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A review by shadowsdana
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Did not finish book.
03/23/2012. Oh. My. God. This book was so LOOOOOOOONNNNG and so DRRRRRRRRYYYYY. I read that it was released as a serial at the time of publication. I would have rather read it a chapter at a time every week for 4 years in order to finish it rather than sequester myself from civilization and force myself to finish it. Yes, I FORCED myself to finish this book. I found myself doing laundry, mopping floors, cleaning baseboards, brushing the dog, and finding any other activity to do rather than read this book.
Currently I would rate this story 3 stars. I was expecting to read a heavy tale of woe and while that tale is present, the author adds humor and ironic twists which lighten up the subject matter making the characters more...human.
This is a refreshing break from the YA that I have been reading lately. The reality is that in the past (50-100 years ago) most young people were reading Les Mis in their youth while young people today read Twilight. Something has been lost, I can't quite put my finger on it. In The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom explains that the slow removal of classic literature, the little discussion of political and economic theory and the limited study of foreign languages in modern curricula has hindered the American public in the intellectual world. I have to agree. We base so much on test scores and trade-skill based learning that we don't have time to discuss the trials and tribulations of David Copperfield and how the social strata, economic system and political stability relate to his world of black markets, a benefactor, knowing the meaning of family and ultimately his success. Are our young people out of touch with the history of the world due to this educational deficit?
Currently I would rate this story 3 stars. I was expecting to read a heavy tale of woe and while that tale is present, the author adds humor and ironic twists which lighten up the subject matter making the characters more...human.
This is a refreshing break from the YA that I have been reading lately. The reality is that in the past (50-100 years ago) most young people were reading Les Mis in their youth while young people today read Twilight. Something has been lost, I can't quite put my finger on it. In The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom explains that the slow removal of classic literature, the little discussion of political and economic theory and the limited study of foreign languages in modern curricula has hindered the American public in the intellectual world. I have to agree. We base so much on test scores and trade-skill based learning that we don't have time to discuss the trials and tribulations of David Copperfield and how the social strata, economic system and political stability relate to his world of black markets, a benefactor, knowing the meaning of family and ultimately his success. Are our young people out of touch with the history of the world due to this educational deficit?