mazakaal Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 My parents have given me some Christmas money, and I'm thinking about using it to go up to London for a weekend. Should I buy the book and read before seeing or not? What says the hive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 YES! And yes I do think this is an issue worth shouting about :D I really believe you will get far more out of it if you've read the book. It will fill the gaps left out of the musical, rounding out the story; and there are so many things they include, that you would completely miss, if you hadn't read it. Start now, it is very long. Ideally you'd read it twice before you went to see it, but perhaps by then you wouldn't want to :D :party: Don't be like my Dad. He was in England when I was 15 and bought a ticket since I'd been going on and on about it. The guy missed the first scene because he was off buying food! How could he be such an uncultured person as to do such a thing? :svengo: and this is from a person who thinks the world revolves around food! :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazakaal Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 Okay. Good to know. Thanks. I wasn't sure if reading the book first would ruin the play, you know, like how when you see a movie after reading a book it's usually completely disappointing because the movie is nothing like the book. I'll get the book asap and get started. Thanks! And, don't worry. There is no way that I would miss even one minute of it for food. And fortunately I have a very strong bladder, so I don't plan to miss a minute even for a loo break. (Was that TMI? :001_smile:) I can't believe that I've been in this country for 9 years and have never been able to get up to London to see a show. Disgraceful, I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I didn't read the book until after I'd seen the musical 4 times. But it definitely filled in lots of gaps; all the bits that don't quite make sense suddenly will when you read the book. Yep, it is very long, but I enjoyed it. I don't think reading it first would ruin the musical at all - because it does follow the spirit of the book even though it's necessarily very abridged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 <whispers> Actually, I think the musical does a better job of conveying the point than the book does. Hugo desperately needed an editor. </whisper> I have seen the musical and (years later) read the book. Although I think reading the book first is preferable, you'll enjoy the musical quite a bit either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Lucky! I'm in love with Les Mis. After ignoring it for nearly two decades (my brother is a huge fan), we listened to the Focus on the Family Radio Theater production as we travelled over Thanksgiving. I want to read it, but there is a miniscule chance I'll get a Kindle for Christmas so I'm not buying any books right now, just in case. You will LOVE it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 My parents have given me some Christmas money, and I'm thinking about using it to go up to London for a weekend. Should I buy the book and read before seeing or not? What says the hive? You could, but I think you would do just as well if you get the CD and just listen to it and read a synopsis of the book or in the liner notes of the CD, which I would recommend before seeing any musical, especially one that is entirely sung, like Les Mis. It helps so much when you already know the plot, so you can relax and enjoy the presentation rather than trying to figure out the plot simply from the words the characters are singing. You definitely don't need to write the novel to understand and be moved by the musical. I saw it several times before I ever read it. I actually found the play to be more more moving than the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 You could, but I think you would do just as well if you get the CD and just listen to it and read a synopsis of the book or in the liner notes of the CD, which I would recommend before seeing any musical, especially one that is entirely sung, like Les Mis. It helps so much when you already know the plot, so you can relax and enjoy the presentation rather than trying to figure out the plot simply from the words the characters are singing. You definitely don't need to write the novel to understand and be moved by the musical. I saw it several times before I ever read it. I actually found the play to be more more moving than the book. I saw Les Mis when I was in high school. I'd never read the book, but knew the story from listening to the cd for years. Whatever you decide, you will completely love! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazakaal Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 Hmmmm... audio book... I don't usually do audio books unless I'm on long car rides, but it might be a good idea. I don't know. That's going to take some pondering. I love to read, but a 1200 page book is quite an undertaking. And I could listen while I do quilting. But would I ever get around to it? Decisions, decisions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 <whispers> Actually, I think the musical does a better job of conveying the point than the book does. Hugo desperately needed an editor. </whisper> I have seen the musical and (years later) read the book. Although I think reading the book first is preferable, you'll enjoy the musical quite a bit either way. :iagree: While I loved the book, I also wished he had an editor. There were times the book felt like an excuse to go off onto another topic. But I do now know more about the Battle of Waterloo than I ever thought I would. