Les Misérables: Part IV, Book VI - Part V, Book I
I doubled up on Les Mis reading in September in preparation for the all-horror reading list of October, and then promptly forgot to update about it. Trying to remember what I was thinking during these sections is frustrating! I wish I would have done it sooner. There are plot spoilers ahead, but if you're familiar with the musical/movie, then you already know what happens.
Sometimes I completely forget that Gavroche is Thénardier's son. He's my favorite character after Éponine. I can't help loving a character who has nothing and still tries to help other people, and he's always got a smart comment ready at hand.
"There are six of you, six men and I'm one woman, but I'm not afraid of you. You aren't going to break into this house, because I don't choose to let you."
I don't usually enjoy love triangles, but the Marius/Cosette/Éponine one is so underplayed--and Marius is so oblivious--that it's almost not even there. (In my opinion, Éponine's sections also keep the sticky sweet Marius/Cosette romance from being totally overwhelming.) It's a little more nuanced in the book, and I enjoyed that a lot. She protects Marius by guarding him from Thénardier and his crew, but she also keeps Cosette's note from him. It makes her a more complex character, as most of the cast are. They're often actively selfless, but they make mistakes and selfishness still creeps up on them. Again, I can see why the characters have endured across centuries and mediums.
"'You know, Monsieur Marius, I think I was a little bit in love with you.'"
Things pick up so much once the revolution starts, and it's so well-described I felt like I was practically there. These compelling sections made up for some of the boring ones in my previous update, proving yet again that when Hugo is on point, he's really on point. Enjolras is really in his element in these sections. I was a little nervous about Part V, Book I, since it's nearly a hundred pages long. I knew I was going to have to break it up into smaller pieces to get through it, but it ended up flying by. Almost every major character makes an appearance here, and I have the sense that things are finally coming together.
Only to fall apart spectacularly again, but wow, is it a wild ride. All my favorite characters are dead now, but I think if I didn't know how things were going to turn out with Valjean/Marius/Javert, I'd be on the edge of my seat. I may double up again this month to finish before the holidays kick into high gear. It's hard to believe I've read a thousand pages of this book, with only a little over a hundred left to go!
