Les Misérables

"It is nothing to die; it is dreadful not to live."

I listened to this through Hoopla. All 62 hours. I didn't download it to my phone because I wasn't sure my phone could handle it- I could only listen on wifi.

I know he goes into diversions and the battles and revolution history can feel irrevelent, but I mostly love to hear what Hugo thinks is worth writing down. That there are 20,000 leagues of sewers under Paris, how the battle of Waterloo went, the side story of the nunnery. Oh, and that it takes like 13 chapters before Jean Valjean even shows up! Yes, please! Tell me more about how great this bishop is. More chapters!

This translation is very good (the 1887 Isabel F. Hapgood translation). I hope the French was translated into English well because I really liked it and Hugo is a damn good writer.

And I enjoyed the added-on letter from Hugo to the Italian translator at the end. "Social problems overstep frontiers. The sores of the human race - the great sores that cover the globe - do not halt at the red and blue lines traced upon a map." And then he goes and questions Italy's ability to take care of its citizens, just as he argued that France can't take care of its citizen in the story. He criticizes Italy's spending on military and lack of spending on education. I think we are all Italy here. side eye

It's a classic for a reason. Definitely recommend.