Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| olly |
The BookI was going to read the book this summer (unabridged version, obviously). However, there were six other books on standby and I never got round to it.Would you all say that it is exciting to read, and that I should. Some of you seem as though you've read it more than once - how many times have all you read it; and how many stars would you give it? |
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| musical4eva |
I read it before we started our rehearsals because i didnt know the storyline and thought it would be interesting to read the book instead of a sypnosis. I skipped half of the bits about the Bishop and Marius' family. I've just started reading it again 'cause im convinced i'm going to read it all the way through. | ||
| PublicFlogging |
The book is way better then the musical. Quite abit different, too.
I'd go into detail... but I really don't feel like typing today... |
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| Lazarus (Adam G) |
Good: The book is amazing. It gives you all the background you'll need on the characters (and a little more). It's descriptive, exciting, and immersive.
Bad: I had to skip a couple of parts because Hugo tends to ramble on about characters that aren't really that important to the story. He takes ages to describe some things that really don't need descriptions (like the Sewers). But it's still a great book, much better than the musical! |
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| Buff Daddy |
I agree about the rambling bit - from memory there was something like 20 pages on the history of the sewers before the scene where Valjean carries Marius through them. 
But it is well worth the read. Buff |
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| Sister Simplice |
I've tried to read it and failed. And I don't have a problem with reading, and I like long books. Hugo is a brilliant writer but he just rambles too much. When the book was on topic, especially when talking about the characters I knew, it was incredible but Hugo drifted away from the point too much, for too long for my liking. | ||
| La Carmagnole |
In my copy it is 22 pages. The other digressions are even longer. This rambling is really when you read the book first. However, you always may just skip it (it won't hurt and you'll still understand the storyline) because the rest of the story is amazing. I admit that the book is not easy to read, particularly for the modern reader, but it's worth it. |
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| broadwaybelle22 |
I bought both the unabridged and abriged version of the book. I read the abridges version and went back to the unabriged when I wanted to hear more about a character or particular scene. I thought it was great! | ||
| Aimee |
The book is wonderful and I like the rambling bits too, especially the stuff about the sewers for some reason. It makes Valjean's rescue of Marius seem so much more real if you read it. The start is amazing too, I love the Bishop, he's a wonderful man. | ||
| Lazarus (Adam G) |
I got that in the first few pages, though. 
But I do love how real the characters seem. |
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| *leigh* |
I read the abridged verison before the unabridged, and I think that made it a lot easier. The language isn't that difficult, but the book does go on and on and on. If you can read all the way through, resisting the urge to skip pages, it ends up being a fantastic novel, not to mention the fact that you can now read just about anything else, because books don't get much longer than 1200 pages! Personally, I liked the book better than the musical, maybe because I was introduced to the book first. I thought the characters were all a little bit off in the show, especially Eponine...Don't get me wrong, I love the musical, I just think the book is about a zillion times better. | ||
| Etoile |
It's pretty much the best book I've ever read. I'll try not to rant here but...the plot is awesome: intricate but not confusing. There are a lot of funny parts (including my personal favorite, the "would you like my hat?" scene). The characters are quite different from the musical (Marius is a jerk, Eponine is insane, Javert has a sense of humor and an evil laugh, etc.) plus there are way more characters that could have ever fit into the musical. It deals with so many issues too: Love, hate, redemption, morality, politics, society, poverty...you get the point. So my main point is that it's definately worth a shot. One word of advice though. I'm sure you already know this but...DO NOT, for the love of literature, read an abridged version. I made that mistake once...*shudder*. If you don't want to read 1200 pages, this site gives some helpful ideas on which parts to skip: http://www.mv.com/users/ang/fanfic/info/beccabook.html
Abridged versions are disgusting. They don't just shorten the book, they completely rewrite them. Read one of these and you won't get Hugo's wonderful writing style at all. The only time an abridged book should even be considered is when you have a limited time to read the book (e.g. a book report). |
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| Orestes Fasting |
Oh, and another bit of advice to someone tackling the book for the first time: FORGET THE MUSICAL. Especially where Eponine is concerned. Boublil & Sch�nberg created a character called Eponine who is loosely based off of Victor Hugo's version of her, but her personality and the dynamics of her relationship with Marius are completely different. Whatever you do, do not read the book expecting most of the latter half to be devoted to a poor but lovable street rat who gets long inner monologues about how her best friend Marius doesn't return her feelings. You'll be very, very surprised when you stumble upon a filthy, half-mad little guttersnipe who pines after a guy several social stations above her, tries to lure him to his death when it's clear she can't have him, and is really quite a minor character anyway.
Actually, forget the musical where the rest of the characters are concerned, too. But mostly Eponine. And try to realize that the musical only deals with one aspect of a multifaceted novel: it focuses on bare events and human drama, and leaves out most everything dealing with society, morality, and politics. Even when such themes are integral, as with Fantine and Eponine (social class), Javert and Valjean (moral commentary), and Enjolras and the students (politics). I'd suggest at least skimming a summary of the French revolution, the Napoleonic era, the Restoration, and the July monarchy before you start--it's not required, but it makes for a much richer reading experience when you have a historical frame of reference. I read it for the first time with no knowledge of French history and found myself skimming the political bits, and then I reread it with a nice solid understanding of those four eras and was amazed by how much more there was to it. |
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| LesMisForever |
Hello
Personally I think you should read the full version. I do understand it is a massive book, but you have to ask yourself why you are reading it. If you are after the bare story, then the musical gives you that, well, more or less. If you want to brag about it, then you can read one of the zillion summaries on the Internet. But, if you really want to experience the joy of reading great book, then read the full book. My �advice� is not to read it in a hurry. Read it carefully, and slowly. It is not a thriller, or cheap romance. Don�t worry how long it will take you to finish it, or how many times people will joke about it (just ignore comments like: Geee�you are still reading this book�.usually followed by a laugh). As I said elsewhere, I find the bare story highly melodramatic, and heavily reliant on coincidences. I don�t normally like that. It is exactly those �boring� parts (and the AWSOME characterisation) what make it great. I don�t deny that some of them are REALLY nerve testing, but on the whole most of them are really good. I loved the �Bishop� and �Waterloo�, and learnt (or more precisely got very intrigued, because I never trust fiction 100%) so many things about the July revolution, and Restoration. I also got to know about Hugo the man by reading his opinions on various issues. Having said all that, I do realise some will not be convinced, so as a �damage limitation� I agree with an earlier poster. Skip, or skim rather than read an abridged version. |