Customer Reviews

Hugo's Les Miserables (Cliffs Notes)

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Being one of the precious few who see Javert as the novel's most intriguing character, I found myself flipping through "Les Miserables" when I first purchased it, looking for all of the "Javert chapters." However, though it took me a year to finish the remaining pages of the book (those focusing on Valjean and the protagonists), I must admit that I now consider it to be my favorite piece of literature. I'm sure that most everyone reading this review knows the plot, but I'll summarize it anyway. The hero-- Jean Valjean, convict who breaks parole. The "bad guy" (not really!)-- Inspector Javert, an misunderstood policeman. The miserable ones-- Fantine (prostitute), Eponine (suffers from a forbidden love), the Parisian beggars. The lovers-- Cosette (Fantine's daughter; Valjean's charge) & Marius (student). The revolutionaries-- Enjolras, Marius, students. Story: Javert chases Valjean, Valjean changes his life and looks out for Cosette, Students and Eponine die, Marius and Cosette get married, Valjean dies. Sounds uplifting, doesn't it? Seriously, though the story is extremely deep and the negative emotional content is through the roof (as are the amounts of philosophical commentaries and descriptions that Hugo interjects, i.e. a 100-page documentary on the history of the Parisian sewer system), the reader almost always finishes the book with a sort of uplifted feeling; a new belief in the ability of humanity to transcend and break free of our earthly chains. The musical version of Hugo's masterpiece sends the audience away with similar thoughts, but the story is severely condensed and the romanticism enhanced. I will say one thing of Boublil & Schonberg, though-- they were true to Hugo's intents. I believe it's on one of the first pages of the novel that Hugo alerts his readers to the fact that "Les Miserables" is NOT about Valjean, Javert, Cosette, or any of the others. It's about the Eternity. And the lyrics and melodies of the musical "Les Miserables" are true to this-- they never once forget that the primary aim of the story is to tell people the news of God's power over all of us, and how, through His love, we too can love, grow, and, as Valjean discovers, we can change

Okay, I was browsing through my library and I stumbled across the Les Miserables cliff notes (I have read the whole thing unabridged 4 times). I picked it up to look it over, and was impressed. I checked it out, and took it to school the next day and gave it to my friend who was reading the abridged version and I gave it to her to read. She liked it much better. She said it was, "Shorter (she's not exactly into long books), more emmotional (eep), and included many things that the abridgement left out. Two of my personal favorite parts- Jean Prouvaire's Last Poem, and Orestes Fasting and Pylades Drunk, which were included in Cliff's Notes. Bravo!

This was perfect for me to read a week before I was to attend the musical. After reading this, I knew all the characters and their motivations and all the story lines. After watching the show, I became interested in reading the book...and probably will...someday!

You really have to be into drama when you read this! You have to love to read and have to understand 5 things going on at once! Victor Hugo wrote an awesome book when he wrote Les Miz!! I fell in love with every character!! He wrote a fantastic book! I have read the abridged 2 time sthe unabridged once and i've seen the play 3 times and have both movies!!

This is the best book I have ever read. Victor Hugo is a very good and interesting writer!

Castor Junior

Well, I first went to see it in NY, Broadway and it fascinated me.So, I decided to order the Lesmis in concert from the DVD store and also got the book. It's really great. It's set during the French Revolution. I incredibly sugest you buy this for it is sure to reach you in your heart

the first time i read the unabridged copy of les mis, i was in high school, and we had just started the book when we all took a hugh trip to ny to see the play on broadway. i was sitting next to me very best friend Tynaries, when intermission ended and eponine came out and sang "on my own", when just as she lie dying in marius' arms at the barricade he kissed her lightly, then i gasped and gripped the arm of my chair. but suddenly, Ty grabbed my hand, gave it a tiny squeeze, then leaned over close to me, kissed my lips softly and whispered, "i'll keep you safe, always...," and handed me a very old hand-kerchief which was the one i had made him in home ec when we were 12, i had embroidered (really badly) his initials on the corner. we've been together since, and that has been almost 7 years, and he wrapped my engagement ring in it the night he proposed. but to get back to the main topic, i just previously picked the clift notes up at a local bookshop and found it to be just as i remembered that night so very long ago in my heart. [i love you Ty, always....]