I have not been sleeping well for the last month or so, and more particularly so since my father died, and this has given me the opportunity to finish reading Victor Hugo's LES MISERABLES.
It has not always been an easy book to read, and some of the long asides do sometimes seem rather too long and too detailed. (I could probably guide people around the sewers of 1830s Paris without any problem now!) That said, the story is a classic of tale of redemption, and as such it is little wonder that it is still being told and re-told today.
I am glad that I read it, but I doubt if I shall read it in its entirety again ... but you never know, and I shall be certainly keeping it in my Kindle collection for the foreseeable future.
It has not always been an easy book to read, and some of the long asides do sometimes seem rather too long and too detailed. (I could probably guide people around the sewers of 1830s Paris without any problem now!) That said, the story is a classic of tale of redemption, and as such it is little wonder that it is still being told and re-told today.
I am glad that I read it, but I doubt if I shall read it in its entirety again ... but you never know, and I shall be certainly keeping it in my Kindle collection for the foreseeable future.
I read Les Miserables over 30 years ago, and recall it with (distant) affection. The sewer bit is one of the parts that has stayed with me. He has a tendency to wander off into an essay or only partially relevant story, but I actually really liked those bits (especially the Cambronne episode), so I didn't mind too much. A modern author, in the same vein, is Tom Wolfe, I love his books, too.
ReplyDeleteI saw the film a Xmas; really didn't rate it.
Cheers, Simon
BigRedBat (Simon),
ReplyDeleteThe asides do help give a lot of depth to the basic story, and helped me to understand what France was like during the 1830s.
I have yet to watch the film, part of which was filmed only a few miles from where I live.
All the best,
Bob
I've never read the book, but I was aware of the plot points in general. My wife dragged me to the movie. OMG, as my son would say: gawd-awful! Everyone seems to love it (my wife has seen it 4 times!), but I can't abide opera, which is what this is, and I could hardly wait for it to end. I guess this makes me a low-class boor, but hey, I've been called worse.
ReplyDeleteChris
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI have yet to see the film, but I have heard varying reports about how good (or bad) it is. I am willing to give it a go ... but will wait until it is on sale as a discounted DVD.
As to whether or not liking opera is a mark of ones sophistication (or boorishness), I cannot really comment ... except that I have yet to watch one that I enjoyed.
All the best,
Bob
I'm not an opera fan at all (except for the couple of times I've seen the Ring on tv with subtitles), but I've seen Le Miz on stage four times. On stage is SO much better than the movie, which was just ok to me. If that's someone's first experience with Le Miz, I can see where they'd be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of the novel, which I believe to be one of the greatest ever written.
MiniatureWargaming Editor,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment ... which I hope will be the first of many!
Opera is one of those thing you either like or hate. I love the music ... but have yet to see one on stage that 'worked' theatrically. I would like to see Les Miserabes on stage ... but my wife has never been very keen, so I am going to have to wait to see it on DVD.
The novel is massive ... but it was well worth the effort I made to read it ... and I would agree that it is one of the best ever written.
All the best,
Bob