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A review by regitzexenia
Les Misérables Volume Two by Victor Hugo
5.0
Reviewed on my blog: Bookish Love Affair.
What can I even say? I mean, how do you boil down a book this long, this intricate and this full of intermation and story and characters in a review that won't be too long?
I honestly don't know.
Les Misérables is a wonderful book. It is a story of love, romantic and familiar, redemtption, honesty, patriotism. Life in general, told in a totally non-general story. A story of human nature.
It is a long book, which is why it is in two volumes in this edition - and probably others. But is also a really heavy novel, I think part of the reason why 'classics' are often deemed too difficult to bother reading is the way they are written. In this book for instance, Victor Hugo often spends chapter after chapter describing the scenery, the Paris sewers, the life of a character barely in the story and an entire chapter on the battle of Waterloo,before it is made entirely clear why.
But it works. It probably shouldn't, not by today's standards, but it does.
The chapters are pretty short, so it is easy to feel like you've made a lot of headway. And I don't know, despite it being a long read, page wise, it never really felt like a long read, time wise.
I cannot not recommend this book. I really enjoyed reading it this month, even when it might have felt drawn out and just too-damn-slow, plot wise (because sometimes, it is. Hugo gets a lot of information across, but if you're looking for a plot-driven story, don't chose this one).
So put it on your list. Read it.
I am sure, you won't regret it.
What can I even say? I mean, how do you boil down a book this long, this intricate and this full of intermation and story and characters in a review that won't be too long?
I honestly don't know.
Les Misérables is a wonderful book. It is a story of love, romantic and familiar, redemtption, honesty, patriotism. Life in general, told in a totally non-general story. A story of human nature.
It is a long book, which is why it is in two volumes in this edition - and probably others. But is also a really heavy novel, I think part of the reason why 'classics' are often deemed too difficult to bother reading is the way they are written. In this book for instance, Victor Hugo often spends chapter after chapter describing the scenery, the Paris sewers, the life of a character barely in the story and an entire chapter on the battle of Waterloo,before it is made entirely clear why.
But it works. It probably shouldn't, not by today's standards, but it does.
The chapters are pretty short, so it is easy to feel like you've made a lot of headway. And I don't know, despite it being a long read, page wise, it never really felt like a long read, time wise.
I cannot not recommend this book. I really enjoyed reading it this month, even when it might have felt drawn out and just too-damn-slow, plot wise (because sometimes, it is. Hugo gets a lot of information across, but if you're looking for a plot-driven story, don't chose this one).
So put it on your list. Read it.
I am sure, you won't regret it.