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Les Miserables

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Les Miserables

By: Victor Hugo
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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Set in the Parisian underworld of the early nineteenth century, Les Misérables follows the adventures of Jean Valjean, once an honest peasant, who spent nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving family.

A hardened and bitter criminal upon his release, Valjean is transformed when an act of compassion by a priest, whom he robbed, saves him from returning to prison. Changing his identity and his ways, Valjean becomes a successful industrialist and eventually the town mayor.

Taking compassion on the poor, he raises the orphaned daughter of a prostitute as his own, never telling her of his shady past. Yet he is haunted by it, still pursued relentlessly by the police inspector Javert, who does not believe in moral redemption.

When Valjean’s daughter, Cosette, falls in love with a young revolutionary, Javert concocts a plot to catch both the lawless peasants and the elusive Valjean once and for all.

Full of suspense, romance, and powerful social commentary, this sweeping epic became the gospel of the oppressed and is widely considered one of the greatest French novels of its age.

(P)1996 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Crime Thought-Provoking Middle Ages
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Critic reviews

“Still manages to grip the reader with its epic narrative sweep and all-embracing humanism.”

(Sunday Times (London))

“A sprawling, robust novel.”

(Daily Mail (London))

“A humanist masterpiece.”

(The Guardian (London))

“Davidson’s exquisitely nuanced interpretation of Les Misérables expertly reflects the excellence of Hugo’s literary and political classic.”

(Booklist (audio review))
All stars
Most relevant
So I finally finished Les Miserables. It took me five months to listen to the whole thing, a 60-hour audio book. There were several points where I nearly gave up, and one where I actually announced on Facebook that I had given up. But I went back to it and I'm ever so glad that I did.

Let me start by saying that this is a fantastic book. There were times when I was slogging through some of the digressions that I wondered just how this could possibly have been considered a classic. But now I know.

At first, I sensed a similarity with Crime & Punishment, which just happens to have been published in the same decade as Les Miserables, as indeed was War & Peace, which I have also read. The part where Jean Valjean, as Monsieur Madeleine, is fighting with his conscience about going to rescue the man who has been arrested as Jean Valjean and then his journey there, fraught with difficulty.

It's been interesting to read some of the reviews on Goodreads after finishing the book. They are almost all five stars and there are a few instances where readers have read the abridged version and then gone back to read the unabridged and enjoyed it ever so much more. As I was listening to it, there were many occasions when I wished I had downloaded the abridged version instead. I mean come on, pages and pages of description about the Paris sewers? The whole Waterloo bit? I honestly struggled through these parts. I wonder if it would have been easier to read than to listen to.

Anyway, I listened to the last 8 hours or so in a couple of days, at first because I just wanted it finished and out of the way, but then because it was just so good that I didn't want to stop. I had guessed how the novel would end, but that didn't spoil the ending at all. It was so well written that I was left with a feeling of elation that has lasted through to the following day as I write this.

Suffice it to say that I am very glad that I persevered with this and got to the end. I actually would quite

A slog but well worth it.

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Not for the fainthearted! Around 57 hours. Worth persevering with. The underlying story is brilliant, with the characters being well portrayed. Background details are amazing , quite apart from the story itself. If you don't like detail, such as names, places, dates etc., which tie in with historical fact usually, then possibly a good abridgement might be better for you. Personally, next time I listen to this, I will fast forward some of the chapters.

There is plenty of action, but it does drag in parts. You have battles, revolution, a great hero, some tender romantic moments, bloodthirsty bits, scary bits...it's all there. Well worth persevering with.

Epic tale of revolutionary France

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OK, it's long - very long, and as with novels of this time, has long sections that go off on a tangent. But absolutely compelling, and excellent narration. The characters are wonderfully developed, the background so well presented that you believe you are there - even in the sewers! Worth every second.

Amazing novel - well worth the long listen!

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I had put off listening to this audio book even though I bought it a year ago, due to the length, and one review which stated it took them 5 mths to listen to it! But I am a huge a Les Miseables fan having seen the stage show 3 times and the been to 25th Anniversary concert, and can sing almost word for word the score! And now the new film version! ............... I have been to cinema to see 4 times!! So it was time for to read or listen to the book. I started reading the book on my kindle and thought it would take me forever to get through so I turned to the audio book. It was brilliant, and the narrator is great, I found it a pleasure to listen to. I listened going out running, while doing my housework, in bed, in the car, on the train, really whenever I could, (thanks to my iphone I could listen just about anywhere!!) I just couldn't put it down! There are some long descriptive parts that do drag on and lose your interest, like the internal workings of the Paris sewer system! But the main story is riviting and fills in all the blanks of the stage and film versions. It took me just over a week to listen to it all!! And needless to say my family of husband and 6 kids are delighted I am finished!! The last chapter is especially intense and I was in floods of tears (as always!), (I don't want to give anything away in case someone doesn't know the story....!) I feel my Les Miserables journey is complete..............I now know the FULL story and it is fantastic!!

A fantastic journey.

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Having seen the show three times and the film once and been bowled over each time, I knew however that I would never be able to read the massive classic in book form. Audiobooks are so much part of my life now, travelling or doing the gardening or housework, so this was the solution. I checked out the sample with trepidation as the reader is so important. I wasn't disappointed. Frederick Davidson has a lively, engaging voice, able to to convey the many characters of both sexes, all ages and backgrounds. There is a lot of description - of people, landscape and buildings - as well as the vast sweep of historical information and for the most part he succeeds in getting this across. I understand that he went into recordings with no rehearsal, so he reads the book as if for the first time, with a freshness that brings his discovery to the listener. Sometimes his pronounciation is strained, but then the eye on the page would also struggle with French names. And once or twice I am sure I heard him burp as he took a glass of water! But I feel he is a friendly companion on my journey through this marvellous story.

Les Miserables

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