Les Miserables

By: Victor Hugo

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 57 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Set in the Parisian underworld and plotted like a detective story, Les Miserables follows Jean Valjean, originally an honest peasant, who has been imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving family. A hardened criminal upon his release, he eventually reforms, becoming a successful industrialist and town mayor. Despite this, he is haunted by an impulsive former crime and is pursued relentlessly by the police inspector Javert.

Hugo describes early 19th-century France with a sweeping power that gives his novel epic stature. Among the most famous chapters are the account of the battle of Waterloo and Valjean's flight through the Paris sewers.

(P)1996 Blackstone Audiobooks

Powerful story with moving truths!

This book was well written. So much about humanity in it. A good emphasis on God over religion. Would recommend.

Dickens pales by contrast

I think many people like me feel we know this story, the way we “know” Moby Dick without having actually read the book. I had. I idea that Hugo wrote with such depth. I had expected something like Great Expectations crossed with A Tale of Two Cities. Where Dickens wrote with tropes, even though he may have invented some of them, Hugo wrote with tte patience of knowing it is impossible to plumb the depths of the human experience but he would try. Is it sentimental? No. Sentimentality is emotion too easily gotten, but Hugo has sweated blood over his sentences. The reader is SUPERB. An actor embodying the characters high and low and never losing their voices over a seamless 57 hour production. Who are les misérables? An entire era is implicated. Will truth vanquish the misery? Qui sait? Is Hugo right that man’s nature is amendable? Well it’s a book. Literature’s role is to make us ponder.

Incredibly powerful and beyond thorough

Magnificent but not for those who desire story without history and depth of detail. Since shorter versions were recorded, seek those of desired.

Amazing performance

What a story. So lovely to get to know the source material of my favourite musical. Excellent voice acting.

I can’t find words sufficient to praise or more highly recommend!

This book (and the masterful reading of it) is transformative and has blessed my life!

The phenominal talent and a ability and to draw you in as an actor, not just a listener

B rilliant descriptions of people , situations, circumstances, characters make you a révolutionaire on the pages of Les Misèfable with Jean Valjean,Marius and Qirzet! Vivé le Francé!

I now know more about France than a French person.

Good book for someone who has a very long commute each week and needs to stretch their credits.

one happy insomniac

I found the unabriged Les Mis an excellent listen. It's interesting enough to keep one from thinking of other things at the end of a long day, but not so interesting it kept me awake. The three volumes have been my bedtime story for the last year. I settle in to bed, set my iPod to turn itself off in thirty minutes, click play, turn the volume down low and let the reader's sexy French accent carry me off to dreamland. Hugo's masterpiece is sublimely suited for this purpose--missing a few minutes here and there doesn't detract from the overall experience of the book. Listeners who are accustomed to the less wordy novels of our time may find Les Miserables frustrating. A contemporary novel is like swimming brisk laps; Hugo's work is like closing your eyes and floating along in the current, trusting to the author's able pen to make the journey pleasant and rewarding. It takes some getting used to, but once you've gotten the knack of relaxing into the pacing, the book's ponderous plot is charming, and its characters richly evoked.

Reputation is Well-Deserved

It took me quite a while to get through this (about 3 months), but it was worth it in the end. The redeeming nature of the story and the themes make it a "must read".

As was mentioned by many others, the digressions (history of the sewer system, history of a particular convent and religious order, etc..) got tiresome, however the degree to which this annoys people can vary greatly.

I disagree with those who thought the narrator was poor. I can't believe someone would have the stamina to get through this monstrosity! I would only agree that the narrator should NEVER consider a career in singing. That part was absolutely awful! However his ability to use different voices for the many different characters was commendable.

I have one recommendation for those who may choose to read this. If yo know little or nothing about the French Revolution, it will be worth the effort to pick up a Sparks Notes or Cliff Notes on the French Revolution and read up before you start. It will greatly aid in your understanding.

Once again, the story is fantastic and the investment is time well spent. Just be prepared to struggle a bit at times.

A VERY long haul, but glad I did.

Whew. Be careful what you wish for . . . I'd had this in my wish list for a while and was running low on credits so I decided to pick a long book. (57 hours I think?)
Having just gotten back from living for two months in the Marais, I really enjoyed the book, and I can definitely see why it's a classic, and something everyone should read. (like Moby Dick) But wow . . . it's a long haul. I'm glad I got the unabridged version, but there were moments that for the first time in my life I considered the value of an abridged version.
Give it a try when you know you're going to have some long drives or commutes!
Try it, but know what you're getting yourself in for! (Btw, if I could I would have rated 4.5 stars.)