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A review by jennrocca
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
5.0
I finished! Finally! Wow. That was a journey. I had the benefit of reading this without having ever seen the musical or knowing anything about the story. So a I had completely fresh eyes and no preconceived notions.
The story is amazing. Just fantastic. The story is what got me through the entire book. But so much of the book is not the story. So much of the book is philosophical treatise and social commentary. Vast vast sections of the book are only very loosely tied to the plot. I’m sure they helped deepen my understanding of the characters actions and the significance of the events but... it was tough going.
I’m glad I read the whole thing, but if I were to recommend it to someone else I would recommend an abridged version that primarily just told the story. I would have enjoyed it more that way.
The story is amazing. Just fantastic. The story is what got me through the entire book. But so much of the book is not the story. So much of the book is philosophical treatise and social commentary. Vast vast sections of the book are only very loosely tied to the plot. I’m sure they helped deepen my understanding of the characters actions and the significance of the events but... it was tough going.
I’m glad I read the whole thing, but if I were to recommend it to someone else I would recommend an abridged version that primarily just told the story. I would have enjoyed it more that way.