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Парижките потайности - том 1 и 2
Още с излизането си романът се превръща в абсолютен бестселър, какъвто остава и дълго след смъртта на автора си, като се откроява със своя забележителен реализъм в описанията на „низшите обществени кръгове“. Образите на Фльор-дьо-Мари, чийто произход остава неясен до последните епизоди на романа и която е „слабост“ на княз Рудолф фон Геролщайн, както и на Риголет (Смешкарката) – образи на проститутка с невинна душа и на честна работничка – си остават ненадминати по своя чар и до днес. А образите на интелигентния злодей Даскала, на нотариуса Жак Феран, както и на затворническия „лидер“ Скелета са забележителни със социалния си заряд.
Със своя едновременно приключенски, криминален и социален привкус този майсторски написан роман се нарежда сред първите остросюжетни произведения в световната художествена литература и проправя пътя на по-сетнешните класически представители на реализма като Стендал, Балзак, Юго. Именно с него Йожен Сю става френският „крал на популярната литература“.
Със своя едновременно приключенски, криминален и социален привкус този майсторски написан роман се нарежда сред първите остросюжетни произведения в световната художествена литература и проправя пътя на по-сетнешните класически представители на реализма като Стендал, Балзак, Юго. Именно с него Йожен Сю става френският „крал на популярната литература“.
1448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1842
About the author
Eugène Sue
1,851 books56 followersFrom Wikipedia:
Joseph Marie Eugène Sue (20 January 1804 – 3 August 1857) was a French novelist.
He was born in Paris, the son of a distinguished surgeon in Napoleon's army, and is said to have had the Empress Joséphine for godmother. Sue himself acted as surgeon both in the Spanish campaign undertaken by France in 1823 and at the Battle of Navarino (1828). In 1829 his father's death put him in possession of a considerable fortune, and he settled in Paris.
A street in Paris is named for Eugene Sue, in the 18th Arrondissement: Rue Eugene Sue is located near the Poissonnière Metro station, and is not far from Montmartre and the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur.
Joseph Marie Eugène Sue (20 January 1804 – 3 August 1857) was a French novelist.
He was born in Paris, the son of a distinguished surgeon in Napoleon's army, and is said to have had the Empress Joséphine for godmother. Sue himself acted as surgeon both in the Spanish campaign undertaken by France in 1823 and at the Battle of Navarino (1828). In 1829 his father's death put him in possession of a considerable fortune, and he settled in Paris.
A street in Paris is named for Eugene Sue, in the 18th Arrondissement: Rue Eugene Sue is located near the Poissonnière Metro station, and is not far from Montmartre and the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 4, 2019
Les Miz, The Lord of the Rings, Batman, the Avengers, the novels of James Elroy--as well as the crews of Star Trek and Star Wars, and the profilers of Criminal Minds--might not have achieved their present forms without The Mysteries of Paris. Yet this Eugene Sue novel is virtually unread and almost forgotten today.
The upper middle-class Sue began his working life as a ship's surgeon, but by his middle twenties—1829—he returned to Paris to eke out a living as a free-lance writer. It was then that he began to empathize with the Paris poor. Soon after, having inherited a large estate from his father, he embraced his own inner contradictions by adopting a Byronic pose and revealing himself to be both a socialist and a dandy. He continued to write, eventually producing the sprawling serial novels, The Mysteries of Paris (1843) and The Wandering Jew (1845), that made him a second fortune, a fortune he invested in "media", leading eventually to his position as Europe's first newspaper tycoon.
This mammoth serial novel—nearly three thousand pages in length—is the first to explore extensively the criminal underworld of a great city. It owes a debt to the highwaymen of the Newgate novels, the beggars of Notre Dame de Paris, and the pickpockets of Oliver Twist, but it is original in its exhaustive presentation of urban poverty and crime and in its precise delineation of criminal stratagems and argot. Sues reveals with a new vividness the plight of the central city, investing it for the first time with a brooding, gothic-tinged atmosphere. Reynolds and Lippard, in The Mysteries of London and The Quaker City, copied its incidents and imitated its effects, while first-rate novelists like Hugo and Dostoevsky absorbed its world and transcended it in such works as Les Miserables and Crime and Punishment. His influence, however, stretches far beyond this: every roman policier and private dick novel of the last hundred and fifty years is indebted to the dark romanticism of his Paris streets.
