Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
This book was amazing but so long I wasn't sure I could finish it. As of October 2024, this is the longest book I've ever read. Sad but beautiful.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Themes or Characters that Resonate with Me:
The humanist themes of this novel deeply resonated with me. In this book Hugo puts society on trial. Hugo's advocacy for the dignity of all people through education is a cause I strongly support. His writing that revolutions are inevitable and that human progress cannot be stopped struck a powerful chord. When people are subjugated and deprived of dignity it is right and natural that a revolution should occur. I also appreciated the historical insights into the French Revolution, Napoleon's reign, and its aftermath.
The Bishop's actions were incredibly moving. He embodies what a religious leader should be—selfless and dedicated to the welfare of others. An example of the Bishop's selflessness is his act of kindness toward Jean Valjean when Valjean, recently released from prison, steals the Bishop's silver. Instead of accusing him, the Bishop tells the authorities that the silver was a gift and even gives Valjean two silver candlesticks, saying: "But you forgot the best. Here, take the candlesticks too."
This act not only spares Valjean from further punishment but inspires him to reform his life.
I found the theme of dual justice compelling: the idea that there are two truths—lawful truth and moral truth. Law and order are not synonymous with truth and justice; in fact, they often conflict.
Hugo's introduction set the tone perfectly:
"So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation... so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless."
Emotions, Thoughts, or Memories:
I was profoundly moved by the Bishop's actions and Jean Valjean's moments of moral courage, such as when Jean Valjean confesses his true identity in court to save an innocent man mistakenly identified as him. At this time, Valjean has established a new life under the alias Monsieur Madeleine and has become a respected mayor and factory owner. However, his past threatens to catch up to him when another man is arrested under suspicion of being the fugitive Valjean.
Despite the personal cost—risking his freedom and the stability of those who depend on him—Valjean steps forward to ensure justice. These acts of doing the right thing, despite immense difficulty, make them even more remarkable.
Jean Valjean’s character arc did not disappoint. His possessiveness of Cosette was humanizing, and his effort to save Marius and ensure Cosette’s happiness, even at his own expense, was poignant.
I found myself on edge during one of the final scenes when Thénardier appeals to Marius. The tension, coupled with my fear that Marius might unwittingly (out of elation) relinquish Cosette's fortune to Thénardier, kept me reading with bated breath.
The tension between Gillenormand and Marius was relatable. Despite their political differences, they managed to coexist and respect each other, emphasizing the novel’s theme that love outweighs ideological divides. This made me reflect on my own life and whether I could share a deep bond with someone holding vastly different views.
Opinion About the Author or Writing Style:
The main narrative was compelling. However, the lengthy asides on topics like Waterloo, convent life, the Parisian sewers, and slang were exhausting. Lists of names and details, while perhaps meaningful to Hugo’s contemporaries, detracted from the overall pacing for me.
Favorite Passage:
"Never let us fear robbers or murderers. These are external and small dangers; let us fear ourselves; prejudices are the real robbers, vices the true murderers. The great dangers are within ourselves. Let us not trouble about what threatens our head or our purse, and only think of what threatens our soul."
________
"You need not have told me who you were; this is not my house, but the house of Christ. This door does not ask a man who enters whether he has a name, but if he has sorrow; you are suffering, you are hungry and thirsty, so be welcome. And do not thank me, or say that I am receiving you in my house; for no one is at home here excepting the man who has need of an asylum. I tell you, who are a passer-by, that you are more at home here than I am myself, and all there is here is yours. Why do I want to know your name? besides, before you told it to me you had one which I knew."
The man opened his eyes in amazement.
"Is it true? you know my name?"
"Yes," the bishop answered, "you are my brother."
________
What, now, is the story of Fantine? It is society buying a slave, buying a slave from misery, from hunger, from cold, from isolation, from abandonment, from destitution. Lamentable bargain, a soul for a morsel of bread! Misery offers and society accepts.
(This stands out to me as a failure of capitalist society. It turns people into slaves, because capitalism cannot exist without society exploiting the poor and desperate.)
________
"Inspector Javert," M. Madeleine replied, "conscience is the highest of all courts. I have heard the woman and I know what I am doing"
(This is an example of the dichotomy of truth. Fantine has insulted Valjean, and he shows mercy.)
________
He had remained the same, except in his passion; he still had the same opinions, but they were softened down. Properly speaking, he no longer had opinions but sympathies; to what party did he belong? to that of humanity.
________
Between the logic and the philosophy of revolutions there is this difference, that the logic may conclude in war while its philosophy can only lead to peace.
