Les Misérables
Les Misérables follows Jean Valjean, released after nineteen years in prison for stealing bread, as he tries to build an honest life under a false name while the policeman Javert hunts him. Around that pursuit Victor Hugo arranges the fates of Fantine, her daughter Cosette, the street boy Gavroche, the student Marius and the Thénardier family, and he pauses for long essays on Waterloo, convents, argot and the Paris sewers. The novel reaches its climax at the barricades of the June 1832 uprising. Published in 1862, it is at once a thriller, a plea for the poor and a portrait of a city. This edition presents the text in Isabel F. Hapgood's translation. The full text is available to read online in your browser on Vinteuil, and the first chapter is free.
Start reading right away, without signing up. The complete text is included in Vinteuil Reading, or yours forever with a one-time purchase.
Frequently asked questions about Les Misérables
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo can be read online on Vinteuil, directly in your browser. The first chapter is free for everyone; the complete book is included in Vinteuil Reading ($4.99/month or $39.99/year) or yours forever for $2.99.
Can I read Les Misérables online?
Yes. Les Misérables opens right on this page, in a reader designed for long reading: adjustable text size, light, sepia and dark themes, a clickable table of contents and your place saved when you are signed in. No download or app is needed.
Is Les Misérables free to read on Vinteuil?
The first chapter of Les Misérables is free, without an account. To read the whole book, either buy its online reading for $2.99 (£2.99 in the UK) and keep it forever, or subscribe to Vinteuil Reading for $4.99/month (£4.99/month in the UK) or $39.99/year, with 1 month free for new subscribers. The subscription opens every book in the library and can be cancelled at any time.
Is Les Misérables in the public domain?
Yes. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo is a public-domain work, here in the translation by Isabel F. Hapgood. Vinteuil offers a carefully prepared digital edition made for comfortable reading on screen.
How long does it take to read Les Misérables?
About 37 h 26 min of reading, at an average reading pace. Your place is saved automatically when you are signed in, so you can read in several sittings and on several devices.
What kind of book is Les Misérables?
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo is filed under "Fiction" in the Vinteuil library.
