JL

Epic tale excellently performed.

Reviewed: 04-11-20

This novel is very 19th century. If you’ve read Dostoyevsky you will know what I mean. The characters and scenes are so incredibly well drawn and detailed that you are left feeling like you know some of them. The description of the Battle of Waterloo, for example, and which is only there as supporting backstory, is as vivid a telling of the horror of the battle for the average soldiers as any I’ve heard. The details, which one reviewer has compared to the gargoyles and windows of a Gothic cathedral, make the relatively simple story of a convict redeemed by a single act of charity into the great work of literature, history and commentary of Les Misérables.

The translation and narration were great. Both lent the book a lively and contemporary feel. Certain reviewer might not like the use of “the clink” in lieu of jail or prison (and obviously the French slang is different anyway), but the common crooks of 1830s Paris wouldn’t have sounded like they were on Masterpiece Theatre anyway.

For those familiar only with the musical expect your view to take two or three steps back and see the full sweep of the novel’s story. Some minor characters (Petit Gavroche, the impoverished botantist turned revolutionary, and of course M. Thenardiers) could have their own novellas in their own right.

There are a few slogs, I’ll admit, particularly with the endless proclamations of endless love between Cosette and Marius, however all-in-all the diversions and monologues on slang, names, the sewers of Paris and death by quicksand make Les Misérables the rich story that had endured so long.

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Fascinating biography of a founder of modern America.

Reviewed: 08-28-17

Hamilton is easily the most underrated of the founders, but the one who most clearly saw both the future of the Republic and the grave dangers of mob-ocracy and sectionalism to it. A superb biography and excellent production. I rank it with McCullough's "1776".

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Interesting story by a great storyteller

Reviewed: 06-11-17

Interesting history of Byzantium combined with a travelogue of Istanbul and Rome. The author is an excellent and captivating storyteller with a great ability to weave a complicated yet easy to follow story. His depiction of the Fourth Crusade is probably the best I've heard and truly captures pointless tragedy of the affair. He doesn't dive into as great of detail on some issues that other histories cover, namely the theological disputes, but that is probably for the better in keeping the story moving. Definitely recommend.

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