Reviews

Jean Valjean, who was imprisoned as a young man for stealing bread to feed his sister's children, then had his prison sentence extended multiple times for trying to escape, tries to steal from a bishop who shows him kindness and forgiveness. He repents, hides his identity, and starts life as a new man, becoming mayor of a town under the name of Monsieur Madeleine and showing generosity to others. But he is recognised by Inspector Javert who has him arrested. He escapes, and rescues Cosette, the orphaned and abused daughter of a poor deceased lady, Fantine. They flee to Paris and hide in a convent where Cosette is raised for five years. After moving out to another house, Cosette and Marius secretly meet and fall in love with each other. When riots begin, Jean Valjean and Cosette move to another house, and Marius, thinking he has lost Cosette, joins the riots intending to die. Jean Valjean, despite being jealous of Marius, rescues Marius, wading through a sewer. He also spares Inspector Javert from being killed by the insurgents, and Javert, troubled by the clash of justice and mercy, commits suicide. Cosette and Marius marry. Jean Valjean tells Marius that he is an ex-convict, and Marius gradually makes it clear to Jean Valjean that he is unwanted in the house. Having lost Cosette, Jean Valjean stops eating, withers. Marius discovers the truth of Jean Valjean's past, and he and Cosette reconcile with Jean Valjean just before he dies.

This is a book of redemption. Jean Valjean, having been forgiven by Bishop Bienvenu whom he stole from, sees the goodness of God and never looks back. It's easy enough when he is Monsieur Madeleine, wealthy and respected, and can afford to do good. It is much harder when his conscience leads him to voluntarily confess his identity in court to save another man, and to spare Javert when given the opportunity to shoot him, and to save Marius, whom he is jealous of, while risking his own life. Hugo shows us these struggles. Jean Valjean has sleepless nights, deciding whether he should do what is easy and safe, or what is dangerous to him. He always makes the choice to save his soul rather than his body. He performs heroic acts with humility, knowing his power but believing that he is worthless without God, and above all setting Cosette's needs above his own. Bishop Bienvenu may be a minor character, but the impact he has on Jean Valjean's life is great, and the two precious silver candlesticks that he gifts Jean Valjean feature even when Jean Valjean is dying.

Hugo's characterisation is masterful. The major characters are all complex characters, with back stories that explain their personalities, idiosyncrasies and inner turmoils. Even some of the minor characters, like Eponine, Gavroche and Monsieur Gillenormand, are well fleshed out. The plot lines are tightly constructed, with Hugo holding all the threads in his hands and never letting them go. There are perhaps too many coincidences, but it is a small flaw when the plot is so thrilling and emotionally heart-wrenching.

Much has been said about the digressions. Yes, they are long. But are they really digressions? I see this book as Hugo's love letter to Paris. He names specific streets and cafes, and writes essays on various topics from politics to convents to Parisian orphans to the nature of slang in Paris. For the modern day reader, it is tempting to skim through them to get back to the story of Jean Valjean and his encounters. But these "digressions" are as integral to the purpose of the book as the plot is. In any case, I believe there most people will have at least a digression or two that interests them. My favourite was the one on the Battle of Waterloo, and I know others who have expressed fascination in the ones on convents and on slang. And Bishop Bienvenu being one of my favourite characters, I don't count his back story as being a digression, though some people do.

I read the Penguin Classics translation by Christine Donougher and it was excellent. It reads smoothly and there are many footnotes that explain the references and puns that modern-day non-French readers may miss. Only, why oh why did she have to rename the book The Wretched?

Thank you, Victor Hugo. Those eleven months were good.

schleviboy's review

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3.0

A great, epic story, though Hugo is rather long-winded and overbearing at times.

Also, I kept having to google things, e.g. strange English vocabulary that may not appear outside of this translation, details of French history, entire poems left untranslated in French. If I ever read this again, I'm definitely going to look for a recent translation with notes.

heatherfeii's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

sw2802's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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