Les Miserables

By: Victor Hugo

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

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

Worth the time

I adore the narrator, David Case/Frederick Davidson (I only recently learned they are the same person). I can't believe anyone would fault him for his singing voice. I doubt someone with a better singing voice could hold one's attention and use inflection better than he does. His ability to switch between characters and maintain their personas is unsurpassed in my opinion.
Several years ago, I listened to the unabridged version that I checked out from my public library. Wishing to revisit it, I recently purchased it on CD, not realizing it was the abridged version. I am now downloading this version because there is a lot that has been skipped. Yes, it is long but I get a lot of laundry folded, dishes washed and other mindless tasks completed while immersed in this book and the characters!

Tour de Force Reading of a Masterpiece

This is a superb reading in every respect. Davidson brings to full life the myriad voices and social textures of the novel with aplomb and creativity. Engaging and entertaining throughout.

The human element

Wholly original, relatable and relevant. If you enjoy Dostoevsky or Tolstoy, this is a must read; many aspects of this book are recycled in subsequent classics. Instantly joined my top three of all time, alongside "War and Peace" and "The Brothers Karamazov" the latter of which might be an acquired taste.

Poor audio quality

The narrator is, I think, quite good, but the audio recording is terrible. Sometimes you can hear ambient noise like airplanes or sirens, which is quite distracting in a 19th century story. Also, there's a peculiar quality to this recording that I found off putting, sort of like he's talking into a tin can or something? Aside from that, I thought his performance was adept. He created characters with his voice in a way I found pretty remarkable.

Wonderful Audible performance of the most beautiful novel ever written.

I’m on my third read. This is not just another book to read. Reading Le Miserables is like letting the taste of a $1000 bottle of Chateau La Tour wash over your palette. Just savor it.