Les Misérables cover art

Les Misérables

Penguin Classics

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Les Misérables

By: Christine Donougher, Victor Hugo, Robert Tombs
Narrated by: Adeel Akhtar, Natalie Simpson, Adrian Scarborough, Emma Fielding, John Owen-Jones
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by an ensemble cast which includes the BAFTA award-winning actor Adeel Akhtar (Killing Eve, The Night Manager, Les Miserables), Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey, The King's Speech), Natalie Simpson (Outlander, Les Miserables), Emma Fielding (Unforgotten, Les Miserables) and John Owen-Jones, who was the youngest actor ever to play the part of Jean Valjean in the stage show of Les Miserables, and who has appeared as Jean Valjean on Broadway and in the West End. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Robert Tombs.

Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty.

Public Domain (P)2020 Penguin Audio Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction
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Amazing performances, breathtaking story, unimaginable talent of writing. This is a profound reflection on society which manages the incredible feat of not becoming cacophonous or tiresome, because it’s written so genuinely and sincerely. It’s the work of a lifetime and it shows in every line. Easy to listen to and captivating at every turn. Couldn’t recommend more.

One of the best books I’ve ever read

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Adore this book. I've read Les Mis multiple times over the years and tried various audio versions but never liked any. Because Les Mis is so long to listen to you have to really like the audio in order to persist. I've never persisted with other audio recordings cos the voice(s) grated on me. I'm so thankful for this rendition! I loved each of the voices and enjoyed each in different ways. Les Mis was brought to life for me in a new way. Hugo's turn of phrase is so breathtaking and achingly beautiful. At the end of 60+ hours you find yourself wanting to go back and re-read all the passages that moved you the most.
If this is your first time reading/listening to Les Mis then just be aware that this is the unabridged version which includes all of Hugo's leeeeengthy digressions which are not essential to the plot and can serve to slow the tempo of the plot down (eg an extended rant about convents and cloisters and their role in society, examination of the battle of Waterloo from every conceivable angle, or a close up guided tour of the Paris sewer system). So if it's your first time with Les Mis I would recommend reading an abridged version first up where the story isn't continually put on hold for you in this way. Or you could just skip or fast forward through those bits in this version - just find out ahead of time which parts to skip. You can always go back and read/listen to them later. I find Hugo's digressions really interesting and his poetic way of writing about the least interesting topic eg poop kind of captures you, but it can be frustrating when he drops a completely unrelated digression in at a crucial or tense part of the story so don't let that stop you from perservering with Les Mis - just skip. Les Mis is a book of immense beauty, depth and pathos. A close up look at the human soul and the power of love. Can't recommend highly enough!

Magnificent

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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Les Mis but readers should be ready for regular, lengthy digressions from the central story. Whilst aspects of these digressions can be fascinating, they are often too long and it may be sensible to simply skip over those that don’t appeal. You will fully understand these comments when you listen to it. There is a good explanation of why Hugo constructed the book this way in the ‘introduction’ at the end which is well worth listening to. I don’t mean to be too negative- it is an excellent production and will bring tears at certain key moments.

Exceptional story but beware the digressions

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There some pretty long historical interludes that dont have much bearing on the story that I recommend listening to at double speed for a quick overview but otherwise I think this is one of the greatest tales ever told, stunning, witty, poignant

One of the best

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