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mischiefphantom's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lincelin's review
emotional
reflective
fast-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
gemmak's review
Les Mis is everything I wanted it to be -- vendettas, chase scenes, minor revolutions, long digressions about Parisian city planning, pages of almost-but-not-quite-sexy French folk songs. I mean, look, am I deeply sad that Victor Hugo used one of his many asides to say the twentieth century would be the "happy" century, where all the revolutions had succeeded and there was liberté and egalité for all? Considering it's the 21st and we're still not that close, well, woof. (I mean Hugo also gets pretty pervy and sexist but what can a reader expect, really?)
I genuinely enjoyed reading this novel, even though I found myself hating Marius more and more with the turn of every page. He has no moral center beyond "what do I understand as kindness towards me, specifically?" He doesn't deserve a happy ending. But that is neither here nor there -- what I wanted was a full 19th-century social novel and that is exactly what I got, long screeds about sewers and convents included. I love a novel where the author only tosses around fiction, reminding the reader that he also just has Opinions and a chance to publish, so here they are. I'm being serious! It's like reading someone's personal letters, it's like time travel. (That said, I'm about to go read something written in the past 5 years.)
I genuinely enjoyed reading this novel, even though I found myself hating Marius more and more with the turn of every page. He has no moral center beyond "what do I understand as kindness towards me, specifically?" He doesn't deserve a happy ending. But that is neither here nor there -- what I wanted was a full 19th-century social novel and that is exactly what I got, long screeds about sewers and convents included. I love a novel where the author only tosses around fiction, reminding the reader that he also just has Opinions and a chance to publish, so here they are. I'm being serious! It's like reading someone's personal letters, it's like time travel. (That said, I'm about to go read something written in the past 5 years.)
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