Book Review - Classic #11 - Les Miserables

With almost fifteen hundred pages at Victor Hugo's disposal, I expected to discover a lot more insight and depth into the lives of Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Eponine and the Thenardiers, whose heroics, misery, greed, goodness and determination make up the complex story of France in transition after Napoleon's empire fell than what is allowed in the much beloved three and a half-hour musical production.

Of course, this is the case, but I was surprised by how well the musical captures the essence of this amazing book.  Unlike a lot of screen adaptations, most of the essential elements of the book remain intact for the play.   Because I was already so familiar with the plot (I have seen the musical at least a half dozen times), I felt my attention gravitate towards the familiar parts of the story and, in turn, felt almost impatient when the narration turned towards the unfamiliar.  As a result, I can't decide if I'm glad I knew the story as well as I did, for I felt my spirits rise each time I recognized a favorite scene and could sing along in my head (and sometimes out loud), or if my repeated exposure to the musical hampered my ability to fully enjoy the added dimensions of Hugo's complete masterpiece.

I had been warned and was therefore prepared for the famous tangents concerning Waterloo, the description of the streets of Paris and the essay on the benefits and drawbacks of modern sewage systems.  Perhaps because I was anticipating these sections, they seemed... separate, somehow from the rest of the novel.  It's not just these three sections, but I felt Hugo used two styles and two different voices to write Les Miserables. There were the character sections of the books, where conversation, description and conflict moved the plot along and then there were the essay sections when the author seems to say, "Hold up, I want to explain something first before moving on." And then he would. For pages and pages and pages. He explained what he thought about capitalism and socialism, crime and punishment, religion, monasteries, war, forgiveness, mercy, death and more. I think i could turn to any page in the book and immediately tell if Hugo was in explanation mode or story-telling mode. In my eyes, they didn't blend. Both were interesting, although I admit to preferring the storyline, but I didn't always feel like I was reading one complete story.

It took me a month to finish reading and I can't say, like my husband and many others, that this is the best book I have ever read. Without a doubt, it is one of the best stories about morality, justice and mercy ever conceived and written. But I don't feel like I got more of what makes Les Miserables so great, with all of the extra stuff. More information, more depth, more characters, more background, even more story - yes. But more feeling? I don't think so. At least I didn't feel it. But, that may be the result of a long month talking.

It feels weird to write as if the book disappointed me. It didn't. I loved it. I just don't love it anymore than I already did, and I suppose that may be considered a disappointment.  If only all of life's disappointments were this good.