HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

Les Misérables (1862)

by Victor Hugo

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
25,289327119 (4.26)4 / 1097
Classic Literatur Fictio HTML:

Book lovers of all ages owe it to themselves to conquer this masterwork of nineteenth-century fiction from Victor Hugo, also author of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. One hundred and fifty years after the original publication of Les Miserables, the heart-rending story of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Cosette and dozens of others of France's downtrodden and dispossessed continues to capture the imaginations of audiences around the world.… (more)

  1. 210
    The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (VictoriaPL)
  2. 101
    War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (chrisharpe)
  3. 101
    The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (CGlanovsky)
    CGlanovsky: As much a story about the trials of individuals as a sweeping portrait and critique of an era.
  4. 80
    Silas Marner by George Eliot (ncgraham)
    ncgraham: Both great classics, with orphaned girls and themes of redemption.
  5. 71
    The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy (ncgraham)
    ncgraham: Both stories of men who commit public crimes ... and yet the outcomes are very different.
  6. 30
    The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo (raton-liseur)
    raton-liseur: Des thèmes similaires, dans une prose étourdissante et avec une ironie mordante.
  7. 30
    The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes by Anónimo (albavirtual)
  8. 20
    The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo (CorinneT)
  9. 10
    The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni (chrisharpe)
  10. 10
    Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende (CGlanovsky)
    CGlanovsky: Cast of interconnected characters are subjected to historical pressures through years-worth of events surrounding a revolution. Issues of paternity and social justice.
  11. 10
    Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (morryb)
    morryb: Both have a main character who adopts a daughter and the struggle of letting her go.
  12. 10
    Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope (morryb)
    morryb: Both speak to the struggle of adopting a child and then letting them up later.
Europe (14)
Elevenses (190)
1860s (6)
100 (16)
Romans (19)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

» See also 1097 mentions

English (296)  French (9)  Spanish (8)  Italian (3)  Finnish (2)  Dutch (2)  Norwegian (2)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  Piratical (1)  Aragonese Spanish (1)  Portuguese (1)  All languages (326)
Showing 1-5 of 296 (next | show all)
Long, but worth it. I’ve known the plot for years, but it was great to sink into the language and enjoy it as it slowly unfolded. ( )
  scaifea | Sep 4, 2023 |
Una novela muy buena, aunque a veces se hace largo que en lugar de describir a los personajes, los muestre actuando en tantas situaciones que no afectan a la historia (por ejemplo todos los capítulos que hay sobre el obispo, que tan solo muestran su bondad, pero no son parte de la historia). ( )
  InigoAngulo | Sep 2, 2023 |
Far, far too long. Constantly off-topic, but flashes of brilliance so bright it’s well worth it. ( )
  mumoftheanimals | Aug 27, 2023 |
Book title and author: Les Miserables Paperback – Unabridged, March 3, 1987. reviewed 8-4-23

Why I picked this book up: I’ve had this version in my library, saw it in the movies and wanted to read Hugo’s masterpiece

Thoughts: this is a great story of a man’s redemption. Overall this book took me a lot of time and I found a lot of it boring that made it difficult for me but the good parts were very good. There were a lot of religious, political and philosophical aspects that built this book and the contrast in characters were powerful.

Why I finished this read: this one with a huge part, not seeming needed to me (but now I sort of see gives background) could have, in my view, been left out. I got past that and the patience I had, I was able to finish and I don’t know if I would recommend it for everyone.

Stars rating: given the boring part, drawn out sections but combined with powerful aspects I would fall in the middle at 3.5 of 5 stars ( )
  DrT | Aug 5, 2023 |
Let me start by saying I couldn't finish this book. There were definitely great parts, when the action was pumping and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, but mostly it was BORING. I got about halfway through, but found myself dreading any free time because it meant that I should be reading it. ( )
  blueskygreentrees | Jul 30, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 296 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (166 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Hugo, Victorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bayard, Émile-AntoineIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Denny, NormanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Donougher, ChristineTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Guidall, GeorgeNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hapgood, Isabel FlorenceTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Homewood, BillNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kauer, Edmund TheodorTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Keeping, CharlesIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lehtonen, J. V.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Picchi, MarioTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rose, JulieTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sabard, Marie-Hélènesecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Serdav, ManuelTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tamaki, JillianCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thirlwell, AdamIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tombs, RobertIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Voionmaa, EinoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ward, LyndIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Washington, PeterIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Wilbour, Charles E.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Wraxall, LascellesTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

Is contained in

Contains

Is a retelling of

Has the (non-series) sequel

Has the adaptation

Is abridged in

Inspired

Has as a commentary on the text

Has as a student's study guide

Has as a teacher's guide

Awards

Distinctions

Notable Lists

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Solange kraft der Gesetze und Sitten eine soziale Verdammnis existiert, die auf künstlichem Weg, inmitten einer hoch entwickelten Zivilisation, Höllen schafft und noch ein von Menschen gewolltes Fatum zu dem Schicksal, das von Gott kommt, hinzufügt ; solange die drei Probleme des Jahrhunderts, die Entartung des Mannes durch das Proletariat, die Entsittlichung des Weibes infolge materieller Not und die Verwahrlosung des Kindes, nicht gelöst sind ;
Dedication
First words
In the Year 1815 Monseigneur Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel was Bishop of Digne.
So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of the earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so long as the three great problems of the century - the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through lack of light - are unsolved; so long as social asphyxia is possible in any part of the world - in other words, and with a still wider significance, so long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Miserables cannot fail to be of use. (Preface)
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
This work represents complete editions. Please do not combine with the first volume of multi-volume editions.
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC
Classic Literatur Fictio HTML:

Book lovers of all ages owe it to themselves to conquer this masterwork of nineteenth-century fiction from Victor Hugo, also author of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. One hundred and fifty years after the original publication of Les Miserables, the heart-rending story of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Cosette and dozens of others of France's downtrodden and dispossessed continues to capture the imaginations of audiences around the world.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Victor Hugo’s literary masterpiece, “Les Miserables,” was first published in 1862 and would ultimately establish the author as one of the most gifted and influential writers of his time. The novel is principally concerned with the story of ex-convict Jean Valjean, a man who is initially imprisoned for stealing bread for his starving family, and because of numerous escape attempts ends up being imprisoned for a period of nineteen years. Jean Valjean, despite his efforts to become a force for good in the world cannot escape the consequences of his criminal past. The novel paints a picture of nineteen century Paris, in all its gritty detail, as a time of great conflict. Themes of moral redemption, politics, justice, and human rights are vividly expressed as Hugo follows the lives and struggles of the lower classes of Parisian society in the 19th century. This sprawling epic is at once a brilliant fictional narrative and a sharp criticism of the social and economic injustice that the countless impoverished peoples of the world have faced. A tale of heroism and love, “Les Miserables,” is justifiably regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written.
Haiku summary
A fugitive man
gets a new name and new life.
He adopts a girl.

(marcusbrutus)

Current discussions

Best Les Miserables? in Folio Society Devotees

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (4.26)
0.5 1
1 52
1.5 5
2 127
2.5 27
3 547
3.5 95
4 1218
4.5 163
5 2117

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

Penguin Australia

3 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 0140444300, 1846140498, 0141392606

HighBridge

An edition of this book was published by HighBridge.

» Publisher information page

Tantor Media

2 editions of this book were published by Tantor Media.

Editions: 1400102758, 1400109000

HighBridge Audio

An edition of this book was published by HighBridge Audio.

» Publisher information page

Recorded Books

An edition of this book was published by Recorded Books.

» Publisher information page

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 195,028,043 books! | Top bar: Scrolls with page