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 :iagree: While I loved the book, I also wished he had an editor. There were times the book felt like an excuse to go off onto another topic. But I do now know more about the Battle of Waterloo than I ever thought I would. :) Yep. :D Fifty pages on the Battle of Waterloo to convey about two pages of detail that impacted the plot and characterization. And speaking of the Kindle, I've been wondering if they got the name from this quote from Les Mis: "To learn to read is to kindle a fire; every syllable spelled sparkles." Anyone know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I love Les Miserables, but Victor Hugo must have been full of himself. He goes off for pages and pages about political and military stuff. Some of that info is important for understanding the plot, but most of it (IMO) isn't. It's a very long book! Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I loved the musical and was enthralled because I hadn't read the book. I guess I'm strange, because if I read a book first, and then see it on stage or screen, it wont fit with my minds view. Maybe, I need therapy.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 :iagree: While I loved the book, I also wished he had an editor. There were times the book felt like an excuse to go off onto another topic. But I do now know more about the Battle of Waterloo than I ever thought I would. :) Oh goodness. Yeah, you can skip all that. I don't usually recommend abridged versions of books, but in this case, go for an abridged version! That book convinced me that the Battle of Waterloo was the most boring thing that happened in the history of the world, and that's saying something coming from a person forced to study the same three topics in Australian history for 5 years in a row. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Oh goodness. Yeah, you can skip all that. I don't usually recommend abridged versions of books, but in this case, go for an abridged version! That book convinced me that the Battle of Waterloo was the most boring thing that happened in the history of the world, and that's saying something coming from a person forced to study the same three topics in Australian history for 5 years in a row. Rosie Is there an abridged version you would recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Is there an abridged version you would recommend? Wouldn't know, sorry. I've read the full length at least three times, so I don't need one. I imagine any version would leave in the character relationships and take out the Battle of Waterloo... Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 (edited) From what I remember, the original is quite structured, and it would be easy to simply skip the background and historical/political information if you are not interested. (I tend not to trust the people who write abridged versions of things :glare:) But to me, the whole idea of this kind of epic is that it is set within a detailed context. Yes, it can stand as a good story of love, sacrifice, loyalty, social justice, etc, but it's not a real epic without the rest. Or maybe I just like long winded authors :lol: Edited December 13, 2009 by Hotdrink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 From what I remember, the original is quite structured, and it would be easy to simply skip the background and historical/political information if you are not interested. (I tend not to trust the people who write abridged versions of things :glare:) But to me, the whole idea of this kind of epic is that it is set within a detailed context. Yes, it can stand as a good story of love, sacrifice, loyalty, social justice, etc, but it's not a real epic without the rest. Or maybe I just like long winded authors :lol: In that case, what unabridged version do y'all recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 But yes, I did read the book, and it did fill in the gaps, but I really didn't need to know that much about the sewer system of Paris to enjoy the play. No, you most certainly don't need to know that much about Paris sewers to enjoy the play. I'm not recommending reading the book for that (or the dreaded Waterloo,) but for the relationships between characters. You won't pick up on much of that if you haven't read the book and the story is much better with that awareness. Or we could just list that stuff on the thread and save the OP the trouble ;) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 No, you most certainly don't need to know that much about Paris sewers to enjoy the play. I'm not recommending reading the book for that (or the dreaded Waterloo,) but for the relationships between characters. You won't pick up on much of that if you haven't read the book and the story is much better with that awareness. Or we could just list that stuff on the thread and save the OP the trouble ;) Rosie Actually, I was fascinated with all the detail about the Parisian sewer system, and also the life inside the convent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Actually, I was fascinated with all the detail about the Parisian sewer system, and also the life inside the convent. So was I :) But they aren't necessary background to the muscial. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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