les miserables (part i)

So, I am about halfway through Les Miserables.. (page 555/1220.. I would say I'm rounding but I'm not--that's for real! haha). I just finished with the story of Jean Valjean, and I've moved onto the story of Marius. "Finish" might be a little misleading because I'm not sure if Jean Valjean and Cosette show up again later (I sure hope so!) but I will see eventually (hopefully in another week).

Gah! What to say..
I was rather worried about being able to wade through the 1k+ pages of story. Granted, I LOVE long books, but I've never read something so long (I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the longest book I've read was the seventh Harry Potter, which doesn't really count). I know it's a classic, but it seems to me logically somewhere along the way it should come to a lull in the story and be hard to get through. So far, I haven't come to that point.

(A note: I always read the introductions to these as well).
In the introduction, the length was touched on in so much as he (Norman Denny, also the translator) spoke about passages that have nothing to do with the actual storyline, but are there simply to provide background (for instance, the recounting of the Battle of Waterloo had no effect on the story what-so-ever, except for the small exchange at the end of it). I have found these wanderings of subject not cumbersome, but rather interesting. It provides a depth to the characters and story that is hard to come by. Plus, Hugo's way of presenting, describing, and weaving them into the storyline is genius. They never seem useless.. Each time I come upon one I wonder "where the hell is this coming from?" but I've gotten through enough of them that I trust his judgment, and I know for a fact nothing he says is meaningless.

The way he presents his character's thoughts, feelings, and situations are really unusual. Something about the way he does it allows you to feel a keen sympathy and connection with the character that is hard to come by in most stories (and, in more modern works, achieved in a completely different manner). I think all the meanderings of the past lives and connections of all these people are at the backbone to his character development (and what makes it so different from most character development). It flushes out the person for you, leaves nothing to be desired, and makes you feel as if you were there every step of the way during this person's life.

In short, I love this book. I love the writing. I am way more invested in the characters than I thought I would be. I've loved every page of it, though.