Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

23 reviews

supermanabi's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Antisemitism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Minor: Self harm and Forced institutionalization

Forced institutionalization used in place of wrongful imprisonment.

maya_moksha's review against another edition

challenging tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This is an interesting but challenging read. I love how Hugo describes unusual feelings/sensations, that many of us have experienced, but have rarely seen illustrated. I also love how characters swell to the forefront than melt away only to re-emerge in a way that alters ones perception of the entire experience/motives/character. However the character development of women could have been much stronger. This critique stems from Hugo’s apparent biases of the superiority of men. 
This book has several difficult stories, with extreme graphic/sensory immersion. See content warnings below. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

timmytunter's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and War

Moderate: Suicide

juttaleupe's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism

brookeimcfeely's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

iammmartina_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence

bashsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I know this is an international and intergenerational classic, but I can't give 5 stars to Les Misérables. Not after those nineteen Waterloo chapters. I understand the position Hugo was put in politically (that was the useful aspect of the introduction, though I was not terribly impressed with its literary analysis), but holy hell were those chapters a slog. The worst slog of the book, I dare say. Talk to me about convents and sewers any day over Waterloo.

Other than that mind-numbling digression (and a couple others like it), I deeply enjoyed this book. The five narrators of this particular version are all very talented. The story itself is much funnier than any adaptations convey it. Les Amis de l'ABC are iconic, I have the tenderest sympathies for their plight. (Combeferre's 'to be free' mic-drop is incredible.) Marius and Cosette are endearing idiots. Jean Valjean and Javert have a surprising amount of tension. What kind of tension, I could probably write a whole book of essays on. It's well-worth the read. Oh, I also feel like I absorbed a lot about 19th century French politics. Which is information I didn't necessarily need, but it helped my reread of Ellie Valsin's Virago. Over all, I would say that it's worth the insane amount of time required to read it. And this Penguin audiobook version is especially good to listen to while you work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Classism

Moderate: Fatphobia, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Sexual violence, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Some of these content warnings are more of a side-effect of the time period the book was written rather than a deliberate choice to engage with these topics by the author, if that makes sense. Particularly for the more minor ones.

eliterbees's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Classism

alaskan_bull_worm's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A long book in which bad things happen to good people.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Excrement

viviuhler's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Death, Sexual violence, and Violence