UPDATE: Les Misérables One-Chapter-a-Day Read-along hosted by Nick over at One Catholic Life continues a pace!
I have the second book “Cosette” of Les Misérables behind me which had TWO enormous hurdles: The first roadblock was the 19 chapters about the battle of Waterloo. Normally I dislike abridged novels but honestly this section could have been cut without any sacrifice to the story at hand. Although I am told it is an excellent depiction of the battle and the strategy therein, I am afraid its brilliance was lost on me. I have trouble reading action in books anyway. My ability to imagine spatial relationships is terrible. My biggest take away is that if it hadn’t rained when it did, it is possible that Napoleon would have been successful and European history might look a little different as a result.
I have the second book “Cosette” of Les Misérables behind me which had TWO enormous hurdles: The first roadblock was the 19 chapters about the battle of Waterloo. Normally I dislike abridged novels but honestly this section could have been cut without any sacrifice to the story at hand. Although I am told it is an excellent depiction of the battle and the strategy therein, I am afraid its brilliance was lost on me. I have trouble reading action in books anyway. My ability to imagine spatial relationships is terrible. My biggest take away is that if it hadn’t rained when it did, it is possible that Napoleon would have been successful and European history might look a little different as a result.
The second roadblock titled “Parenthesis“
was a screed on monastiscm and its applicability in (then) modern life. Again, this could have been cut. It is very
clearly a subject dear to Hugo’s heart but it is more of a newspaper editorial
than a part of a novel. It was more interesting to me than the battle of Waterloo, but Hugo also name checked quite a few philosophers and their ideas in this section which all went pretty much right over my head!
We still haven’t got to the digressions on the Paris sewer system which for some reason I think I am going to like. :)
Otherwise I am still enjoying the book when we are keeping
to the actual story line. The action has finally moved to Paris and there have
been two rather daring escapes which had me biting my nails! Next check in will presumably be mid-August. A bientôt mes amies!
I'm impressed. I've yet to tackle this book. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Lark! The story itself is a little crazy and melodramatic but amazingly enjoyable to follow. But I can see where people give up because of Hugo's digressions...they are EPIC!
DeleteI'm not sure I could have withstood the Waterloo digression. You are a reading rock star!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment jenclair! I follow in the footsteps of many great readers who have surmounted this text before me. LOL :)
DeleteI'm impressed too that you are tackling Les Miserables. Victor Hugo a great writer but why didn't he understand in terms of the Waterloo battle that less is more?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Kathy! I think that Hugo used this novel as a soapbox of sorts; he had a lot to say. Also, I think it was my dad who told me that he intended the book to be not only a novel but also a history of France of the period, hence the details!
DeleteReading a chapter a day made the 2 digressions manageable, do-able, bearable but I do understand what you’re saying. Nowadays an editor would put a big red line through most of it.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad to be back in Paris & picking up the pace again though.
Thanks for the comment Brona! I'm afraid I "cheated" and read the Waterloo chapters all in one go. I couldn't have kept track of it at one chapter a day. But YES, so glad to be in Paris following a plot again!
DeleteI always dislike abridged novels because you can't judge for yourself whether something was important to the story, but I have also had the experience of feeling like something could have been cut! I wonder if this is a case where the author was being paid by the line or if he just likes to digress. I'll join the group being impressed you're tackling this one! It's not a classic I've really even had on my mental to-read list, but perhaps I should :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment DoingDewey! Yes, I am normally suspicious of abridged novels. And generally I love extraneous detail in novels. I could be wrong, but my feeling is the digressions were not a financial thing with old Victor. I think he had a lot of opinions that he needed to express and this was his platform! :)
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