Kya- Les Miserables

It's hard to know where to begin a review about this book. It's such a well known and monumental work. It encompasses so much more than the story of Jean Valjean and yet it fundamentally does remain a story of a man and the times in which he lived. There are many digressions, some are more interesting than others. The discussion of Waterloo and the history of the sewers of Paris were detailed and fascinating. Hugo's description of the underclass of Paris and the poor in general is realistic and moving. The suffering of Fantine and Cosette rivals any description of childhood misery in Dickens. Hugo describes Paris to us in a way that makes it very real even for someone like me who has not been that interested in Paris as a topic of study. I think the book remains fresh for today's reader because it's so profoundly interested in humanity and we can see the beginnings of many of our own attitudes about equality and dignity between people. On top of all that it's a ripping good yarn with plenty of over the top drama. Highly recommended, it's a labor of love at over 1400 pages, but such a sharp snapshot of where we have been.