________
Let us take compassion on the chastised, for, alas! what are we our-selves? who am I, who am speaking to you? who are you, who are listening to me? whence do we come? and is it quite sure that we did nothing before we were born? The earth is not without a resemblance to a jail, and who knows whether man is not the ticket-of-leave of Divine justice? If we look at life closely we find it so made that there is punishment everywhere to be seen. Are you what is called a happy man? Well, you are sad every day, and each of them has its great grief or small anxiety. Yesterday you trembled for a health which is dear to you, today you are frightened about your own, tomorrow it will be a monetary anxiety, and the day after the diatribe of a calumniator, and the day after that again the misfortune of some friend; then the weather, then something broken or lost, or a pleasure for which your conscience and your backbone reproach you; or, another time, the progress of public affairs, and we do not take into account heart-pangs. And so it goes on; one cloud is dissipated, another forms, and there is hardly one day in one hundred of real joy and bright sunshine. And you are one of that small number who are happy; as for other men, the stagnation of night is around them. Reflecting minds rarely use the expressions the happy and the unhappy, for in this world, which is evidently the vestibule of another, there are no happy beings. The true human division is into the luminous and the dark. To diminish the number of the dark, and augment that of the luminous, is the object, and that is why we cry, instruction and learning!" Learning to read is lighting the fire, and every syllable spelt is a spark. When we say light, however, we do not necessarily mean joy; for men suffer in light, and excess of light burns. Flame is the enemy of the wings, and to burn without ceasing to fly is the prodigy of genius. When you know and when you love, you will still suffer, for the day is born in tears, and the luminous weep, be it only for the sake of those in darkness.
________
"Love has no middle term; it either saves or destroys, and this dilemma is the whole of human destiny. No fatality offers this dilemma of ruin or salvation more inexorably than does love, for love is life, if it be not death: it is a cradle, but also a coffin. The same feeling that says yes and no in the human heart, and of all the things which God has made the human heart is the one which evolves the most light, and, alas! the most darkness.
________
"Citizens, whatever may happen today, we are about to make a revolution, by our defeat as well as by our victory. In the same way as fires light up a whole city, revolutions light up the whole human race. And what a revolution we shall make? I have just told you, the revolution of the True. From the political point of view, there is but one principle, the sovereignty of man over himself. This sovereignty of me over me is called Liberty, and where two or three of these liberties are associated the state begins. But in this association there is no abdication, and each sovereignty gives up a certain amount of itself to form the common right. This quality is the same for all, and this identity of concession which each makes to all, is called Equality. The common right is naught but the protection of all radiating over the right of each. This protection of all over each is termed Fraternity. The point of intersection of all aggregated sovereignties is called Society, and this intersection being a junction, the point is a knot. Hence comes what is called the social tie; some say the social contract, which is the same thing, as the word contract is etymologically formed with the idea of a tie. Let us come to an understanding about equality, for if liberty be the summit, equality is the base. Equality, citizens, is not the whole of society on a level, a society of tall blades of grass and small oaks, or a number of entangled jealousies,; it is , civilly, every aptitude having the same opening for a career; politically, all votes having the same weight, and, religiously, all consciences having the same right. Equality has an organ in gratuitous and compulsory education, and it should begin with the right to the alphabet. The primary school imposed on all, the secondary offered to all; such is the law, and from the identical school issues equal instruction. Yes, instruction!"
________
The ideal for Javert was not to be human, grand, or sublime; it was to be irreproachable, and now he had broken down. How had he reached this stage? how had all this happened? - he could not have told himself.
(This seems very similar to Okonkwo's death in Things Fall Apart, inflexible ideals resulting in despair.)
_________
“Teach the ignorant as much as you can; society is culpable in not providing a free education for all and it must answer for the night which it produces. If the soul is left in darkness sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness.”
My ratings-
Writing Style: 90
Relatability: 100
Originality: 100
Personal impact: 100
Plot: 95
The humanist themes of this novel deeply resonated with me. In this book Hugo puts society on trial. Hugo's advocacy for the dignity of all people through education is a cause I strongly support. His writing that revolutions are inevitable and that human progress cannot be stopped struck a powerful chord. When people are subjugated and deprived of dignity it is right and natural that a revolution should occur. I also appreciated the historical insights into the French Revolution, Napoleon's reign, and its aftermath.
The Bishop's actions were incredibly moving. He embodies what a religious leader should be—selfless and dedicated to the welfare of others. An example of the Bishop's selflessness is his act of kindness toward Jean Valjean when Valjean, recently released from prison, steals the Bishop's silver. Instead of accusing him, the Bishop tells the authorities that the silver was a gift and even gives Valjean two silver candlesticks, saying: "But you forgot the best. Here, take the candlesticks too."
