Wow, what an extraordinary book. It operates on so many levels and addresses so many themes, many of which are in my tags above: social justice, poverty, child abuse, hunger. Hugo captures the desperation of a hungry boy in Jean Valjean who saves himself, but sadly his family for whom he stole the loaf of bread succumbs to their poverty. The priest who loans him the candlesticks? There is a marvelous passage about this priest and a dying man, who represent the two sides of the French Revolution.

And Fantine! She grieves for a cart horse while her friends and their lovers (and hers) drink and dine and carouse. Hugo's description of her demise into poverty and how a bitter Gossip traces her daughter's whereabouts causes that demise are all too true today. He goes into great detail about how she learns to eat only every other day to save money and how a thin blanket covers her night after night, and the descriptions are just so poignant. And so tragic and unnecessary.

And then there are the passages about Napoleon, where Hugo pretty much asks in today's parlance, "What were you thinking?! M. le General, why did you bring up the heavy cannons when there was so much rain on the ground? And didn't you scout out the dropoff where your cavalry was due to charge? How could you make such military blunders?" What a powerful passage, and one filled with military details that I had no idea had led to Napoleon's loss at the Battle of Waterloo.

A very, very worthwhile book, as timely now as it was then. And off to Vol. II! ( )

Dans la France chaotique du XIXe siècle, Jean Valjean sort de prison. Personne ne tend la main à cet ancien détenu hormis un homme d’église, qui le guide sur la voie de la bonté. Valjean décide alors de vouer sa vie à la défense des miséreux. Son destin va croiser le chemin de Fantine, une mère célibataire prête à tout pour le bonheur de sa fille. Celui des Thénardier, famille cruelle et assoiffée d’argent. Et celui de Javert, inspecteur de police dont l’obsession est de le renvoyer en prison...