Les Miserables

According to my records, I started this 900-page-behemoth on 10/15. Finishing on Christmas Eve is pretty respectable, considering all of the other media consumed and hours worked in the interim.
My interest in the story ebbed and flowed throughout the pages. The first few hundred pages were delightful in their romanticism. I found Fantine's sacrifices touching and Jean ValJean's moral development quite lovely. Then a few hundred pages on somewhat tedious political struggles would slow me down. Then a sappy love story took the reins, more antiquated political intrigue, tempered by a more interesting plea for street children, and capped off with more lame ladies and melodrama involving folks not knowing who sacrificed what for whom, and worrying about fitting into high society. But through this all, Jean ValJean remained a captivating character. Long story short, 900 (abridged!) pages is quite a feat of writing, and you have to expect some down time. Not every page can please, and it seemed to be somewhat of a crowd pleaser (like the musical, but less severely so). More or less, however, this novel meets its mark. Rated 3+.