 |
| Source: Goodreads. |
"Jean Valjean's visits were not abridged."
(Much like this unabridged version of the book that I'm reading.)
So, this is not a normal Teaser Tuesday, partly because I'm pretty sure I've done Les Miserables before, but mostly because I want to announce:
I am nearly done with this book!
Wow, can Victor Hugo ever write. And write, and write, and write some more. (Spoiler alert-- well, kinda. Just see the musical, okay?) Valjean escapes through the sewers with Marius? Cue four chapters on the history of the Paris sewers. That's what this book is like. Please don't misunderstand me: I love it. (Mostly. I could have lived without the Battle of Waterloo.) This book is fantastic, but wow, think of how many NaNoWriMos Victor Hugo would have had to taken on just one book if they'd had that sort of thing in his day.
And just for the record, the sewer scene was tense. As was the post-sewer scene. And then then three chapters leading up to Javert committing suicide? (What? I warned you! Watch the movie, for goodness' sakes.) Agonizing. I had to put it away for a couple of days to recover after that.
Anyway. My Kindle says I'm 96% done. Maybe after a couple of more weeks of reading it on the train on the way home (about 20 minutes every day) I'll have it finished.
1 comment:
I LOVED that book. (The abridged, abridged version.) As the forward of my copy explained, the aim of writing in Victor Hugo's day was to preserve history, while telling as story. Therefore, his long winded expositions about various subjects (like farming) were to preserve the culture of the day. I'm sure there are several historians who thank him graciously for doing so, but we're allowed to just skip to the action. =)
Post a Comment