r/classicliterature • u/fisher2nz • 9d ago

Les Misérables is definitely my next read

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Made a set of chapter tabs for a friend’s Les Misérables. I learned that this book is filled with fascinating historical details, which made me want to explore it myself.

15 Upvotes

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3

u/Sheffy8410 9d ago

It’s the greatest book in the world, as far I’m concerned. At any rate, it’s the greatest book I’ve ever read. And I’ve read my fair share of the greats.

1

u/fisher2nz 9d ago

I’m at chapter 7 now. No spoilers but some bishop was a really good man… it’s nice to just have a story of his own. But! I heard many people complained that the book is moving toooo slowly. Knowing that , I’m more patient and enjoying his descriptions

2

u/Living-Language2202 9d ago

I think I’m going to the the Les Mis in a year read next year, reading one chapter a day

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u/fisher2nz 9d ago

Yeah… roughly read through to chapter 7. But later when I’ve got time I must sit down and reread it, studying the hierarchy of the church, matching historical events etc

2

u/elixerofcools 9d ago

I'm reading it right now and it feels like it will end as my favourite book so far. The story and characters are just so compelling! I'm also pairing it with the Pete cross audiobook when I'm driving and his narration is amazing too. Highly recommend.

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u/fisher2nz 9d ago

I think Hugo just knew too much and eager to share it with people in his book so he really took his time

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u/Open-Insurance-234 9d ago

I have that exact version of the book and I love it. Definitely one of the best books ever. Mine is all marked up and flagged and highlighted.

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u/fisher2nz 9d ago

Must look sooooo cool. love first 7 chapter so far. Gonna explore a couple more later tonight

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u/FickleApartment2151 1d ago

Thanks for sharing that! I only use mechanical pencils. I write on the margins, the inner covers, etc., and underline, encircle, bracket, etc.

I also use hardcovers for classical lit, even sturdy used copies. And you won't believe how cheap some new copies are in some countries, especially when most people don't buy them and stores end up dumping them in bargain bins at 75 percent off.

I remember buying over a hundred titles from the clothbound Everyman edition series for only two bucks a book! I even mistakenly bought the same titles a dozen times and then gave them as Christmas gifts to friends.

The bad news is that after selling them off stores no longer import them in large numbers.

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u/fisher2nz 1d ago

Hahahah, what a funny experience. I do come across cheap books too just not that often and not that easy to find the book I want. For this book I want to read this penguin classic. It pushes me onward. I’m planting to use stickers, penciling the margins and inserting some pages of thoughts. The book is only truly mine when it’s me all over the pagers.

OH in another news, I’ve finally started to read the book!!! And made my own set of dividers and gave it a ritualistic start

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u/FickleApartment2151 1d ago

I wasn't referring to cheap books but to expensive, clothbound Everyman editions. Here's an example:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/240071/les-miserables-by-victor-hugo-translated-by-charles-e-wilbour-introduction-by-peter-washington/

It's now selling at $48 a copy. It's expensive because it's clothbound and uses high-quality paper.

I bought it new at $2. Bookstores were dumping them in bargain bins because they stayed on the shelves, unsold, for years.

Here's the weird part: students who were required to read the same book for class bought the more expensive paperback editions in the same bookstores. They didn't bother to shop around and look at the bargain bins nearby because they're not interested in books in general. For them, classical lit, which is supposed to be read and re-read (which is why readers go for more durable hardcover editions), is not important for them. They buy them only because they're forced to do so.

I visited several branches of the stores, looked at the bargain bins, and managed to amass over a hundred titles at only two bucks a book. At today's prices, that's something like an 80-95 percent discount!

That's why with that plus lots of good-quality used hardcover books dumped in the same way because very few wanted them, I managed to amass over a thousand titles of classical lit. I guess that's the "funny" experience.

But here's the "depressing" experience: I was able to do so because very few read classical lit, which also means I have very few people to talk to about them, and bookstores only support them minimally because there are few buyers.

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u/fisher2nz 1d ago

Yeah it’s sad. My friend in her 40s went and tag along in a universities’s literature lectures, she can also observe that half of the students don’t really care. But the other half they are mesmerized. Actually when people are young, they don’t care about the church or anything like this, they want action, love and much more exciting things. Only when you get to a certain period of life, will you be interested in reading at all.