In 1815, Jean Valjean is released after nineteen years in the galleys for stealing bread and trying to escape. Shunned everywhere because of his yellow ex-convict's passport, he is taken in by the Bishop of Digne, whose act of mercy after Valjean betrays him changes the course of his life. Years later, under a new name, he has become a prosperous manufacturer and mayor.
His path crosses that of Fantine, a young factory worker forced into destitution to support her daughter Cosette, who is being exploited by the innkeepers Thenardier. Inspector Javert, who believes the law is absolute, never stops suspecting the mayor's past. The story follows Cosette's growing up in Paris, her love for the student Marius, and the 1832 June Rebellion at the barricades.
Hugo fills the novel with digressions on the Battle of Waterloo, convents, Parisian slang and the sewers of Paris. Published in 1862, it is a sweeping indictment of poverty and injustice and a meditation on grace, conscience and the law, later adapted into one of the world's most successful musicals.
Book details
| Author | Victor Hugo |
|---|---|
| First published | 1862 |
| Original language | French |
| Translated by | Norman Denny |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 1463 |
| Setting | France, 1815-1832 |
Themes
- Redemption
- Justice and law
- Poverty
- Revolution
- Love and sacrifice
Who should read it
Readers who want a sweeping historical epic about mercy, injustice and the poor of nineteenth-century France.