Les Miserables read-a-long 2026 | Première Partie (1)

[AgualusasL0ver]

Welcome to the first thread of the Les Miserables Read-a-long.

I'll be using the Christine Donougher translation for posting in the main, but it doesn't matter which translation you have, they seem to follow the same breakdown. I have not seen the film, the musical, and have very little knowledge about the book, but suspect I will be doing all of these Christmas 2026.

The only rules
The plan is to read ONE chapter a day and contribute/follow the thread as you see fit. There are c. 365 chapters, so we plan to take the year to read slowly and really get under the skin. Sometimes we have clustered chapters in past read-a-longs, and people do sometimes read ahead. All fine - but No spoilers until the relevant day.

Notes from previous read-a-longs

• How you manage one a day is entirely up to you, some people prefer to store them and read all the chapters for the week at once, some read each day.
• Sometimes these books can go off on a tangent all their own (looking at Mr Tolstoy), stick with it :-)
• All formats and translations welcome. Sometimes the translation discussions are some of the most interesting conversations.
• You WILL get behind at some point, but don't worry, just catch up when you can.
• Tangents, things you discovered down a rabbit hole, articles, pod casts, clips of epic scenes when we get to them all very welcome on the thread.

Spoiler free summary , courtesy of Chat GPT below. Schmoop has book summaries so I will post those at the relevant points.

**

Les Misérables is a classic novel by Victor Hugo that explores justice, compassion, and the struggle for dignity in 19th-century France.
At its core, the book follows the lives of several interconnected characters from different social classes as they navigate poverty, law, love, and moral choice. Rather than focusing on a single hero or plotline, the novel paints a wide picture of society—showing how personal decisions are shaped by systems like the legal system, economic inequality, and social expectations.
Key themes include:

• Justice vs. mercy — how laws affect people differently, and whether strict punishment leads to fairness
• Redemption and moral growth — the possibility of change, even after hardship
• Poverty and inequality — the daily realities of people living on the margins
• Love and sacrifice — care for others as a powerful force for good
• Social responsibility — how individual actions impact the wider community

The novel is known for:

• Deep character development
• Emotional intensity
• Philosophical reflections on society and humanity
• Detailed descriptions of history and everyday life

Overall, Les Misérables is less about a single storyline and more about asking big questions:
What does it mean to be a good person? How should society treat its most vulnerable? And can compassion change lives?

I particularly enjoyed Chapter Ten, it shows a human, doubting side to the Bishop which is in contrast to his almost saintly persona established in the previous chapters.

Here is a man who comforted a condemned prisoner and saw him through his execution, who braved the mountains controlled by the notorious criminal Cravatte - but who can’t bring himself to visit a local man rather wonderfully described as a sheep with scab! When it comes to extending the hand of friendship (or at least faith) to a man considered to be a political outcast, the Bishop hesitates. He tries to make himself visit, but turns back. The only path leading to G’s house is overgrown as nobody will have anything to do with him, including the Bishop. He only visits when G is reported to be on his deathbed. Perhaps one of the hardest things in the world is to engage with someone we really disagree with at a fundamental level.

I really liked the part of their discussion where G basically says ‘well, you are rich, what do you know?’ And the bishop does not rush to defend himself and say ‘but I’m humble and I live like this’. G then goes on to take back his personal attack as being unfair to their discussion. I was reading this thinking we could do with a bit more of this when people with very different political views have a debate!

I will be re-reading this a lot and looking up all the people and incidents mentioned in their arguments, I did not know Huguenot families had to host the military and pay for their keep, there is so much interesting information here to delve into.

@SanFranBear Yes Bienvenu was able to be a real old softie because of his privileged life but I was really thinking that even the rich can have sensitive, emotional personalities and be decent people at the same time as being unaware of how privileged they actually are?

There is a lot the rich would be amazed by in any century… For example how utterly exhausting and draining it is to have no money and the knock on effects of this. If you haven’t lived that you simply don’t even imagine it even exists. It’s like before you have a baby for example, and people try, but they can’t tell you the daily reality of the first few months… Some things are unimaginable when they are completely outside any of your lived experience.

