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ilonasuntila's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
meliemelo's review against another edition
5.0
And that's why I love this book. The first few volumes were a bit slow, but from the moment you arrive to the main plot it becomes much easier to read. It's tragic, it's "grandiose", it's brilliant.
Hugo's style is simply magnificent. Maybe a tad too magnificent at times. And yes, he has a tendency to get lost in his digressions - usually when he says "I'm not going to talk about that (much)", it means "I'm going to talk about that for 10 pages". But you can skip them, and I remember actually liking those digressions the first time I read the book - and some of them can be very useful when you don't know much about 19th century French history.
The story itself is briliant, with lots of interesting characters whose psychology is studied at (great) length, which makes them seem even more real. Actions are explained, motives studied, and even when you don't agree with them you can at least get an understanding as to why such thing is done.
So yup, basically, I loved it till the end.
Hugo's style is simply magnificent. Maybe a tad too magnificent at times. And yes, he has a tendency to get lost in his digressions - usually when he says "I'm not going to talk about that (much)", it means "I'm going to talk about that for 10 pages". But you can skip them, and I remember actually liking those digressions the first time I read the book - and some of them can be very useful when you don't know much about 19th century French history.
The story itself is briliant, with lots of interesting characters whose psychology is studied at (great) length, which makes them seem even more real. Actions are explained, motives studied, and even when you don't agree with them you can at least get an understanding as to why such thing is done.
So yup, basically, I loved it till the end.
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Death of parent
verdunbeach's review against another edition
5.0
One of those marathon books where as you read it you start rushing to the end. A long history of convents (how many pages are left?), a history of argot (how many pages are left?), a dissertation on the difference between riots and revolts (how many pages are left?). But you eventually get to the parts which advance the story, and you realize you've built a giant foundation of understanding of Hugo's philosophy on life, of contemporary issues and of life in general. And then you are rewarded in these parts with an exquisitely written story, full of insights and quotes which force you to reflect on today's society and the people that give it shape.
You will often stop and wonder in which century Hugo wrote Les Misérables. The issues, the message and the relevancy are undiminished to this day. The mark of a true masterpiece; and the type of book where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You may not be convinced you even like this book until the very last page.
You will often stop and wonder in which century Hugo wrote Les Misérables. The issues, the message and the relevancy are undiminished to this day. The mark of a true masterpiece; and the type of book where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You may not be convinced you even like this book until the very last page.
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