Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

Les Miserables [With Ribbon Marker] by Victor Hugo

2 reviews

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. 

---

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

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.

---

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.