Apt

Since I have listened to every minute of the 57 hours of this book, I will make the following review the antithesis of the work itself:
'The most aptly named book in history, Hugo outdoes many great writers .....he is more prolix than Tolstoy and more didactic than Rousseau.
Fredrick Davidson's narration (with what sounds like excellent French) is annoyingly superior, which suits the subject matter perfectly'

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Phew. Finished it :-)

After 56 hours, I feel I have spent a significant part of my life with this book.

I had seen the musical and wanted to know more so bought this audio book

Just like the series Lost, the story is great but didn't need as much padding but I am glad I didn't skip any I did feel really emotional at the end- a wonderful ending

When reading the prose, Frederick Davidson can be a bit grating and sound a bit pompous. However when he does the character voices, he comes into his own. The Thenardier is fabulously threathening, Javert sounds great, the women also, but it is really the children particularly Gavroche who sound fantastic. Hearing Frederick Douglas do the voice of Gavroche really breaks your heart.

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Incredible story of salvation and redemption

A labour of love both in writing, performing and as the listener.

Not for the faint of heart there’s so much going on and the stories are so intertwined. This book will have you weeping at the end.

My only criticism is the random seeming essays by Hugo which detracts from the story though clearly he was passionate about the subjects.

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Not finished with this book, yet!

I have taken a break from this book, to listen to other audiobooks but I may get back to it. It is a classic and anyone who has seen the musical or film will know the general story. But oh it is so long. There are long passages such as the battle of Waterloo, which serve to introduce a minor character or some anecdote that gives reason for someone's actions later in life.



I love all the passages that feature the main characters but some of the rest I'd gladly do without. I can safely say that I would never have read this book, for this reason audiobooks are perfect, for me, to listen to while I'm driving or in the gym. I may get back to this some day but for now I'm listening to something shorter and modern!



I was surprised at Frederick Davidson's narration at first and found his accent and deep voice a bit unusual but as the book progressed I quite enjoyed it and his voice characterisations are spot on!

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This is a must read book!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would actually probally advise most people to read the abridged version if they are just interested in the book as a fictional story as I thought the writter had alot of un-needed description and historicle back ground included. I had 10 weeks off work so I went for it - un-abridged - whole version - Awesome Achievement!!!
Whether you have already watched the film or seen the stage production you really should read the book, its a gripping read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Les Miserables?

Valjean leaves. Marius realizes Valjean saved his life. Marius and Cosette depart to find him. Valjean is dying in a local convent, Cosette and Marius rush in to bid farewell. Valjean hands Cosette a written confession of his past life telling her everything.

Which character – as performed by Frederick Davidson – was your favourite?

Valjean

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The End - Without giving too much away - I cried ;'(

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A joy to hear

Watch on stage read the book but listening to this was so interesting and spoken so clearly .

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It's what your ears have been waiting for.....

At over 66 hours of listening, this is a lot of book for one credit. I was taking my 80 year old father to see the live show in London and wanted to get a handle on the story before we went - I was blown away by it - a huge story of an immense character, of love, loss, sacrifice, intrigue - you name it this book has it. I wasn't sure of the narrator at first, but soon grew to love his voice and it suited the story so well. I can't rate this book highly enough - but be prepared to have to put your life on hold while you immerse yourself in this truly astonishing novel.

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5 people found this helpful

Shame about the Narrator

Would you be willing to try another one of Frederick Davidson’s performances?

I will not try any more audiobooks narrated by Frederick Davidson if there are significant quantities of French involved. I speak French fluently having lived in France for 4 years, but I cannot understand more than one word out of three of his attempts at French. It's like listening to someone chewing tobacco while delivering a speech in Latin. He does fine for the most, the English language far outweighs the French in this production, but his French is abominable.

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2 people found this helpful

A 5 🌟 Book!

We were studying it & so this made me move on with it.

I loved the story. I knew - the films, the musical etc, but this ability to listen as I went, was perfect for me, thank you. .

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Very slow to start

This book took some time for me to get into, but it picked up as the storey unfolded. It is one of the longest books i have ever read and i enjoyed it despite its slow start.



I feel the narrater could have done a better job over all but this could be due to the length of the book.

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