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?

Yes today’s chapter was very annoying. Kinda weird really.

Completely annoying. Sexist male entitlement. Those of you also in the Cockroach Cafe will have steam coming out of the ears…

It is unacceptable that at this time only women had the role of carers. I’m glad times have changed and women continue to challenge sexism at every level.

However the bliss of being cared for when you are truly vulnerable and in need should not be diminished by who is caring for who.

To be loved in this way for who you are and who you were is extraordinary.

I found Hugo resonant in this chapter.

I tried very hard not to give any spoilers with this post, whilst realising that the prison hulk would have needed maintenance, during 19 years, to remain watertight? How else could someone like JV have transformed this industry?

Ah got you Neitherherenorthere, he’s the right person at the right time for sure!

I didn’t work out that Madeleine was Valjean until the candlesticks - would never have got it from the passport reference! My memory is terrible - the chapters with Cosette at the inn rang a bell but I have no recollection of reading about Monsieur Madeleine (it is at least 20 years since I read the book but even so!).

I do agree today’s chapter was uncomfortable reading, with the implication that a woman’s sole purpose is to be a handmaid 😡

I'm sad that the Bishop died... I was hoping to see and hear more of him as we progressed through the book.

But it's sort of nice that in the way that his 'teachings' live on through Monsieur Madeleine who seems to have completely turned his life around... Just goes to show that a moment of kindness can be such a powerful thing!

Pleased to see M. Madeleine likes to read!

It sounds like M. Madeleine has modelled himself on Bishop Bienvenue.

I like that he used to give a few coins to the Savoyard boys when he saw them.
Nice.

So now we have met Javert. I’m enjoying the depth of explanation of his character. The musical makes him pretty two-dimensional.

I wonder if Philip Pullman has read Hugo? 🤣 The animals bit reminded me of the Familiars in the Golden Compass (have I remembered that right?)

Interesting thought that animals show us qualities or faults that exist in humans and that they can be seen as little snippets of us.

Apparently Hugo loved animals and thought they should be treated better.

Got me wondering when Darwin published ‘On the Origin of Species.’ 1859 in England, and 1862 in France. That really brought it home to me how old this novel actually is!

Evolution was a new theory!

Hugo really is obsessed with physiognomy (facial features or expressions being indicative of character), he’s mentioned it several times. That really dates the book as it was such a Victorian concept. Really don’t like Javert he sounds like a very broken individual, I know in the musical he is played as a single minded pursuer and that is obviously what he is, but Hugo’s original just seems malicious, the desperate scrabbling of a man trying to prove his birthright as something he isn’t subject to even though he is willing to believe it of everyone else.

@Neitherherenorthere I thought of Philip Pullman’s daemons too!

Javert sounds like he’s going to be trouble for M Madeleine. He sounds unpleasant, but the physiognomy analysis is a bit grim and really feels uncomfortable to read.

There’s something I don’t understand - Javert has his eye on Valjean and is being set up as his nemesis. But what has Valjean done wrong, from Javert’s point of view?
We know he stole the coin from the little Savoyard. But Javert doesn’t know that.
The candlesticks were « given » to him by Myriel. So it can’t be that.
The only other thing is his identity and not being asked to show his passport when he arrived in the town. Is that wrong, as such? What were the laws about released prisoners? Did you have to report to the police for the rest of your life? Or is changing your identity essentially classed as fraud?

I think it's simply that he knows he is a released prisoner.

Wasn't there something about Javert having a strong moral code and two choices and he, having been born in prison, made the choice to be on the right side of the law? He may simply dislike the fact that he has gone from ex-prisoner to wealthy business man, mayor and benefactor.

By conveniently losing his papers JVJ has effectively blotted his copybook. Yes he’s basically committing fraud. He is supposed to have presented them to local authorities wherever he went, as an ex prisoner he would have been under state surveillance. I mean a prison sentence basically made you a marked man and integrating back into society virtually impossible, as illustrated by the behaviour of the villagers.
So this is what Javert is suspicious off, I guess Hugo is saying he senses the criminal element in JVJ, whilst at the same time telling us JVJ is utterly reformed, it’s a bit confusing really, but apparently it’s all in the shape of JVJ’s nose or something!

I didn’t know this thread existed! I’ve been reading a chapter a day alone. How brilliant that this thread is here. Can I join late to the party?

I read the chapter 'Pere Fauchelevent' as though Javert knew Madeleine was JVJ. That part about knowing someone in the prison who was strong enough to lift the cart and then JVJ going white then going on to the lift the cart.

Perhaps I misinterpreted that.

Welcome @MaggieBsBoat 😊 I always think the more the merrier😊

Any lurkers want to jump in at this point too?

Hopefully @AgualusasL0ver who started the thread and has inspired me doesn’t mind?

What are your thoughts so far @MaggieBsBoat ? What inspired you to start reading Les Mis?

Gosh no, anyone welcome at any point.

Think of it as a co-op but someone has to start it. No issue at all with any input from anyone at any point.

I’ve caught up with one week, hoping to catch up with the rest to be up to date in between cooking today.

@lifeturnsonadime I think Javert just felt JVJ was a wrong’un, but couldn’t quite place him, or just had an instinct and then the cart lifting meant he put two and two together to connect the dots to being an actual criminal!

Thanks so much @Neitherherenorthere

Last year I did a slow read of War and Peace and was on the lookout for another slow read (as I got so much out of doing it this way). Someone on MN mentioned Les Mis and here I am. It’s great so far!

@MaggieBsBoat Yes, I know what you mean. I have never done a read-a-long before but as you say, taking time, chatting as we go… it’s really enjoyable 😊

If time is an issue might an audiobook version help? There seem to be a few around? Even as podcasts I notice… Just a thought 😊

Thanks again for the motivation to tackle this book @AgualusasL0ver 😊

The only issue I’m having is an absolute need to occasionally read ahead when a chapter is short and ends on a cliff-hanger. Oddly, I don’t recall ever doing that in W&P lol