Once in 6th grade, our school principal came over the loud speakers to announce that Robert, eh, Somebody - the kid sitting behind me in Biology - had just read the unabridged copy of Les Mis and wasn't that something? Congratulations, Robert! For a sixth grader, yes, that was amazing. But, jerk that I was, I said to him later "Oh, big deal, I read that in like 4th grade, psshh." I had, but my version was in a simpler format for children and contained many pictures.
Nowadays I'm reading the legitimate, but abridged, version - abridged because in the original French novel of 1,900 pages, Victor Hugo goes on about everything from religion, politics, the Battle of Waterloo, the construction of the Paris sewers . . . anything remotely of historical note. Because novels back then also acted as history books, and the fictional stories contained within were just meant to spice things up a bit. So bravo, Hugo, for your beautiful fictional aside. And bravo, Robert, for bothering to read every last bit of it, Paris sewers included. I'm sorry I was a jerk.
Love Le Mis. Can't stop watching the trailer.
ReplyDeleteThat darn Robert.
ReplyDeleteI am SOOOO excited to Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables-i've never read the book seen the play or heard anyone but high school Soohomores sing the songs so my standards are pretty low:)
ReplyDeleteIsn't Les Mis wonderful? Though I did read the unabridged version (I think I was in college, though, definitely not sixth grade), I sort of wish I'd read the abridged because it was RIDICULOUS. Two hundred pages describing the revolution that could have been skipped. And the photos of you, Seve and Simon are AMAZING.
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