Les Miserables

I went into this title expecting it to be a challenge, and it was that. But oh what a wonderful challenge!! Anyone who has ever said "you are what your read" would be telling the truth having read Les Miserables, because having finished it I truly believe it has become a part of who I am. One thing is for certain, when Victor Hugo sets out to make a point he definitely makes one, whether you want to wait for it to finally be over with or not! And just when you think you cannot bear for him to continue, he stops and returns back to the story, weaves it together perfectly, and you feel a sublime sense of awareness at having listened and understood exactly what he is trying to convey. While spinning on a point until it is driven into the ground, describing multiple complex details of dozens and dozens of characters that you are certain you will never be able to retain, like the composer of the most intricate symphony, the result is magnificent, and the characters are alive in your heart and mind. Initially I thought the narration had a somewhat "high school documentary" tone to it, but as it progressed it became enchanting, and although I do not speak French so I do not know if his pronunciations were correct, I thought it was beautifully done. Some of the recording/play quality was a little off, and there was a point where a whole "chapter" was repeated (when Cosette goes to the well at night), and another where a "chapter" heading was repeated, but other than that it was very clear and well done. Definitely time well spent! Some day I will try to tackle the double-length unabridged version to get more of the "thoughts of the day" from Hugo.

I tried listening to another, full length version of this book and didn't get very far. The "asides" were just too much to take. This, while still quite long, cut to the heart of the story and was quite fascinating. A wonderful reading as well.

I read this as a precursor to watching the play. I was a little skeptical to begin with due to it's length. In the end I was extremely pleased by the book. It gave huge insights into the story that I loved (from the play and the movie). Having read the book, I would claim this is one of the most beautiful stories of all time.

this is the slightly abridged version, but appears pretty much complete. still, i felt a bit befuddled, as i started out listening to the story. who or what was it about? i realised it's a book from about a 150 years ago, but even so, the translation sounded a bit clumsy, unable to cope, in english, with the style and mannerisms of the author, things which must have seemed quite natural in the original. by chance i was listening to a complete german version of the same book, read by gert westphal, and it seemed to roll off the reader's tongue with a great deal more ease and facility. i downloaded a printed english translation -- a different one from the one used here -- which turned out to be older and much clumsier, but somehow showed a great deal more detail. still and all, it was difficult trying to read and listen to two separate versions of the book. in the end, having somehow found my way into the story, i just sat there listening, and i gradually accepted that this was all i was going to get.

my feeling now is that a much more modern and much more fluent translation needs to be obtained from somewhere, and possibly be entrusted to a younger and less magisterial reader, who should potentially be someone with a smidgen of actual knowledge of french -- which zee present readahr does not appear to be endowed with to any degree.

given that this is such a great book -- witness the westphal reading -- i think english language listeners deserve something equal if not superior, and this version is somewhat wide of the mark.

I enjoyed this version very much. The narrative is clear and understandable. Of course, the story is a classic story of legalism vs Christian Grace.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It is by far one of the best works of classical literature I have ever listened to. Audible was the perfect format to enjoy it. It does have a lot of untranslated French and it is quite long. It is not a book for someone who wants light fluffy subject matter or a short read. I think it is the best book about choices, consequences, and foregiveness that I have ever read. The characters are rich and three-dimensional. Sometimes bad characters bring about good, and sometimes the good characters make bad choices, or jump to conclusions which are wrong. I will probably listen to it again and would recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I am a big fan of the musical, so this was awesome to fill in a lot of the back story. If you enjoyed the musical too, beware! Several things in the book are different, but, in my opinion, not in a bad way. Enjoy!

I love Les Miserables, so I won't rate this any less than 3 stars. However, I was disappointed to find that some of the actual story was left out of the abridgement, in addition to just the author's "lengthy asides." For example, Fantine's history was missing, as well as all mention of the youngest Thenardier children, both of which strike me as important to the story.

I found the narration a bit dry as well. I definitely recommend listening to the sample before you purchase this audiobook.

This is another classic that has awful narration. A thick French accent that is difficult to understand. The narrator does not help bring the story to life and actually takes away from it. Read the book or use a different version on audio, but don't bother with this version.

I have to agree with other reviewers, whom I disregarding in purchasing this version, that the reader is terrible and really kills the enjoyment of the book. Also I came to realize that reading/listening to an abridged version, especially of a literary classic, is a really dumb idea in the first place. I didn't have the time to read or listen to the whole book as the author wrote it, so went with this edition, but eventually just put it aside, with the intent to read/listen to the real book one day when I have the time. In my book club, others were laughing about episodes they most enjoyed, that were by necessity cut out of the abridged version. Never again.