Les Misérables

By: Victor Hugo

Narrated by: Walter Covell

Les Miserables is set in the Parisian underworld. The protagonist, Jean Valjean, is sentenced to prison for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. After his release, Valjean plans to rob monseigneur Myriel, a saint-like bishop, but cancels his plan. However, he forfeits his parole by committing a minor crime, and for this crime Valjean is haunted by the police inspector Javert. Valjean eventually reforms and becomes, under the name of M. Madeleine, a successful businessman, benefactor, and mayor of a northern town. To save an innocent man, Valjean gives himself up and is imprisoned in Toulon. He escapes and adopts Cosette, an illegitimate child of a poor woman, Fantine. Cosette grows up and falls in love with Marius, who is wounded during a revolutionary fight. Valjean rescues Marius by means of a flight through the sewers of Paris. All seems headed for a happy ending until Javert shows up again and this leads to an incredible climax.

About the abridgement
The one major issue of this book is Hugo's long "asides" in which he departs from the action to write about anything he finds of interest. In the printed version, one can simply flip by those pages to get back to the story. That is not so easy in an audio version so these tangents have been removed. The whole story, all 33 plus hours of it, remains.

©1989 Jimcin Recordings (P)1989 Jimcin Recordings

Abridged copy is just as good if not better

I have read the unabridged version and I listened to this abridged version and I was very happy that I made that choice. I didn't feel that I missed anything with the abridged version and I definitely avoided wanting to reach back through time and strangle Victor Hugo's publisher for not insisting on edits. This book is a classic of Western literature and it is heartrendingly beautiful (even though Marius is an idiot) . THe the reader was enjoyable and did a good job even though almost all of his women sounded the same, usually there was only one woman in the scene so it worked out. There was a chapter that repeated itself and a couple of chapters where the audio quality went way down but otherwise I was very happy.

astounding

I went into this title expecting it to be a challenge, and it was that. But oh what a wonderful challenge!! Anyone who has ever said "you are what your read" would be telling the truth having read Les Miserables, because having finished it I truly believe it has become a part of who I am. One thing is for certain, when Victor Hugo sets out to make a point he definitely makes one, whether you want to wait for it to finally be over with or not! And just when you think you cannot bear for him to continue, he stops and returns back to the story, weaves it together perfectly, and you feel a sublime sense of awareness at having listened and understood exactly what he is trying to convey. While spinning on a point until it is driven into the ground, describing multiple complex details of dozens and dozens of characters that you are certain you will never be able to retain, like the composer of the most intricate symphony, the result is magnificent, and the characters are alive in your heart and mind. Initially I thought the narration had a somewhat "high school documentary" tone to it, but as it progressed it became enchanting, and although I do not speak French so I do not know if his pronunciations were correct, I thought it was beautifully done. Some of the recording/play quality was a little off, and there was a point where a whole "chapter" was repeated (when Cosette goes to the well at night), and another where a "chapter" heading was repeated, but other than that it was very clear and well done. Definitely time well spent! Some day I will try to tackle the double-length unabridged version to get more of the "thoughts of the day" from Hugo.

One of the Greatest Literary Heroes of all time!

What did you like best about this story?

I read this book ages ago, and it was one of my favorites. Jean Viljean is the selfless hero we all strive to eventually become. The whole of his life was given in service to others, and nothing but the acceptance and love of Cossette was asked in return. I also enjoy the description of the Frence social caste, and the stigma associated with being a criminal. Describes are system perfectly today.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Female porter to Jean Viljean " Do you need a Priest?" Jean Viljean "I have one".

Terrible recording, but a celestial story

One of the most amazing, inspiring books known to man. Truly a timeless novel. This abridgement is done well. The recording is of very poor quality. The actor has no range, and is pretty monotone. The sound quality feels like it was recorded in the 40s.

Well done

I tried listening to another, full length version of this book and didn't get very far. The "asides" were just too much to take. This, while still quite long, cut to the heart of the story and was quite fascinating. A wonderful reading as well.

Choices, Consequences, and Foregiveness

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It is by far one of the best works of classical literature I have ever listened to. Audible was the perfect format to enjoy it. It does have a lot of untranslated French and it is quite long. It is not a book for someone who wants light fluffy subject matter or a short read. I think it is the best book about choices, consequences, and foregiveness that I have ever read. The characters are rich and three-dimensional. Sometimes bad characters bring about good, and sometimes the good characters make bad choices, or jump to conclusions which are wrong. I will probably listen to it again and would recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I am a big fan of the musical, so this was awesome to fill in a lot of the back story. If you enjoyed the musical too, beware! Several things in the book are different, but, in my opinion, not in a bad way. Enjoy!

Master of master

What did you love best about Les Miserables?

One of the greatest books in my view.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I want to listen it again and again for hundred times.

Abridged? Never! Except this time.

I loved the Broadway musical. I greatly enjoyed the movie too. What I liked best about the movie is it added some details from the book that were impossible to include on the stage. However, as often happens, the book reigns triumphant over any other version of Victor Hugo's masterpiece.

However, Hugo was ridiculously wordy with literally hundreds of pages that he himself admits are irrelevant to the story. As such, I highly recommend this abridged version for any normal human beings who, unlike me, do not feel obsessively compulsed to read unabridged versions. I also recommend this version to those who have already waded through the unabridged version, and (like me) loved it enough to enjoy the story again.

Disappointing abridgement

I love Les Miserables, so I won't rate this any less than 3 stars. However, I was disappointed to find that some of the actual story was left out of the abridgement, in addition to just the author's "lengthy asides." For example, Fantine's history was missing, as well as all mention of the youngest Thenardier children, both of which strike me as important to the story.

I found the narration a bit dry as well. I definitely recommend listening to the sample before you purchase this audiobook.

Life Changining! inspiring! Wonderful.

I have seen the movie and the play, but loved the performamce of the book and all the details it filled in.