Les Miserables (Abridged Edition) [Paperback]

Victor Hugo (Author), James K. Robinson (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 1996

Sensational, dramatic, packed with rich excitement and filled with the sweep and violence of human passions, LES MISERABLES is not only superb adventure but a powerful social document. The story of how the convict Jean-Valjean struggled to escape his past and reaffirm his humanity, in a world brutalized by poverty and ignorance, became the gospel of the poor and the oppressed.


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Rich and gorgeous. This is the [translation] to read… and if you are flying, just carry it under your arm as you board, or better still, rebook your holiday and go by train, slowly, page by page.”
—Jeanette Winterson, The Times (London)

“[A] magnificent story… marvelously captured in this new unabridged translation by Julie Rose.”
—The Denver Post

“A new translation by Julie Rose of Hugo’s behemoth classic that is as racy and current and utterly arresting as it should be.”
—Buffalo News (editor’s choice)

“Vibrant and readable, idiomatic and well suited to a long narrative, [Julie Rose’s new translation of Les Miserables] is closer to the captivating tone Hugo would have struck for his own contemporaries.”
—Diane Johnson

“A lively, dramatic, and wonderfully readable translation of one of the greatest 19th-century novels.”
—Alison Lurie

“Some of us may have read Les Miserables back in the day, but… between Gopnik and Rose, you’ll get two introductions that will offer you all the pleasures of your college instruction with none of the pain.”
—The Agony Column (trashotron.com)


From the Hardcover edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 29, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449911675
• ISBN-13: 978-0449911679
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I READ THE WRONG VERSION, July 14, 1998

By 

JEFF ROBERTS - See all my reviews

This review is from: Les Miserables (Abridged Edition) (Paperback)

FOR YEARS I HAVE WANTED TO READ THE ENTIRE LONG VERSION, BUT FELT I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO GET INTO IT. I SETTLED FOR THE ABBRIDGED VERSION AND ALTHOUGH I LIKED IT, I WAS DISAPPOINTED. I FELT THAT THERE WERE THINGS MISSING AND AT TIMES I WAS CONFUSED. THE VERSION I READ WAS ONLY 400 PAGES AND THEREFORE LEFT OUT A MAJORITY OF THE DETAIL. THE STORY REMAINS A CLASSIC.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 5-star novel, 3-star abridgement, November 15, 2007

By 

S. Heinen (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Les Miserables (Abridged Edition) (Paperback)

This is one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. I loved the musical and wanted the rest of the story. I wanted the unabridged version, but got this one as a gift. GREAT story--and well worth the read--but this abridgement is too severe in my view. I felt like too many chunks of the story were missing and left unexplained.

I recently bought another abridged (but still 880 pages) version (actually the Barnes & Noble version) and that one is just about right. Whatever they cut, I didn't miss (and there were still a few segments I could have skipped over).

So if you want to experience the real Les Miserables and see what all of the fuss is about, I would skip this version and get a less severe abridgement or, if you dare, an unabridged version.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest story ever told!!, March 29, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Les Miserables (Abridged Edition) (Paperback)

This is without a doubt the greatest story I have ever read! Victor Hugo does a masterful job blending his political views with the deep portrayal of each of the book's many characters. I was amazed at his ability to so perfectly capture his characters, from the 12 year old street urchin Gavroche to Marius's ninety year old grandfather M. Gillenormand. The book kept me completely absorbed for all 1000-some odd pages - I have never cried as hard and so much as while reading Les Miserables. For fans of the musical, reading the book also helps add background to the characters and social situation of the time. It is a long read, but I reccomend it highly for anyone who loves good literature