LES MISÉRABLES ONE-CHAPTER-A-DAY READ-ALONG : BOOK 2 COSETTE

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.   

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!

LES MISÉRABLES ONE-CHAPTER-A-DAY READ-ALONG : BOOK 1 FANTINE

On March 11, 2018 I officially finished the first section titled "Fantine" of Hugo's massive tome.  As a reminder, I am taking part in the Les Misérables one-Chapter-a-Day Read-along hosted by Nick over at One Catholic Life.   I have to admit, I haven't always stuck to the one-chapter a day format: occasionally I read more than one chapter a day and on some days no chapter at all.  But I am pretty much pacing myself and so when I do read ahead or have to catch up, it is only two or three chapters at a time.  

And I admit, I really am enjoying this slow way of reading. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't remember earlier events, but I think I am actually remembering more than I usually would because of the slower pace. Go figure!

The story so far is pretty great. I had never read Hugo before but he certainly reminds me of Dickens in his use of the novel as a form of social criticism and an appeal to the reader for social justice and compassion. Also, characters like the terrible Mme and M. Thénardier are very "Dickensian"  in their depiction. I suspect, however, that using the novel as a form of social criticism was the thing to do in the mid-nineteenth century in Europe. I don't mean to suggest that Hugo was influenced by Dickens or vice-versa.

I am not going to give a plot summery here, but I had certain expectations entering into this book based on its reputation and bits and pieces that I have picked up without having ever read it or having seen a full adaptation of it. It has been interesting in reading first third of the story to see where my assumptions are wrong, such as the majority of the the story takes place (so far) outside of Paris, how Fantine and Jean Valjean meet, etc. 

Now I am knee deep in the next section, named after Fantine's daugther: "Cosette". Allons-y mes amis!

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along

Happy New Year all!

I thought I would throw my hat in to the ring and participate in the 2018 Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along hosted by Deacon Nick at One Catholic Life.  I have never read this chunkster and this seems like an interesting way to tackle it since there are exactly 356 chapters in the unabridged version of the novel. I found out about this challenge on Lory's blog Emerald City Book Review. I know I will not be posting about each chapter per day, but maybe I will chart my progress on the blog as I complete each of the five major sections.

 

I just downloaded the Norman Denny translation from the library to my e-reader (just an aside...I am also currently reading Lonesome Dove, a book I do own in hardback and boy howdy, e-readers really are a fantastic way to access such huge books.  I was skeptical at first but have become a convert!). I am crossing my fingers that I will not have to actually purchase the book since my library has multiple copies, although I will have to probably switch between the e-book and the print edition along the way. 

 

I am vaguely familiar with the story but have never seen a film or the musical adaptation of the book. 

I am 99.9% sure I will be able to read this book in 2018. My only qualm is if I will be able to limit myself to the chapter a day or will I feel compelled to read ahead?