New Brick Eve! Vol. 1 Fantine
Okay. It's beginning with the First Volume of the Entire Brick, <Fantine>.
I know this is the most important volume of Les Mis, since what Bishop did to the traveller who entered Digne influences a lots of things in the later in the Brick plot.
But honestly, it's the most hard-to-read volume at the same time. This does not mean Mr. Hugo enterferes with his endless speech, but It's really harsh to the characters suffer.
Like Valjean stole bread for saving his sister's children and became a convict named 24601, Cosette getting abused by the entire Thenardiers and became the housemaid, and Fantine wretched by her 'lover' and falling into the woman of town. It's just like Mr. Hugo mentioned in the preface, 'the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through lack of light'.
However, there are still best scenes in volume 1 too! I pick three.
First is of course, Bishop Myriel doing his job to Valjean, which leads the later incidents that happening in the entire Brick.
Second is Madeleine lifting the cart of Fauchelevent. Though he got suspicious sight of Javert but he gained another strong patron for him and this resulted him became the mayor.
And finally, the third scene is that famous 'Who am I?' scene at the Court of Arras. He did saved the innocent man, though he could not be done with the town and poor mother.
In conclusion, it might be too harsh to read, and might be less dramatic than the later volumes, but this volume 1: Fantine is the most important one since it makes the hardened base structure of the plot. I will be back tomorrow with the Volume 2!
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Title card image is from @lesmisletters, and Clips are from <Il cuore di Cosette>.