I was reflecting on Bienvenu’s personality. The revolution didn’t have such a dramatic effect on his peers or even brothers (though I haven’t read chapter 11 yet). Whatever happened in Italy affected a very sensitive, emotional person and resonated at a very profound level that could only be processed by living a spiritual life.

@MotherOfCatBoy I wanted Hugo to be a better writer than having a plot device called Baptistine 😩🤣

@Purrpurrpurr yes I enjoyed learning about the Dragoons as well. I also agree on your point about how people debate nowadays.

Now I’m thinking about « Let them eat cake… knowing the cake she meant was a kind of bread….

I agree with you, @Neitherherenorthere- I think 😁

I guess what I'm trying to say is that he was able to develop into the sensitive, empathetic person he is because his upbringing was so removed from the peasantry of that time - its almost impossible to think of others, especially favourably, when you don't know where your next meal is coming from, or your newborn baby is ill and you can't afford medication .. Italy obviously changed him - and sounds like much for the better - but even before that, he had time to dwell on his fellow man and their situation that those in poverty - and those Gordon represented - simply didn't have.

Ugh - probably not clear but yes, you're right!

The Revolution was incredibly complicated and protracted, and many would say the ideals of 1789-92 were trampled in the Terror of 93 which became a bloodbath as the a Revolution « ate its own children. » It was a decade really before Napoleon took it all by the scruff of the neck.

I read Mantel’s A Place of Greater Safety last year and it was highly educational, but many of G’s references went even further back to the Wars of Religion in the 17thC (which were brutal). I’m currently reading a history that goes from 1789 to 2015 and what’s surprised me is we hardly ever talk about 1870 - the siege of Paris and the Commune. It was so violent! There were revolutions in 1789, 1830, 1848 and 1870…

Sorry, new pet subject at the moment! It’s the kind of stuff you would know about your own country but is a revelation for understanding the country next door..

@MotherOfCatBoy Yes, I agree! I just watched ‘The Leopard’ on Netflix, partly about the formation of Italy. Also I realised how relatively recently the states of Germany and Poland were formed as we know them now! (Yep! Never studied history in any depth!)

I think it was Maupassant who wrote about 1870 in Paris? Seem to remember a story?

@SanFranBear I think Bienvenu’s sensitive side would have been there if he was born a peasant. I don’t think it’s a product of being rich. I am enjoying your thoughts though 😊

The question is would Bienvenu’s sensitivity have led him to « good works » or engendered a burning hatred of the system and led him to become a « Gordon » (🤣) or worse???

Maybe the injustice of peasant life would have made him a murderer or something if the depth of his feelings was something he couldn’t cope with? And he felt it gave him a licence to commit crimes?

Isn’t that what Hugo thinks? Help me out here wise Mumsnetters 🤣 Isn’t this why Hugo values education?

Yes he had time to dwell on his fellow man but where would his understanding and experience have come from? Where would his motivation have been whilst pursuing love affairs and reading (he is clearly very well read).

Bienvenu might have thought « why don’t the poor just look for work? » « why don’t they just become servants if they want shelter and feeding » « why are they so lazy that they let themselves get into that state » or even « well they are unintelligent, they bear poverty because they aren’t capable of anything else » (Wince……)

Only empathy and conscience can begin to address deeper thought from Bienvenu, and he only has that from experience when his family fell into hard times?

Really enjoying all the commentary. I am up to date with the book too.

A couple of things raised in the comments, sorry I have forgotten who said them.

1. Baptistine: I fundamentally agree she is prob a plot device, but I don't think spinster sister's living with their ecclesiastical brothers is that unusual - even in the 1950s Barbara Pym was writing about sisters who kept home for the local vicar, though yes, convents also popular in in nineteenth century (as those on the Kristin Lavransdatter readlong will remember well).
2. I think there a lot of fragmentary, passing characters in this book that are not necessarily connected - I like to note characters like this for the day I go on Pointless and win £1,000 and the coveted trophy for knowing obscure characters in 19th century European literature.
3. Hugo's audience: from a gender perspective I don't know, but I do know he went to great lengths to produce affordable editions as he wanted everyone in society to be able to access and read Les Mis.

Next week, we will get into book 2.

