Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Set in early 19th-century France, the narrative follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his journey towards redemption. The story touches upon the nature of law and grace, and elaborates upon the history of France, architecture of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, antimonarchism, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. It is known for its vivid and relatable characters, and its exploration of societal and moral issues.
The 40th greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 1862
- Nationality
- French
- Length
- Very Long
- Pages
- 1200-1500
- Original Language
- French
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.3)
- Alternate Titles
-
- Lea Miserable
- Les Misérables, By Victor Hugo
- Los Miserables
- Os Miseráveis I
- Os Miseráveis Ii
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 62 lists:
- 2nd on The Books That Built The French (TNS-Sofres/SNCF–Lire)
- 9th on The 101 Favorite Novels of 'Le Monde' Readers (Le Monde)
- 11th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 12th on 100 Books of Classical and Modern Foreign Literature (The Union of Russian Writers)
- 14th on 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers (Penguin (UK))
- 15th on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 20th on R/ClassicLiterature's Top 100 Favorite Books (R/ClassicLiterature)
- 21st on Top 100 World Literature Titles (Perfection Learning)
- 23rd on Big Read (Hungarian) (Hungaria)
- 25th on 100 Essential Books (Bravo! Magazine)
- 31st on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 34th on TrueLit's Top 100 Favorite Books (2023) (/r/TrueLit)
- 36th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 41st on The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Bookman.com)
- 43rd on Big Read (Bulgarian) (Bulgaria)
- 50th on Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale (Raymond Queneau)
- 53rd on 4chan’s Literature Board’s Aggregate Top 100 Books for the Decade 2014 - 2024 (Reddit)
- 53rd on Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 54th on The 100 Stories that Shaped the World (BBC)
- 62nd on 'The perfect library': the 196 books selected by 133 personalities (XLSemanal and Zenda)
- 67th on Top 100 Books, As Chosen By Canadians (The Gazette(Newspaper))
- 97th on Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books (Harvard Book Store)
- 97th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 100th on My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read (Australian Big Read)
- 114th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 128th on El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (1,000 Books to Read Before You Die(Book))
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Best Novels in the World (Published in 1899) (The Daily Telegraph)
- 100 Life-Changing Books (National Book Award)
- 100 Must-Read Classics in Translation (Bookriot)
- 101 of the World's Greatest Books (1950) (101 of the World's Greatest Books (Book))
- 101 Significant Books (Good Reading: A Guide for Serious Readers)
- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (The Center for Fiction)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- 501 Must-Read Books (LibraryThing)
- 50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50 (nextavenue)
- All-Time Classics, According to Academics (The Commercial Appeal )
- Best Books Ever (Book Depository)
- C.K. Shorter List of Best 100 Novels (The Bookman February 1898)
- F. B. Perkins' List of 100 Best Fiction (LibraryThing (from The Book Lover by James Baldwin (1910)))
- Great Books (The Learning Channel)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- Have You Read 100 Great Books? (The Jasper Lee Company)
- Haycraft-Queen Cornerstones (Murder For Pleasure (Book))
- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (InteliQuest)
- IWU Select 100 Must-Read Books (IWU (Faculty, Staff, and Students))
- James Baldwin, The Book Lover: A Guide to the Best Reading (1910) (Book)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- Recommended Reading List for Students (China 2020) (Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China)
- The 100 Best Novels in Translation by Boyd Tonkin (Book)
- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time (Runners-Up) (The Guardian)
- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (Easton Press)
- The Best Classics (The Times)
- The Bigger Read List (English PEN)
- The Books You've Always Meant to Read (Waterstones)
- The Graphic Canon (Book)
- The Great Books Podcast from John J. Miller (The National Review )
- What are the Goncourt Winners’ Favorite Books? (Télérama)
- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) (archive.org)
- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher (Die Zeit)