ŷ������

Use this thread for general discussion of Les Misérables and/or Victor Hugo. Please no spoilers

Just for info, how long do we have to finish this first section?

Since the posts will remain available, you can really finish it any time and add your thoughts to the posts. But we will start the next section (Vol 1 Books 5-8) March 1st. I will open up that post on March 1.

Well, I've added this to my tottering TBR pile, though I'm probably going to be pretty far behind everyone. I seem to be treading water at the moment, not really making much progress, though it's just hard to see. Still, I'm way below my normal average in reading so far this year.

I'm in! This will be the longest book I've read off the list. (My current longest is Lord of the Rings.) I'll try my best to keep up.

I’ve already read it. (Took me about a year last time) But It’s definitely worth reading again, so I plan to do that, and will try to keep up.

This is good to hear. I look forward to it.

I have read it as well, but I think it will be fun to take it much slower. this time. I have never taken this long to read a book.

I'm in. THis book has been on my TBR for awhile. I attempted it last year but did not get very far.

I’m in though I have to admit that when I checked the reading time on the Kindle I gasped-61 hours and some change for the Project Gutenberg copy.

S.L. wrote: "I’m in though I have to admit that when I checked the reading time on the Kindle I gasped-61 hours and some change for the Project Gutenberg copy."

Only 61 hours? There's 8760 hours in a year.... :P

I will try to join. I don't know when I will start, there are a couple of other books I want to read first.

The edition of Les Miserables I own is a beautiful hardcopy I treated myself to a few years ago. The funny thing is that it is from a series the publisher calls Corona-series. So if I don't read it now, when shall I?

I’m in! I’m a slow reader with a job and other obsessive hobbies but I love the idea of a year long book club. This has been on my TBR for many years.

I’m going to be participating in a Bible Study based on Les Miserables. Watched the PBS show and saw the Liam Neeson version years ago. Plan to watch the musical in the next few days. I’ll start the book in the spring so I’ll be behind a few of you.

Sean wrote: "S.L. wrote: "I’m in though I have to admit that when I checked the reading time on the Kindle I gasped-61 hours and some change for the Project Gutenberg copy."

Only 61 hours? There's 8760 hours i..."

It's what my Kindle computed as reading speed. It looks to be the full version when compared with the on-line version. It's at 59 hours and change now. Also, I just now realized that there are images and the version I downloaded did not have the images but they can be seen on-line. I also downloaded the Kindle version with images but haven't checked to see if has all the images.

Alice wrote: "I’m going to be participating in a Bible Study based on Les Miserables. Watched the PBS show and saw the Liam Neeson version years ago. Plan to watch the musical in the next few days. I’ll start th..."

The Bible Study based on Les Miserables sounds fascinating. Are you using a particular book for the Biblr Study?

Karen, I don’t know how to copy but the Bible Study book is The Grace of Les Miserables by Matt Rawles. First chapter is about Valjean - interesting.

Alice wrote: "Karen, I don’t know how to copy but the Bible Study book is The Grace of Les Miserables by Matt Rawles. First chapter is about Valjean - interesting."

This looks very interesting! I'm in charge of Parish Education and I think our adult group might find it a good study. Something a little different from the usual. I'm going to get a copy to see what it's like.

Any advice about which translation to read?

I’m reading it in French, so can’t really comment about translations, but as far as I am aware there are 3 modern translations into English.
Norman Denny’s 1976 Penguin Classics version (Les Misérables) is widely read, but isn’t quite complete �� there are two whole books relegated to an appendix (Part II, Book 7 (originally titled Parenthesis, dealing with convents) and Part IV, Book 7 (Slang)), as well as several minor passages abridged.

The first of the more recent translations is by Julie Rose for Vintage Classics in 2007 (Les Misérables). It is reckoned to be more colloquial than the other translations, but has been favorably reviewed.

The most recent translation is by Christine Donougher in 2013, also for Penguin Classics, and originally published as The Wretched, but now available under the French title. This seems to slightly edge Rose in terms of recommendations, but is generally written in a more literary style.

Having read the opening chapters of all 3 on Amazon preview, I think I prefer Julie Rose, but I would suggest you do the same before making up your mind.

Deedee wrote: "Any advice about which translation to read?"

I read the translation by Christine Donougher and it is excellent!

Just remember, get the unabridged edition of whichever one you choose. And Amazon's "Look Inside" feature which allows you to preview translations and compare them is helpful.

Thanks for the information on the different versions. I began reading the version posted through the link provided (I think Gutenberg Ed.) and decided to order the book. I ordered a copy that said “complete and unabridged�� edited by Cynthia Brantley Johnson, Simon Schuster classic. However it is a completely different version with 595 pp. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to follow the discussion or if it actually fits into the challenge as it is so much shorter. I guess I’ll give it a go. Any comments or further information would be helpful.
Gayle

What I usually do with these thick 19th century novels in translation (usually the Russian ones) is to pick up several different translations and read them all at the same time :). For Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky I have six translators that I read. (David Magarshack and Rosemary Edmonds are my favorites, even though I know Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky are the most accurate) My youngest son told me, wouldn't it be easier to just learn Russian? LOL

I have 2 versions here for Les Misérables:
Les Misérables translated by Norman Denny
Les Misérables translated by Charles E. Wilbour

I have a choice of adding
Les Misérables translated by Julie Rose
or
Les Misérables translated by Christine Donougher
to my copies on hand.
Which translation would you add if you can only add one?

Gayle wrote: "I ordered a copy that said “complete and unabridged�� edited by Cynthia Brantley Johnson, Simon Schuster classic."
This is very definitely abridged �� I found a contents page online and several sections are missing. It looks like (from the chapter titles) it is a version of the translation by Charles Wilbour. Wilbour’s was the first English translation in 1862 (the year the original was published in France and Belgium), and still widely available.

