Plot: Introducing one of the most famous characters in literature, Jean Valjean - the generous plebeian imprisoned for stealing a crust of bread - Les Miserables ranks among the greatest novels of all time. Victor Hugo transports readers to the depths of Parisian crime, immersing them in the battle between good and evil, and takes them to the barricades of the 1832 riots with a breathtaking realism still unsurpassed in modern prose. In this dramatic story there are universal themes that capture the mind and heart: crime and punishment, the ruthless persecution of Valjean at the hands of Inspector Javert, the desperation of the prostitute Fantine, the amorality of the thief Thénardier, and the shared desire to escape from the terrible prison of one's own mind. Les Misérables gave Victor Hugo the canvas on which to represent his criticism of French politics and its judicial system, but the final portrait is immense, epic: an extraordinary spectacle that enchants the senses and touches, forever, hearts.