrics, based on the 1862 french novel of the same name by victor hugo, which also. Its an everfascinating story, a sweeping spectacle that dazzles the senses as it touches the heart, and this. Victor hugo tells his classic story of redemption and struggle, now a major motion picture, of a tormenting police officer and a former convict. And it is taking me a very long time to read it, but part of that is because i keep reading other books in between, and i only read a little in les mis.
Les miserables achieves its immense length partly for this reason and partly because the bits of dialogue are in fact large lumps. Les miserables by victor hugo volume 4, part 1 full audio book greatest audio books duration. Les miserables can be translated from the french into the miserable ones, the wretched, the poor ones. In the englishspeaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original french title. Les miserables is a french historical novel by victor hugo, first published in 1862, that is. Epic book, great story and historical document very well narrated, one of the most amazing stories ever written. Adapted by andrew davies and directed by tom shankland, it stars dominic west, david oyelowo, and lily collins bbc studios. Les miserables is a terrific insight into french history. Les miserables by victor hugo paste paste magazine. This book really helps with summer reading, the long time that it takes to sit down and read is taken away by this audiobook.
An exconvict breaks parole and starts a new life as a righteous man, but is pursued by a police inspector. For todays generation, the length of the story can be a bit jarring and leaves you wondering will this story ever end. Les miserables tickets show details broadway in boston. The unabridged sometimes went deeper into history and side tales than i expected but always came back to add depth to the story.
As for the story itself, les miserables is simply one of the greatest stories ever told. The novel as a whole is one of the longest ever written, with 655,478 words in the original french. Behr quotes this passage at length in behr, complete book, 3236. Les miserables is a french historical novel by victor hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. Book summary jean valjean, after spending nineteen years in jail and in the galleys for stealing a loaf of bread and for several attempts to escape, is finally released, but his past keeps haunting him. The books opens by describing the life of a really upstanding dude named bishop myriel. Each chapter is relatively short, commonly no longer than a few pages.
Lacroix had bought the novel sight unseen, itself something of a rarity. Les miserables penguin classics paperback april 29, 1982. Its about 830 pages long, unalike the unabridged version, which is around 0. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading les. Compiling a list of longest novels yields different results depending on whether pages, words or characters are counted. The length of the book was a great deterrent to me, too. It is also a historical novel of great scope, and provides a detailed vision of nineteenthcentury french politics and society. With hugh jackman, russell crowe, anne hathaway, amanda seyfried.
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