Les Misérables: Victor Hugo: 82 (Macmillan Collector's Library, 82)

I've been a devotee of Les Mis the musical for many years and I also appreciated the 2012 film. This January's BBC drama was so good in giving a much fuller background to the characters and story. Encouraged by this I bought a kindle version of the novel. It contains even more detail - for example, The Bishop's story is described in great detail and made him come to life more fully. I'm beginning to develop more understanding and empathy for Javert. Some of the details can be tedious and I chose to skim. It's not going to be a quick read - I'm 14% through in 10 days but it is a very good read. There are passages that are painful to read but I find the whole story uplifting.

This edition of Les Miserables is stunning, you won’t regret buying. The only thing you may be put off by is the sheer size, please don’t be, the book contains the full story, split into five volumes. The cover pages contain the most beautiful detailed picture of the struggles within the setting of the revolution. The edges of the pages are sprayed gold and the text is of a nice size. The width of the spine measures sixty three millimetres if you’re wondering if you have enough space to show off this beauty on your bookcase. I now have the ambition to obtain other Canterbury classic books as I’m extremely happy with the quality.

The book looks great. Nice hardback leather bound cover with gold edged pages. It's a Christmas present so I think it will be appreciated more than a normal paperback version.

Be under no illusion - this is seriously hard work. It's lengthy, and long winded. Several of the books that make up Les Miserables are pontificating and go on for quite a while. You will read for hours and very little will have happened, then all of a sudden, in the space of a few pages (perhaps a chapter) you find out almost the entire back story of certain characters. Then back to moments of nothing. My only advice is to bite the bullet and get stuck in. Initially hard going, but if you persist, you will be rewarded. I'm a quick reader, and after 6 staright hours, seeing I was only 12% through I almost gave up. I honestly couldn't work out how someone had managed to pick out the story for the stage production I loved so much - I'd been reading for ages and nothing had happened! Yet all of a sudden, when Fantine is taken in by the Mayor, you won't be able to put this book down. I fell in love, I suddenly cared about the characters I thought I knew yet had not yet warmed to, and I wanted to know more. Prepare for a book in the same vein and scale as War and Peace, get yourself into the mindset for a long journey, and you will love this book as I do now. It's a classic, and I strongly recommend you give it a shot.

I probably would not have considered buying this if I had not seen and enjoyed the recent film. I chose one of the older translations, as i wanted to retain the 19th century feel of novel. Once I started reading, it was really difficult to put down. Alright some of the language can be archaic, such "hither" "thither" and "whither" instead of here, there and where. But an advantage with reading it on the Kindle is it enables you to access a definition of the word by pressing on it, which worked on most, but not all words. The novel gives much greater depth and insight to the minor characters, such as Gavroche and the bishop, than the musical has time to portray. The chapters where the story is diverted to describe historical aspects, such as the battle of Waterloo and the barricades served to demonstrate that France was a country in disarray, still recovering from revolution and warfare. Taking place between 1815 and 1833 it became apparent when reading, that Hugo, writing in 1862 was describing fairly recent history. Rather like modern writers writing about the Cold War. I can now see why Les Mis is described as a masterpiece. A comment I would make, is that the particular translation should be made more apparent in the description. I did some background research on the different translations and they appear to be very different. But the Amazon site does not make it simple to identify which translation was used in the different editions.

A brilliant read; an education, both historical and emotional, wrapped in an epic tale. Take a little time to delve deeper into the historic events alluded to throughout the novel (Wikipedia will suffice) and all will become crystal clear. Two weeks after finishing the book it still plays on my mind, I can't remember when that last happened, enough said, I salute you Mr Hugo.

Just finished reading this with the help of the audio version (same translation). This is up there as one of the greatest novels, a vast panorama of post Napoleonic France, a love story and the story of one man's struggle for redemption. Don't listen to those who say that it could have been shorter, that there is too much "digression". The language is extraordinary, as rich and powerful as any work of fiction and the translation is excellent. This modestly priced edition is cased in a sturdy rubber cover as befits the weight of its contents. Expect to shed tears of sorrow and joy.

Es una edición hermosa, la portada es de cuero con detalles hermosos. El libro es muy bueno, definitivamente un lenguaje más complejo al ser un clásico pero es buenísimo! Recomendado para los fans del musical/pelicula

This is a timeless work with something to say to every generation especially those living in today's world. For me, it provided background to the storyline in the stage show making that a best seller. You are a star Victor Hugo, maybe the brightest in Javert's signature 'Stars' in the musical.

Nie mam pojęcia dlaczego na polskim amazonie ta książka kosztuje zaledwie 30zł XDDD ale w tej cenie tylko brać

O enredo do romance em si não precisa ser avaliado - não é à toa que é considerado um grande clássico. Foi um sucesso estrondoso quando foi lançado, e continua sendo admirado e adaptado para vários médios até hoje. A edição da Cantebury Classics é linda! Capa de couro gravada com detalhes dourados, espinha arredondada com o título e o nome do autor contornados em dourado. As três laterais são douradas, mas a tinta sai um pouco no dedo. Com o tempo, provavelmente vai perder a cor metalizada. As folhas de guarda vêm com a famosa pintura do Delacroix, só que a qualidade da impressão colorida não é das melhores. O livro é costurado, e não colado, e fica facilmente aberto sozinho, sem precisar forçar para abrir. As páginas não são muito grossas (dá para ver um pouco a impressão do outro lado), mas são de cor creme. A diagramação é boa, com margens de tamanho razoável. A fonte é bem grande, não requer esforço para ler. O livro é bem grosso e pesado, não dá para ficar carregando ele para todos os lados. A tradução é clássica, então requer um conhecimento mais avançado do idioma inglês para manter a fluidez da leitura. Recomendo para quem quer uma edição luxuosa que seja durável.

英語の舞台を見て、英語の映画（字幕入り）を見て、どうしても読んでみたくなった。残念ながら原語で読む力がないので英語で我慢。次に日本語訳も読んでみたいもの。 生き方、行いは巡り巡って自分へ戻ってくるものという思想は世界共通です。情けをかけるのは誰のためでもない、自分のためなのです。 一歩前に出て人のためにができないなら、一歩下がって生きる道もあるのではないでしょうか。 相手を押すために一歩前に出るばかりでは、相手は押されていたいから押し返してきます。交渉を有利に運ぼうとして、軍事力を増やすのは違うのではないでしょうか。