Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: 25 Percent Done

Javert

Yesterday, April 1, besides being Easter Sunday, was also the one quarter mark in our Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, based on the number of chapters read.

Congratulations for making it this far, and thanks for staying with the read-along to this point. Here’s what it means to have read the first twenty-five percent of Les Misérables together:

  • Ninety-one chapters read, including:
    • Fourteen chapters on the Bishop of Digne
    •  Nineteen chapters on the Battle of Waterloo
  • Almost one hundred tweets with the #lesmisreadalong hashtag, including:
    • Favorite quotes from each chapter
    • Pictures and images that illustrate the story
    • Discovering a companion podcast
    • Discussions about translation, background, and the writing of the novel
  • Meeting well over a dozen significant characters, including
    • Monsigneur Bienvenu
    • Mademoiselle Baptistine
    • Madame Magloire
    • Jean Valjean
    • Petite Gervais
    • Fantine
    • Félix Tholomyès
    • Cosette
    • The Thenardiers
    • Javert
    • Sister Simplice
    • Champmathieu
  • Getting far enough into the story to cover the first 40 minutes of the musical, including the following songs:
    • Look Down (Prologue)
    • What Have I Done?
    • At the End of the Day
    • I Dreamed a Dream
    • Who Am I?
    • The Confrontation

As the second quarter of the book begins, we leave Fantine and Waterloo behind and look ahead to the fulfillment of a promise. I hope you’re looking forward to the next ninety-one chapters as much as I am, especially considering we will meet my favorite character.

Speaking of characters, which one from the first ninety-one chapters do you most respond to or connect with? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Deacon Nick

Nick Senger is a husband, a father of four, a Roman Catholic deacon and a Catholic school principal. He taught junior high literature and writing for over 25 years, and has been a Catholic school educator since 1990. In 2001 he was named a Distinguished Teacher of the Year by the National Catholic Education Association.

4 Responses

  1. Very impressive. You’re doing really well!

  2. Louise says:

    Oh who is your favourite character? I’m loving every aspect of the read along. It’s really easy. It’s great to be a quarter of the way through. I’m really looking forward to the next 91 chapters. I’ve even started thinking about the end, and wondered if we can somehow try to schedule a time that works internationally when we can all read the last chapter together? It will be super difficult I know (particularly being NYE) but would be great fun to end the year with a NYE/Chapter 365 party. What do you think?

  3. Brona says:

    I’m catching up on Les Mis posts now that Waterloo (& Easter) and behind us. I have lovely runs of managing my chapter a day approach, but then I get busy and suddenly have 3-4 days to catch up on.
    I’m going away at the end of the month and have decided not to take Les Mis with me. I wont be able to attend to it properly as my focus will very much be on all things Japan. So I plan to read ahead some, then catch up the rest when I come back.

    Like Louise I’m curious to know who your favourite character is and I love the idea of a final chapter facetime/skype readalong.

  4. Ruthiella says:

    I am also on pins and needles to find out who your favorite character is! So far, I think I like Jean Valjean best. I don’t want to raise any false hopes, but I am pretty sure he survived that drop in the ocean (hee hee).

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