I'm reading a version by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee based on the classic C. E. Wilbur translation. 1987. I wonder which version my mother read that led her to pick out my name. Hmmm.

Cosette wrote: "I'm reading a version by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee based on the classic C. E. Wilbur translation. 1987. I wonder which version my mother read that led her to pick out my name. Hmmm."

Oh now this is cool. So glad you are reading with us!!! Almost like being in the presence of a celebrity :P

I ended up with the Norman Denny translated copy. I read the Gutenberg project translation at work on my lunch break and then pick up with my print copy at home. I selected the Norman Denny translation purely based on one recommendation and the lovely cloth bound cover 😍

I read this not last year but the year before, I think it took me about 9 months but I really enjoyed. Towards the end especially I couldn’t stop reading! I was shocked because I thought the general subject matter would be quite boring (sorry!) but the relationship you develop with the characters is so overwhelming that it’s worth the pushing through any parts that lag a little!

Many thanks to you for organizing this group read, Sean. I have been craving a novel with depth for quite some time so I decided to dive into this one. Gemma, your comment spurred me on as characters are so important to me. I chose Christine Donougher’s translation and I am amazed at what a pleasurable read so far. I expected it to be challenging right from the start. I look forward to journeying through this book with all of you.

I'm really happy to see so many people participating. This is going to be the first time I have really read a book like this in this much detail as well. Normally I would push myself through a long book quickly, thinking that I need to get it out of the way. I'm hoping to get much more out of this book this go-round.

The March Thread is posted. We will be finishing up Volume 1. Books 5-8.

Hi Sean,
I just joined the club bit I'm excited to finally read this book. I have lots reading to catch up.

Frezita wrote: "Hi Sean,
I just joined the club bit I'm excited to finally read this book. I have lots reading to catch up."

Welcome to the fun Frezita. That's no problem. all the threads will be open all year (and beyond), Feel free to pop in and post your thoughts even if you are a little bit behind us. We will be going back in and still discussing to be sure.

I did listen to the 61 hour audiobook from librivox years ago (I listen on 2x speed and did it while I was packing up/moving/unboxing from my old apartment to the new).

I was already a big fan of the movie/musical/etc so I was really excited to finally read the book. I loved it and has since become one of my favorite books of all time.

I personally suggest the Hapgood translation, which is not one of the popular ones but I feel is faithful to the spirit of the original words and still retains a high classic style of writing that isn't too colloquial/modern ( I know some people like that, but just for personal preference I like it to feel steeped in its own time).

I know other people like it but I DO NOT like the Denny translation. I went through different translations at the book store once comparing them to the original version of one of my favorite scenes (I can read French pretty decently but can’t listen at 2x speed like English). No spoilers but of the loaded and emotionally heavy lines from the book is “if you permit it�� (said from one character to another) and Denny has it changed to “if it’s all the same to you�� (transitioned from the other sentence like the character is saying it off the cuff to police officers in the scene). Maybe I’m too picky, but that made me suspect that some of the original intent or weighty lines from the book were not correctly carried over.

I hope everyone else enjoys the book though (or “the brick�� as it’s known to theatre fans lol): there’s a lot of great stuff in there!

Karen wrote: "This looks very interesting! I'm in charge of Parish Education and I think our adult group might find it a good study. Something a little different from the usual. I'm going to get a copy to see what it's like.."

That’s actually a really cool idea. I’m not religious myself, but one line from the musical that always hits me in the gut is “remember the truth that once was spoken…that to love another person is to see the face of God��. It’s not directly in the book, but it’s a great summary of its themes (regardless whether you take that in a religious, or in a Plato’s symposium ‘ultimate Truth/Beauty�� way).

It’s also about how law/power itself means nothing if its aims are not ultimately rooted in compassion, which is exemplified by the bishop at the beginning. I think all of that would make for a great Bible study.

I just discovered your group today and would like to join so I can enjoy the reading of this classic with all this wonderful discussion. I just ordered the Rose translation from Amazon and hope to have it tomorrow. I hope to catch up in a couple of weeks and "be on the same page" by April 1.

I'm reading the Donougher translation and I'm really enjoying it.

Welcome Kimberly. Glad to have you on board. The prior discussions will stay active so post on them whenever you have thoughts.

Haha. I like that. We will likely actually be on the same page at some point.

I'm late to the party. I read and lead a discussion about Les Mis during the last half of 2019. I think this time I'll try to find an unabridged audio version and listen to it. This book is one of my all-time favorites.

Alice wrote: "I’m going to be participating in a Bible Study based on Les Miserables. Watched the PBS show and saw the Liam Neeson version years ago. Plan to watch the musical in the next few days. I’ll start th..."

I am listening to the audiobook, following along in the ebook when I am confused or drift. I pretty exclusively listen to audiobooks because of ADHD. After about a quarter of the book I stopped and watched half of the PBS production but didn't want to get ahead of my reading. After a couple of weeks I couldn't wait to finish watching and binged it last night. It was so well done and I was so emotionally moved that I dug back in to the book this morning. This may be one of my favorite books of all time so far and I am about to turn 70!!

Welcome to the discussion. Look forward to hear what you think. It's a fantastic book that is benefited from a deep read.

I'm also getting a late start to this! I finished the ebook I was reading a couple nights ago, so I opened up Les Mis and got a start on it. But then I've been so tired by the time I go to bed lately that I've only read like a page before falling asleep, so, it might be slow going for a bit lol. I look forward to the discussions!

I just got my copy! So I'm joining in nice and late. Can't wait to see everyone's thoughts. (And mine of course)

…and Done. A second read for me and enjoyed it a lot both times. The depth and length of Les Miz definitely made reading it over the last 10 months worthwhile.