About the book
Title : Les Miserables
Author : Victor Hugo
Format:kindle Edition
Rating : 5 stars
Description
An ex-convict struggles for redemption in the punishing world of post-Napoleonic France. Described as the bible of the poor, downtrodden, heartbroken, convicted, and oppressed.
The social injustice is one that is extremely eveident. Especially in the early fate of Jean Valjean and Fantine. To save his starving sister, Jean stole a loaf of bread and was imprisoned for five years. During those five years he attempted to escape and was sentenced for fourteen more years. It is evident to the reader that the punishment does not fit the crime, yet at the time in society theft was considered a heinous crime despite the price of bread being extremely high. Also Fantine’s fate is just as treacherous. She attempts to support her daughter and herself by working at a factory to support the Thérnadiers’ exorbitant costs to support her daughter Cosette. When the factory workers discover she has a daughter out of wedlock, she is fired. This is turn forces her to sell her hair and teeth and work as a prostitute. It seems hypocritical for Fantine to be punished for having a child out of wedlock by being forced into a career that could potentially have her have another child out of wedlock, this is something that Hugo intended. Overall, I’m a very fast reader and this book is still taking a while for me to read. This novel is about three things. First, love both sacred and profane, and its ability to transform and transcend. Second, our need to fight for change and social justice in a cruel world that resists revolution or too easily undermines and diverts it. Third, and above all,Les Misérables is about holding on to hope in the most desperate conditions, and it ends in the victory of love in a context of political defeat
Summary
I recently reread this and found myself liking it a lot more the second time. Having seen Les Mis on the West End, it’s easy to forget how the story develops and I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Cosette character, who features heavily in the novel and not so in the musical. If you’ve never read Victor Hugo, it’s worth downloading this from Kindle and giving it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
