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

WOW! Last hour worth the wait!

The first hour of listening I disliked the narrator, but I got used to him and by the end was sad the book was over. I give only 4 stars for performance because it seemed I could hear A LOT of background noise that sounded like airplanes and cars. I did listen to it at 1.2 speed which make the narrators pauses bearable.

This is a long book with a lot of philosophizing which, at times, I was tempted to skip. I may have yelled to no one a few times that Victor Hugo could be a bit of a blowhard! I am glad I did not skip anything because it all ties together in the last hour of listening. That last hour was so powerful because of the 59 hours of listening that preceded it.

This book is perfectly named... however, the thesis of this book could be summed up in three easily recognizable words: Love One Another.

This book is powerful! This book will change you. It may cause a revolution in your soul. Viva La Revolution!

Impressive performance

Since the stories are well known, the performance really makes a difference in listening such a long novel. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance. Fred Davidson’s master of multiple languages and ability to act and sing are truly remarkable.

The most amazing book!

This is so well done. It is a fully immersive experience. It was truly amazing!

Start with an abridged version

Les Miserables is one of my favorite books, but the abridged versions are the most common/popular for a reason. Most of what is left out is either chapters upon chapters of unnecessary historical detail or just philosophical rambling about Victor Hugo's take on the zeitgeist of the era or his justification for including certain things in the book. The extra background on the Bishop at the beginning is probably the only interesting part that gets left out of some abridged versions. Unless you really want to hear Victor Hugo's thoughts on the Battle of Waterloo, the sewers of Paris (and sewers systems in general), and French revolutionary philosophy then I would highly recommend you stick to an abridged version, especially if it is your first time reading/listening to the book.

Wow. That’s a great book

On recent trip to Paris saw monuments to Victor Hugo. Wikipedia revealed his authorship of HND and LM and the French reverence for his genius. Skeptically, I had to listen for myself. Now I understand and agree.

It’s a long long journey but worth every second, minute and hour.

Frederick Davidson’s narration was itself a masterpiece.

don't quit

worth the length. beautiful story... easy to get lost at times, but, worth it

First time listening

Guess I’d rather have the abridged version 😊 but I did appreciated the reading and emotions that were conveyed by Frederick Davidson. The details became almost an annoyance especially when they didn’t not truly flow with the story. At least I can say I listened to the unabridged version 👍

Classic

I always wanted to learn about this story. The orator was able to make a very long story (which I would not read) very entertaining

Maybe the best book ever written.

I have listened to this book at least three times now and it is still one of the most enjoyable books I have ever experienced. The narrator is perfect for the time period and one soon forgets about him all together. This is really several books all in one. The plays and movies can never do justice to this story as it is so wide and deep that one would have to make a nine season television series on the BBC to cover it all. Listen to the book and then listen to it again. You will be rewarded with many things you missed on the first go around. All aspects of humanity are illuminated and thoroughly examined in Hugo's tireless style. Settle in and enjoy this book. It is worth every second.

Great but Abridged might be better for some

I've been a fan of this story since I was in middle school. To this day, I still believe it's one of the greatest stories ever written. However, I do have to insist that for the average listener, the abridged version might be better. In this unabridged version, Victor Hugo goes off on tangents that, to really understand, you have to have a great deal of European history knowledge. To someone who can't remember their days of world history class, it can be incredibly confusing and overwhelming at times. But it's not all bad, as Hugo's inner-story commentaries are insightful and interesting. The narrator does an excellent job, switching to french when necessary for a given effect.