When Victor Hugo published &quot;Les Mis&eacute;rables&quot; in 1862 it became a huge hit with the public, so it is considered to be his greatest work and one of the jewels of French literature. It is a tale of woe and angst, love, loss and redemption set in France in the early 1800s against a backdrop of revolutionary fervour. The name &quot;Les Mis&eacute;rables&quot; means The <i>Unfortunate Ones</i> or <i>The Wretched</i>.<br /><br />The novel is in five volumes and is one of the longest novels ever written, 1900 pages in the French version,and contains the longest sentence ever written &ndash; 800 words.<br /><br />Set in the post-Napoleonic era just after the French Revolution, &quot;Les Mis&eacute;rables&quot; is the story of Jean Valjean, a convict, who has just been released from prison after serving 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. Influenced by the bishop to begin a new life, Jean assumes a new name and moves to a new location where he becomes a respected citizen and makes a fortune in manufacturing. The police inspector, Javert, is suspicious of him, but it is not until Jean&rsquo;s conscience prods him to reveal his true identity that he is forced to flee.<br /><br />The rest of the novel is set in Paris, where Jean changes residences frequently and assumes a number of identities in order to avoid arrest. Fulfilling a promise to her dying mother Fantine, he rescues a young girl named Cosette from the evil Th&eacute;nardier family and becomes her guardian. They spend many years in a convent where Cosette grows into a beautiful young lady. Eventually, Jean leaves this safe haven so that Cosette may have a more normal life.<br /><br />Cosette falls in love with Marius, a young lawyer, who joins a band of revolutionists at a barricade. Unbeknown to Marius, Jean is also at the barricade...