This act not only spares Valjean from further punishment but inspires him to reform his life.
I found the theme of dual justice compelling: the idea that there are two truths—lawful truth and moral truth. Law and order are not synonymous with truth and justice; in fact, they often conflict.
Hugo's introduction set the tone perfectly:
"So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation... so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless."
Emotions, Thoughts, or Memories:
I was profoundly moved by the Bishop's actions and Jean Valjean's moments of moral courage, such as when Jean Valjean confesses his true identity in court to save an innocent man mistakenly identified as him. At this time, Valjean has established a new life under the alias Monsieur Madeleine and has become a respected mayor and factory owner. However, his past threatens to catch up to him when another man is arrested under suspicion of being the fugitive Valjean.
Despite the personal cost—risking his freedom and the stability of those who depend on him—Valjean steps forward to ensure justice. These acts of doing the right thing, despite immense difficulty, make them even more remarkable.
Jean Valjean’s character arc did not disappoint. His possessiveness of Cosette was humanizing, and his effort to save Marius and ensure Cosette’s happiness, even at his own expense, was poignant.
I found myself on edge during one of the final scenes when Thénardier appeals to Marius. The tension, coupled with my fear that Marius might unwittingly (out of elation) relinquish Cosette's fortune to Thénardier, kept me reading with bated breath.
The tension between Gillenormand and Marius was relatable. Despite their political differences, they managed to coexist and respect each other, emphasizing the novel’s theme that love outweighs ideological divides. This made me reflect on my own life and whether I could share a deep bond with someone holding vastly different views.
Opinion About the Author or Writing Style:
The main narrative was compelling. However, the lengthy asides on topics like Waterloo, convent life, the Parisian sewers, and slang were exhausting. Lists of names and details, while perhaps meaningful to Hugo’s contemporaries, detracted from the overall pacing for me.
Favorite Passage:
"Never let us fear robbers or murderers. These are external and small dangers; let us fear ourselves; prejudices are the real robbers, vices the true murderers. The great dangers are within ourselves. Let us not trouble about what threatens our head or our purse, and only think of what threatens our soul."
________
"You need not have told me who you were; this is not my house, but the house of Christ. This door does not ask a man who enters whether he has a name, but if he has sorrow; you are suffering, you are hungry and thirsty, so be welcome. And do not thank me, or say that I am receiving you in my house; for no one is at home here excepting the man who has need of an asylum. I tell you, who are a passer-by, that you are more at home here than I am myself, and all there is here is yours. Why do I want to know your name? besides, before you told it to me you had one which I knew."
The man opened his eyes in amazement.
"Is it true? you know my name?"
"Yes," the bishop answered, "you are my brother."
________
What, now, is the story of Fantine? It is society buying a slave, buying a slave from misery, from hunger, from cold, from isolation, from abandonment, from destitution. Lamentable bargain, a soul for a morsel of bread! Misery offers and society accepts.
(This stands out to me as a failure of capitalist society. It turns people into slaves, because capitalism cannot exist without society exploiting the poor and desperate.)
________
"Inspector Javert," M. Madeleine replied, "conscience is the highest of all courts. I have heard the woman and I know what I am doing"
(This is an example of the dichotomy of truth. Fantine has insulted Valjean, and he shows mercy.)
________
He had remained the same, except in his passion; he still had the same opinions, but they were softened down. Properly speaking, he no longer had opinions but sympathies; to what party did he belong? to that of humanity.
________
Between the logic and the philosophy of revolutions there is this difference, that the logic may conclude in war while its philosophy can only lead to peace.
________
Let us take compassion on the chastised, for, alas! what are we our-selves? who am I, who am speaking to you? who are you, who are listening to me? whence do we come? and is it quite sure that we did nothing before we were born? The earth is not without a resemblance to a jail, and who knows whether man is not the ticket-of-leave of Divine justice? If we look at life closely we find it so made that there is punishment everywhere to be seen. Are you what is called a happy man? Well, you are sad every day, and each of them has its great grief or small anxiety. Yesterday you trembled for a health which is dear to you, today you are frightened about your own, tomorrow it will be a monetary anxiety, and the day after the diatribe of a calumniator, and the day after that again the misfortune of some friend; then the weather, then something broken or lost, or a pleasure for which your conscience and your backbone reproach you; or, another time, the progress of public affairs, and we do not take into account heart-pangs. And so it goes on; one cloud is dissipated, another forms, and there is hardly one day in one hundred of real joy and bright sunshine. And you are one of that small number who are happy; as for other men, the stagnation of night is around them. Reflecting minds rarely use the expressions the happy and the unhappy, for in this world, which is evidently the vestibule of another, there are no happy beings. The true human division is into the luminous and the dark. To diminish the number of the dark, and augment that of the luminous, is the object, and that is why we cry, instruction and learning!" Learning to read is lighting the fire, and every syllable spelt is a spark. When we say light, however, we do not necessarily mean joy; for men suffer in light, and excess of light burns. Flame is the enemy of the wings, and to burn without ceasing to fly is the prodigy of genius. When you know and when you love, you will still suffer, for the day is born in tears, and the luminous weep, be it only for the sake of those in darkness.