• Monday: Chapter 12 - Monseigneur Bienvenu's Isolation
• Tuesday: Chapter 13 - What He Believed
• Wednesday: Chapter 14 - What He Thought
• Thursday: Part I, Fantine - Book 2, The Fall, Chapter 1 - The Evening After a Day's Walking (a bit of a long one) - will post the Schmoop update for Book 1
• Friday: Chapter 2, Wisdom is Advised to be Prudent
• Saturday: Chapter 3, The Heroism of Passive Obedience
• Sunday: Chapter 4, About the Cheese Dairies of Pontarlier (not going to lie, looking forward to this chapter.

This sentence did make me laugh:

'Gouty old man in his English gaiters! Let him go to Prussia in his pigtailed wig!' he would say, delighted to unite in the same denunciation the two things he most detested.

I haven’t made a lot of comments here but am keeping up- it’s the only thing I was keeping up with for a few days this week when I was feeling slumpy. Really enjoying the read and the discourse.

Apparently Hugo wasn’t keen on England @AgualusasL0ver

@AgualusasL0ver There are some funny quotes in here which he apparently may or may not have said: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2002/mar/02/artsandhumanities.highereducation www.theguardian.com/education/2002/mar/02/artsandhumanities.highereducation]]]]

The last, long paragraph of today’s chapter is quite something! Depressing how much it resonates with the current political climate - a certain US president and his entourage in particular…

Thank you to @Onceuponatimethen for that link - ‘England was not a healthy, grown up sort of place’ 🤣

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06vz9nq

This Radio 3 ‘Literary Pursuits Les Misérables’ is interesting. Discussing the 12 year gap between Hugo starting and finishing the novel. Enjoyable if you have a spare 45 minutes anywhere for a podcast?

Are there any spoilers in there @Neitherherenorthere ? I’m v keen to read around the historical period without spoiling my first read of the story!

@MotherOfCatBoy It was more about Hugo and what happened to him, to make him leave it 12 years between starting and finishing the book! They look at the actual manuscript and pinpoint where he stopped/started again. Talk about his politics and Jersey/Guernsey.

Great, I will listen to that, thanks for the link!

Perceptive stuff about power, success and corruption then in Chapter 12!

As @DuPainDuVinDuFromage says… it all resonates with what we see every day on the news.

Also I liked the bit ‘Let it be said in passing, success is a fairly hideous thing.’ Makes you think 🤣

Ooh, can I join in?
I realise that Im very late to the party but will catch up by the weekend.
Ive not read Les Mis for about 30 years which was around the time I first saw the musical version.

‘The undistinguished is an old Narcissus who adores himself and celebrates the undistinguished.’

Love this line. This bishop isn’t perfect but he does stand out against the corruption of the wider church.

I fell behind a bit last week, have just caught up now (just finished chapter 13).

Am I the only one thinking that this section about the Bishop is a little bit repetitive? I'll have to go back and check, but I'm sure at one point there's a sentence which when I read it, I thought 'hm I think you've already said that.' However, I do get that the life being described is somewhat repetitive, with moments like the encounter with G being 'standouts' from a life with a fixed routine, so maybe it's a deliberate device? After all, "generally he spent his life always doing the same things at the same time of day."

@Waawo I agree about the repetitiveness - it’s been two weeks and all we’ve learned is that the bishop is a thoroughly good guy 😅 Hopefully the story will get properly started soon!

It’s a novel about ideas. The characters demonstrate Hugo’s beliefs. This was a time when plot was only half the story - instead of the whole story 🤣

In modern adaptions Bienvenu is reduced to essentially one kind act in one scene. Hugo however wanted to criticise the Catholic Church and was able to with a full, thorough description of his « rebel » bishop who didn’t get on with the other bishops and had no followers except his parishioners. A kind of ‘compare and contrast’🤣

I think Hugo wants Bienvenu to shine like a beacon across the darkness he is about to describe.

Hugo is also presenting Christianity « done right » as a means of progress and social reform. It’s a system that could help people if the Church followed the teachings of the gospels properly.

I’d say for modern readers the répétions is tedious because we are used to instant technology and dramas with pace. For Hugo however,

´…as drops of water may wear holes in a rock, so it is with character. The grooves are indelible. These formations are indestructible.´

Hugo’s dripping water on his readers because he believes he has the answers? 🤣