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A review by avesmaria
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
5.0
How do I begin to review a book of such historical and literary importance? In short, it is one of those masterpieces like the Sistine Chapel, or one of Beethoven's great symphonies, through which I saw every facet and event of my life deconstructed and reflected back to me in the eyes of its characters and the turns of its plot.
More prosaically, anyone wanting to read Les Misérables should be prepared for a very long book of simultaneous detail and expanse. Hugo goes on a lot of meticulously written diversions to explain every aspect of Paris and the social and physical universe of the book. (All of his sidetracks are, in my opinion, essential aspects of the story's architecture, but people who prefer a more straightforward style will probably not enjoy it as much as I did. I'll also admit I skipped one of the chapters on the battle of Waterloo.) Diversions aside, the expansive scope and central theme of this work - a generations-long meditation on the nature of redemption and the unjust social systems that people either rise above or collapse beneath - holds a message for any age. As long as suffering, evil, punishment, redemption, and love exist, this book will have profound significance to humankind.
More prosaically, anyone wanting to read Les Misérables should be prepared for a very long book of simultaneous detail and expanse. Hugo goes on a lot of meticulously written diversions to explain every aspect of Paris and the social and physical universe of the book. (All of his sidetracks are, in my opinion, essential aspects of the story's architecture, but people who prefer a more straightforward style will probably not enjoy it as much as I did. I'll also admit I skipped one of the chapters on the battle of Waterloo.) Diversions aside, the expansive scope and central theme of this work - a generations-long meditation on the nature of redemption and the unjust social systems that people either rise above or collapse beneath - holds a message for any age. As long as suffering, evil, punishment, redemption, and love exist, this book will have profound significance to humankind.