Published simultaneously in nine languages in 1862, this book is a vast, magnificent tapestry set against the background of political upheaval in France during the post-Napoleonic era. A cast of hundreds—Les Misérables, the hapless victims of French society—is woven into the story of an ex-convict, Jean Valjean, and his valiant struggle to redeem his past. A potent social document of the poverty, ignorance, and brutality of man, Les Misérables is also a rousing adventure story, famous for such unrivaled scenes as the spine-tingling chase through the Paris sewers and the brilliant depiction of the Battle of Waterloo.
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