Tagged: Les Misérables

Harry Baur as Jean Valjean

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along / Movies

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Film Comparison

In light of the Academy Awards show last night, this week we take a different look at Les Misérables, comparing several different film versions. Les Misérables has been filmed dozens of times, and rather than give a full review or summary of the difference versions, I am going to simply give you the same scene from six different films and ask you what you think. I’ve chosen arguably the most famous scene in the book, the Bishop’s Candlesticks, and I’ve tried to find as many versions as are available online....

Madeleine and Candlesticks

Book Review / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along / Twitter

#LesMisReadalong on Twitter: Week 9 Highlights

An agonizing decision, an enigmatic dream, a frantic carriage ride to a strange town–such was week nine of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. And here is what it looked like on Twitter: Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Happy 216th Birthday, Victor Hugo! #lesmisreadalong https://t.co/AOhYJuVxLA pic.twitter.com/kjC7RczHAY — Nick Senger (@nsenger) February 26, 2018 https://twitter.com/buttontapper/status/968153813491372032 https://twitter.com/kimpineapple/status/968219418722521088 #lesmisreadalong https://t.co/TObqroIaNi — AStrongBeliefWicker She/her 5 x VAXX ??‍♀️ (@AStrongBelief) February 27, 2018 …he looked, and he saw that these two stars were the lamps of a carriage. By the light which they emitted, he could...

Victor Hugo

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Happy 216th Birthday, Victor Hugo!

Today is February 26, the birthday of Victor Hugo. On this day 216 years ago, Victor Hugo was born to Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo and Sophie Trébuchet. More importantly to me, this also happens to be the birthday of both my mother, Mrs. Senger, and my wife, Dr. Senger, two people who mean much more to me than Victor Hugo ever could. Happily, both are participating in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. So if you are feeling deprived of the ability to wish Victor Hugo a happy birthday, please feel free...

Sr. Simplice

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along / Twitter

#LesMisReadalong on Twitter: Week 8 Highlights

We’re two months into the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, eight full weeks. We’re still in Volume One: Fantine, and this week we finished Book Five: The Descent, we read Book Six: Javert, and we began Book Seven: The Champmathieu Affair. Here are a few examples what people had to say about these chapters on Twitter: https://twitter.com/burns_nancy/status/965496932872458240 https://twitter.com/joyacousin/status/965572164337520641 https://twitter.com/buttontapper/status/965603099120250880 https://twitter.com/bronasbooks/status/965871081637650432 https://twitter.com/buttontapper/status/966062507671474176 https://twitter.com/bronasbooks/status/966095318570827783 https://twitter.com/MissCarrieLA/status/966162970232307713 Great grief is a divine and terrible radiance which transfigures the wretched. At that moment Fantine had again become beautiful.V1 B5 C13 #LesMisReadalong pic.twitter.com/z5OVIHsdod — Rick...

Florelle as Fantine

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Fantine

As we enter the eighth week of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, we arrive at the 50th chapter of the book. From The Bishop of Digne to Jean Valjean, from Fantine to the Thénardiers, we have seen light and darkness, gardens and stars, shipwrecks and collapsed carts. And there is still so much more to come. The last few chapters have focused on the figure of Fantine and her sad fate, and in this 50th chapter Hugo summarizes her life: At the point we have now reached in this...

The Thenardiers

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along / Twitter

#LesMisReadalong on Twitter: Week 7 Highlights and a Les Mis Podcast

It’s been seven weeks since we started the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and the discussion on Twitter is more interesting than ever. Several people are exploring the background of the book and its author Victor Hugo, and they’re sharing their discoveries with the rest of us. Others are tweeting about the reading experience and how it’s affecting them. You can check out the conversation at #LesMisReadalong. You don’t even need a Twitter account to follow along. For those of you who may have missed it on Twitter, Briana Lewis has...

Art / Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Illustrations by Émile Bayard

When Les Misérables was first published in 1862, it was illustrated by Émile Bayard, whose rendering of little Cosette perfectly captures the essence of what Hugo means by les misérables. To me it’s mostly in the eyes and the tiny mouth, but the massive broom in her hands as she sweeps adds to the sadness. Bayard’s image of Cosette’s face is known the world over, thanks to the Cameron Mackintosh musical, as it was adapted and used in countless promotional posters, advertisements, album covers–almost anything connected with the musical. But...

Cosette Twitter

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along / Twitter

#LesMisReadalong on Twitter: Week 6 Highlights

Here we at the end of Week 6 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and the story is really beginning to move. We’ve read forty-two chapters so far–about 170 pages–and this past week we were introduced to some of the most important characters in the book.  It’s still not too late to join in the fun, simply download the reading schedule and do what you can to catch up. Speaking of joining in, we welcome Laura Roberts who jumped in this past week, as you can see below in...

Fantine on Twitter

Books and Reading / Twitter

#LesMisReadalong on Twitter: Week 5 Highlights

I’ve been out of town for most of this week, so pardon me if I haven’t been as active on Twitter, but I’ve definitely kept up with the conversation on Twitter at #LesMisReadalong. Here are some of the highlights from this past week: Slow Reading #LesMisReadalong https://t.co/WIriLooPxJ — ?Roaring Stories? (@RoaringStories) January 29, 2018 #LesMisReadalong V1B3C2 Tholomyès does not sound like a great catch for 'little Fantine' though. "A 30 year old pleasure seeker and badly preserved". Although the 4,000 Francs per year would add to his charms...

The Bishop and the Candlesticks

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along Discussion: The Fall

I’m a little short on time this week, so for week four’s post in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, I’m going to simply pose a question in the hopes of starting a discussion. This is an honest question I have, a question to which I do not have a definitive answer. As we try to answer it, I ask that we stick only to the events of Book One and Book Two out of courtesy to those who are reading Les Misérables for the first time. So here’s my question:...

#LesMisReadalong on Twitter

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along / Twitter

#LesMisReadalong on Twitter: Week 4 Highlights

This past week in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along featured one of the most famous scenes in the novel, and perhaps in all of literature: The Bishop’s Candlesticks. The twitter chat at #LesMisReadalong was abuzz with reactions to it, along with a host of other thoughts and favorite quotes. Here are a few highlights: For him the external world had scarcely an existence. It would almost be true to say that for Jean Valjean there was no sun, no beautiful summer days, no radiant sky, no fresh April dawn. Some dim window light was...