Les Miserables by Victor Hugo an abridged translation by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee based on the translation by C. E. Wilbour This romantic masterpiece is the story of Jean Valjean, a convict convicted of stealing a loaf of bread. He serves 19 years in prison for his theft, and for his escape attempts. When he leaves prison, he is bitter, and full of hatred for the world. When, after being scorned by society, he stays at the house of a kindly bishop, he robs the bishop. The gendarmes catch him and bring him to the bishop, who says that he has given the candlesticks to the convict. The gendarmes are forced to release Jean Valjean. In a daze over the bishop's kindness, Jean Valjean steals a coin from a child, not realizing what he is doing. When he comes out of his daze, he has become good. He realizes that he has just stolen from a child and tries to find the child to return the coin; to no avail. Jean Valjean again becomes a fugitive from justice for the theft of the coin.
Jean Valjean enters a new town, gets a new name, patents a new invention, and makes himself and his city rich. He is appointed mayor, and under him, the city prospers. The head of police, Javert, does not like him and keeps a watchful eye on him. Javert thinks he recognizes a convict he once knew, when he was a guard with the chain gangs. When another man is apprehended as Jean Valjean, Javert submits his resignation to the mayor, thus informing the real Jean Valjean that someone else is to be punished for his crimes.
At this time, there is a woman, who had worked at one of Jean Valjean's factories who is dying. This woman has a daughter, Cosette, who is staying with the cruel Thenardiers. Jean Valjean has promised to find the daughter and give her to the mother.
Jean Valjean turns himself in as the real Jean Valjean, and saves the unfortunate who had been wrongly convicted. He is sentenced to life in the chain gangs. After a year and a half, he escapes. After his escape, he gets Cosette, and takes her as his own daughter from the Thenardiers.
I don't have time to summarize the rest of the story; if you're intrigued, read the book.
This translation has a lot of French and Latin phrases that I don't know. The vocabulary and reading level are very advanced. I recommend reading abridged versions first, especially as this version is 1463 pages long. There are many references to French history that many Americans may be ignorant of. Also, the setting is the early 1800s, which was only the recent past to the author, and therefore not explained very thouroughly.
The characters are all extremes. They personify various forces that we can all see around us. This story is a philosophical viewpoint as well as a story; it provides food for thought as well as being a pleasant read.
Happy reading.
