by Victor Hugo
First published 1862
Jean Valjean emerges from nineteen years of imprisonment for stealing bread, branded as a dangerous criminal by his yellow passport. When a bishop's unexpected kindness transforms him, Valjean breaks parole and assumes a new identity. He builds a prosperous life as a factory owner and mayor, but Inspector Javert relentlessly pursues him, determined to drag him back to prison. Valjean's world shifts again when he rescues Cosette, the mistreated daughter of the dying Fantine, and raises her as his own. Years later, as revolution erupts on the streets of Paris, Cosette falls in love with the idealistic student Marius. Valjean faces an agonizing choice between protecting his secret and saving the young man who threatens to take Cosette from him. Hugo weaves together stories of love, sacrifice, and redemption against the backdrop of a nation struggling toward justice.
Genres: fiction, romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Paris, France
Period: 19th-Century, French-Revolution
1416 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics
Content warnings: abuse, violence