What an amazing read. You owe it to yourself to take the time to read this book written about the dawn of the freedom of the ordinary human in the early 1800's. I tend to be hard on the French but after reading this I have a better feel for the spirit of the French people.
Victor Hugo outlines what was going on from the revolution in 1789 through the Napoleonic wars and finally through the restoration of the French Royalty. He tells the story through a man sent to the galleys as a teenager for stealing a loaf of bread for his siblings. The character - Jean Valjean - spends twenty years in the galleys until he is finally paroled. He leaves hardened but crosses paths with a Bishop that shows him unconditional love. Jean Valjean then moves on with a "less of me, more of others" life. The story is peppered with characters that reflect the tragedy of life in a world with limited opportunities. Hugo goes into the detail of each of the characters lives and the events that surround their situation. The reader is staggered as you realize just how horrible the living conditions were for ordinary citizens. The reader also gets insight as to the life of the idealistic young bourgeois - and the failed efforts to make a difference for the common citizen.
This is a long book and there times when it benefits you to skim. However, the book reminds you of how rich the writing was from this period. Books would not make it through edit today that go into the detail of each event that Hugo goes through. This level of detail is what makes the book. The insight as to what it was like to be a prisoner chained to a wall, the details of the battle of Waterloo, the events that form the individuals that are key to the book. Some of the greatest literature was written during the 1800's. This was certainly a different time.
Jean Valjean pours the remaining portion of his life into a young girl. His selfless devotion to her to fulfill a promise sees the book to its end - don't miss it.
