Publisher's Synopsis
VOLUME 2 IN THE SERIES: LES MISÉRABLES - COMPLETE IN FIVE VOLUMES. (ENGLISH / FRENCH) -ILLUSTRATED.ABOUT THE SERIES: Volume I: Fantine Volume II: CosetteVolume III: MariusVolume IV: L'idylle rue Plumet et l'épopée rue Saint-DenisVolume V: Jean ValjeanEACH VOLUME: - Translated from French by Isabel Florence. Hapgood (1887) - Illustrated mainly by Gustave Brion & Émile Bayard and others.- Followed by the French Edition annotated by Guy Rosa.Les Misérables is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original French title. However, several alternatives have been used, including The Miserables, The Wretched, The Miserable Ones, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims and The Dispossessed. Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. Examining the nature of law and grace, the novel elaborates upon the history of France, the architecture and urban design of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, antimonarchism, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. Les Misérables has been popularized through numerous adaptations for film, television and the stage, including a musical.Volume 2 - COSETTE.Valjean escapes, is recaptured, and is sentenced to death. The king commutes his sentence to penal servitude for life. While imprisoned in the Bagne of Toulon, Valjean, at great personal risk, rescues a sailor caught in the ship's rigging. Spectators call for his release. Valjean fakes his own death by allowing himself to fall into the ocean. Authorities report him dead and his body lost.