The reason for which I even took on the challenge of tackling this tome came about after I watched the musical film adaptation based on the book and it's 1985 Broadway hit. Any guesses as to what this musical film was? I'll give you a hint: It came out 5 years ago, it received a Best Picture Nomination at the Oscars, and the struggle of even trying to read the book will make you feel rather Miserable.
I'm of course talking about Les Miserables, originally published back in 1862 and written by Victor Hugo, who was also the author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (which was made into one of my favorite Disney movies in 1996).
The book and the musical follows the story of Jean Valjean, a former galley slave who spent 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. He breaks his parole and is relentlessly pursued by police Inspector Javert. Jean finds redemption and only wishes to live a peaceful life. He changes his name and becomes a very successful business man wherever he goes and always helps the poor in any way he can. That's when he meets Fantine, a work girl who'd been fired from a factory he owned and had turned to prostitution to support the daughter she'd unwittingly left in the care of a wicked innkeeper and his wife. Fantine falls ill and Jean Valjean promises her on her death bed that he'll take care of her daughter Cosette. Fast forward 10 years later and Cosette is now Jean's adopted daughter and has fallen in love with Marius, a young law student caught up with a group of other students planning a revolution in the streets of Paris. Jean Valjean, fearing that Cosette will be all alone when he dies, decides to save Marius for her. Jean runs into Inspector Javert while saving Marius from the barricades and everything reaches a boiling point in the story.
This is the backdrop which Hugo paints for the reader, but there are a LOT of extra things that Hugo adds that takes away from the story and makes it really hard to pay attention: First of all, you get a 46 page account of the Battle of Waterloo (which really isn't needed), second, 19 pages on the History of Paris' street language known as Argot, and third...........16 pages on The History of the Sewers of Paris!!!!!!! (Not to mention there are a few other segments like these where Hugo goes off on philosophical and political rants.)
These were the moments that made reading this book both interesting and boring. Interesting because I actually found myself enjoying bits and pieces of these segments and boring because, well, these parts really didn't need to exist and they didn't really help along the story's narrative.
In conclusion, I'm glad I decided to read Les Mis, it's a wonderful story of Redemption, Hope, Love, Grace and Selflessness; not to mention I learned a lot about France from a Frenchman who clearly knew his stuff! Would I ever reread it? No, but I do recommend it to anyone willing to try out a classic written by one of the greats! It has an amazing story with powerful quotes sprinkled throughout. I would suggest having your phone or mobile device handy however, as there are a lot of random phrases in French and Latin, including colorful vocabulary as well that are worth researching. But I am glad I pushed myself to finish it's 1,222 pages; it's a goal that I'm proud to have accomplished. God loves it when we complete things we start, even if it's just reading a 1000 page book! Any goal, even the smallest and seemingly insignificant ones, are the ones we should celebrate; and the good news is that God will celebrate them with us! It's like what Luke 16:10 says about those who are honest with little being trusted with a lot.
And so with that goal down, I'm ready and excited to start finishing goals in my writing next!
Here's to one goal, one small victory finished and in the bag!
This is Tirzah L Adcock, the Author of Authorsville, signing off.
