>>15990477About a year ago I read Les Miserables, unabridged. In this case I was supposed to experience the pinnacle of French literature yet most of the characters were surprisingly one-dimensional, some cartoonishly villainous even, and the story itself would have been quite forgettable if not for a few of the digressions. The one about the Battle of Waterloo was especially interesting, despite Hugo having distorted a few historical accuracies in favour of romanticising Napoleon's fall. I would have preferred to read more of this than the rest of the book. My mother didn't like it either.
Notre-Dame de Paris is a far better choice if you're interested in reading Hugo, or perhaps you'd like to skip him altogether for Dangerous Liaisons which is the most moving French novel I've read so far.
