This is my favourite novel I have ever read and probably will stay my favourite. It has everything I look for in a novel...it's epic, it has ultimate love with ultimate self-sacrifice, complex characters, serious and tragic, etc. Plus I really love the writing style...most people dislike the fact that it goes off into 50 pages on something completely off-topic. I like it...because I can relate. ;-)
My favourite character is definitely Fantine. No question about it. I think it is an amazing story to fall that hard from love and innocence, and I also think she is the symbol of ultimate self-sacrifice in the book, even more then Jean Valjean. Her only happiness is her daughter, and she can't even see her. She did not plan on having her (obviously) yet Cosette is all she lives for, and probably has to do with the reason she ends up dying. So what *isn't* amazing about this character?
And I must say again, I love the writing style. Victor Hugo is just the best. Yes, some of you might say he gets off-topic and drags along. So what do you think about when he IS on-topic? Amazing, yes? ;-)
Oh, yes, and this is the one book so far that actually makes me cry as I read it. (Well, besides My Sergei, but that doesn't count.) Not just once, either. At various moments, too. ;-)
JUST READ THE BOOK! UNABRIDGED! RUN, DON'T WALK, TO YOUR NEAREST BOOKSTORE AND BUY THE BOOK! AND START READING!
I guess I should mention that two parts do drag along...Waterloo and the sewers. Actually, I liked the waterloo part...JUST READ IT! NOW! ;-)
I love this novel. Is it my favourite? No, see above. ;-) But is it amazing? Yes! Again, it has a lot of the key factors I look for in reading. I like the writing style here, too. It's nothing extraordinary but it's a great style. Some people consider Jane Austen's work "girlish romance" but I disagree. Yes, it is focused on love, but I wouldn't consider it schoolgirl love at all.
Marianne is easily my favourite character. I like how passionate she is. She gives all her emotions to one person or thought and doesn't think about how that may harm her. Once Willoughby leaves her and she has something like post-traumatic stress, I think this is the most amazing part in the book.
The other characters are great, too. These characters are the type you were you can see yourself or others in them easily. The passionate one, the reserved one, the gossip...everything. :-)
Once more, my point? READ IT. Actually, be warned, just read all of the novels I post here. :-)
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I love this one, too. Shocking, isn't it? ;-) But it's really AMAZING. I thought it was much better then the film. I love the film, it's easily in my top 10...but the book goes into much more detail, of course. (I swear, one day I'm going to write screenplays that stay /exact/ to the story. ;-) ) I loved most of it, except that Will character really got on my nerves, I'm happy he wasn't in the film. He just seemed pretty...useless and he wasn't needed to move the story along, really. But I liked the addition of Scarlett's other children, etc.
Let me say, Rhett Butler has to be THE best male character in literature. I just /loved/ him! The first thing? Well, I love his attitude. :-) He says what he wants, and he doesn't care who hears it, because it's the truth. I also found myself LOL at many of those comments. The character can be hysterical, the character can be heartbreaking, as well. I thought when Scarlett has her miscarraige, and when he's talking to Melanie...that had to be THE most touching part of the whole book.
My point? Oh, you knew it was coming...READ IT. ;-)
BTW, Visit my Les Mis site Les Miserables: The Novel which has excerpts and such.
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