Announcing the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along

This is the official sign-up post for the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. Please join me in spending the next year reading one of the great works of world literature, Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. If you’ve always wanted to read the unabridged edition of Les Misérables, this is your opportunity. Maybe you love the musical or one of the movies. Maybe you’ve read an abridged version and now you want more. Whatever it is that has brought you here, I invite you to join me in reading this epic work of historical fiction that touches on themes of justice, love, sacrifice, and redemption.

Starting January 1, 2018, we’ll be reading it in little bites, a chapter a day, savoring the experience and making it a part of daily life for the next 365 days.

Why a Les Misérables Read-along?

The origins of this read-along are two-fold. First, I participated in Brona’s Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Read-along last year and really loved it, especially the slow pace of stretching Tolkien’s books out over seven months. And second, last March I read Novel of the Century: The Extraordinary Adventure of Les Misérables by David Bellos. At the very beginning of that book, Bellos makes a remarkable statement that I have not been able to get out of my head:

…the fact is that Les Misérables is made of exactly 365 chapters. You can therefore read one chapter a day – most of them are quite short – and complete Hugo’s vast novel of love and revolution in the time that it takes planet Earth to complete its revolution around the sun.

So, since Les Misérables is one of my favorite novels, and since I taught it to eighth graders for over twenty years, I thought I would try hosting a chapter-a-day read-along of the complete novel. It may sound intimidating at first, committing an entire year to reading a book, but I think it has the potential to be a deeply transformative experience.

Imagine getting up early each morning and as part of your daily routine opening up one of the truly great books of the world and spending a little time with unforgettable characters like Jean Valjean, the Bishop of Digne, Fantine, Javert, and little Gavroche. Or imagine settling in each evening before going to sleep, losing yourself in the world of 19th century France: galley slaves, the sewers of Paris, the battle of Waterloo, the barricades. And finally, imagine waking up on December 31, 2018, knowing that you are about to finish the last chapter of one of the longest and most profound books ever written. This is the extraordinary adventure of the Les Misérables Read-along.

How to Participate

1. Get an unabridged copy of Les Misérables. See below for suggested translations/editions.
2. If you have your own blog, write a welcome post explaining why you are joining the read-along and what you hope to gain from it. Include your past experience with Les Mis in any of its forms. Leave a link to your post in the linkup section at the end of this post. If you don’t have a blog, you can leave your information in the comments section below.
3. Download the Les Miserables Chapter a Day Reading Schedule 2018.
4. Commit to reading a chapter a day. If you get behind or race ahead, no worries. Life happens. My blog posts will stay on track with the reading schedule, and I would ask that you please respect the reading experience of those who may not know the full story. In other words, no spoilers!
5. Please feel free to post the official Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along graphic on your website or blog to spread the word.
6. Subscribe to One Catholic Life so you don’t miss any read-along posts throughout the year. You can get updates via email by using the form in the right-hand sidebar or you can subscribe via RSS and read them in your favorite blog reader.

Which edition should I read?

You can read any edition (including audio), as long as it is unabridged. I don’t read French, so I will be reading a translation. Here are a few of the translations I’m familiar with and can recommend:

• Christine Donougher (2013) – This is the translation I’ll be reading and quoting from during the read-along. I’ve not read it before, which is why I’m reading it this year. It’s also the translation Bellos quotes from in Novel of the Century.
• Norman Denny (1976) – This is the translation I read the last time I read Les Misérables, in 2013. I don’t remember having any qualms about the translation, in fact I remember liking it quite a bit.
• Charles Wilbour (1862) – Wilbour’s was the first English translation, and is really quite good. This is the translation I taught to eighth graders, albeit in an abridged edition.

My Plans for the Read-along

Here are some of the things I’m going to do to keep you motivated and interested in reading during the year:

• Introducing each major section of the novel and writing a wrap-up after each one
• Sharing background information and context periodically throughout the year
• Posting weekly status reports, giving you a chance to comment on your progress, joys, and/or difficulties
• Connecting the book with the musical
• Sharing the beautiful illustrations of the novel by Émile Bayard
• Offering insights into the symbols, imagery and major themes of the book

If you’re ready to sign up, I invite you to leave a comment in the comment box and/or write your own introductory blog post and share it with us using the linkup button below.

And if you’re reading this after we’ve already started, feel free to catch up and join the read-along already in progress!