________
"Love has no middle term; it either saves or destroys, and this dilemma is the whole of human destiny. No fatality offers this dilemma of ruin or salvation more inexorably than does love, for love is life, if it be not death: it is a cradle, but also a coffin. The same feeling that says yes and no in the human heart, and of all the things which God has made the human heart is the one which evolves the most light, and, alas! the most darkness.
________
"Citizens, whatever may happen today, we are about to make a revolution, by our defeat as well as by our victory. In the same way as fires light up a whole city, revolutions light up the whole human race. And what a revolution we shall make? I have just told you, the revolution of the True. From the political point of view, there is but one principle, the sovereignty of man over himself. This sovereignty of me over me is called Liberty, and where two or three of these liberties are associated the state begins. But in this association there is no abdication, and each sovereignty gives up a certain amount of itself to form the common right. This quality is the same for all, and this identity of concession which each makes to all, is called Equality. The common right is naught but the protection of all radiating over the right of each. This protection of all over each is termed Fraternity. The point of intersection of all aggregated sovereignties is called Society, and this intersection being a junction, the point is a knot. Hence comes what is called the social tie; some say the social contract, which is the same thing, as the word contract is etymologically formed with the idea of a tie. Let us come to an understanding about equality, for if liberty be the summit, equality is the base. Equality, citizens, is not the whole of society on a level, a society of tall blades of grass and small oaks, or a number of entangled jealousies,; it is , civilly, every aptitude having the same opening for a career; politically, all votes having the same weight, and, religiously, all consciences having the same right. Equality has an organ in gratuitous and compulsory education, and it should begin with the right to the alphabet. The primary school imposed on all, the secondary offered to all; such is the law, and from the identical school issues equal instruction. Yes, instruction!"
________
The ideal for Javert was not to be human, grand, or sublime; it was to be irreproachable, and now he had broken down. How had he reached this stage? how had all this happened? - he could not have told himself.
(This seems very similar to Okonkwo's death in Things Fall Apart, inflexible ideals resulting in despair.)
_________
“Teach the ignorant as much as you can; society is culpable in not providing a free education for all and it must answer for the night which it produces. If the soul is left in darkness sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness.”
My ratings-
Writing Style: 90
Relatability: 100
Originality: 100
Personal impact: 100
Plot: 95
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book because I’m going to see the play and Inwanted to have a handle on the plot. Also my friend Mindy is having a zoom book club on the novel which i will miss most likely when i’m in Greece- but goals!! I have intended to read this novel for so long and regret that i didn’t read it sooner. oh my what a book. Victor Hugo is a genius. I am so sorry I have not read this book until now. Hugo is the French Dickens- a lot of words and a lot of opinions but rendered in a French vice English way. Hugo loves France unapologetically and is not so very fond of the English so maybe would not like to be compared to Dickens. Still it’s impossible not to do it because both of them use their stories and characters to advance victorian values of good vs evil. He has characters so memorable and well drawn- the evil ones are truly evil (Thenadier ) and the good are so good (Fantine and Cosette). This is not to say that his characters are not complex -the struggle between good and evil, justice and mercy, kindness and vengeance all portrayed in the characters of Valjean, Marius and Javert is pure genius. Those themes permeate the novel, even in Hugo’s descriptions of events or places that seem irrelevant like the battle of Waterloo or the way France is the successor of Greece and Italy in its cultivation of art and culture or even the condition of the French sewers. the center of a civilized society. Law and order, justice and mercy, war and peace, order and disorder- it’s all explored here through the characters, plot, and locations. this is the perfect novel. I loved it so much.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
This book is an insanely hard read, especially for someone as young as I was when I read it. I’d love to revisit it, because the themes are so powerful, but I’m intimidated by its difficulty.
like 5 min in I couldn’t stand some of the tics of the reader (mostly really audible breadth intakes between lines). Will not be doing that for 60hrs. I listened to a sample of the Julie Rose translation audio and liked it much better immediately, so am now on the waitlist for it!
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Um dos favoritos da vida, nem acredito que li inteiro!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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