Sue is also important for his development of the group hero. Inspired by the heroes of “The Leatherstocking Tales”--democratic groups of four or more, each of whom represents a different social class, age, sex, race, personality type or profession--he transplanted them from Cooper's gothicized American wilderness to a gothicized European urban environment. Cop novels and TV shows today often use such democratic aggregations, and the questing groups and spaceship crews of fantasy and science fiction could hardly exist without them.
The principal protagonist of The Mysteries of Paris group is a lot like Bruce Wayne, and a little like Sue himself. He is Rudolphe, a German prince of great wealth, committed to avenging crime and rescuing the poor. He prefers to act incognito, disguised as a poor artist, a painter of ladies' fans. Accompanied by his bodyguard and boxing instructor, the loyal Englishman Sir Patrick Murph, he soon acquires the help of a simple giant, good of heart, who knows the underbelly of the city, Fleur-de-Marie, a young girl whose innocence is in danger, and a black Haitian doctor indebted to the prince who helps him heal the innocent, and—on occasion—torture the evil. (Yes, there's a little Stephen King type horror mixed in too.) Speaking of evil: we have an old madam who mutilates the girls who defy her and a homicidal robber with a horribly disfigured face. And that's just for starters.
As for Sue's socialism: our Prince owns a farm which he intends as a social experiment, but it is so idealistic in conception and paternalistic in operation that it is difficult to take the project seriously. Sue's heart may have been in the right place, but it seems he was more interested in the romance of socialism than in effecting change. (Karl Marx reviewed The Mysteries of Paris, and found much to criticize, little to admire.)
Note: I only read part one of six—the first four hundred pages, the first ten weekly episodes—for the same reason that I stopped watching Homeland a year ago. It's not that I didn't enjoy it. I did. But I have other things I'd rather do instead.
May 3, 2012
Our story so far….
Amongst the sinks and dens of the Paris backstreets a mysterious figure lurks. The criminals whisper in hushed tones. There is a dark avenger on the streets. Even the great amongst the fallen are subject to his heavy hand and rough justice. Those who see the errors of their ways, those who are victims dragged down to the gutter and yet still retain their hope, those who have not given up on their fellow man, these may see the fair face of mercy and be given a new chance at life, but those who remain immured in their sin, wallowing in their own filth and degrading those around them, these will feel the iron hand and swift justice of the avenger.
In public he is Rodolph, Grand Duke of Gerolstein in Paris for the purposes of amusement and the fulfillment of his diplomatic obligations. In reality he is a man haunted by his own past and convinced of his mission of atonement: to punish the wicked as the very hand of God and equally to reward the just who are oppressed. His enemies are legion, yet his allies are also numerous: the noble Sir William Murphy, mentor, right-hand man and courageous bodyguard, David the former slave from the Americas and now medical doctor and aide to the Grand Duke’s plans, Madame Georges the keeper of sanctuary and victim of a tragic past. Thrill as Rodolph faces le Chourineur and must either awaken his better nature or fell this giant with his fists! Cheer as Rodolph rescues the beautiful la Goualeuse, a prostitute with a heart of gold! Gasp as Rodolph metes out rough justice to the frightful and deformed master villain the Schoolmaster! Be confounded as we hear the debased story of the Schoolmaster’s twisted one-eyed lover la Chouette! But wait! Our hero’s adventures have only begun. How will he weather the storm when his haunted past meets his dangerous present? Shrink as we hear of the depravity of the duplicitous Doctor César Polidori! Gasp at the audacity of the venal Sarah Seyton of Halsbury and her brother Thomas! Wonder at the mysterious sorrow of the beautiful Marquise d'Harville! What lies in store for Rodolph’s uncertain future?
Yup, that’s really not much of an overstatement of this book so far. Eugene Sue, a former physician and sailor, took up the pen at the same time as Dumas, Stendhal, Balzac and Hugo. Unlike these eminent confrères he is largely forgotten today, though in his own day he was enormously popular and _The Mysteries of Paris_ has apparently even been given some credit in laying the groundwork for the 1848 revolution (this fact comes from wikipedia, so I cannot speak to its veracity). It’s a great potboiler of a tale, reminiscent in some ways of elements of Dumas (esp. some aspects of The Count of Monte Cristo) and I imagine it may have been an influence on later writers who created such figures as Batman, the Shadow, and Doc Savage…though there are obvious differences. The justice Rodolph dispenses is definitely a very harsh one when viewed with modern eyes, and while it is likely to come across as little more than revenge it appears that Sue actually considered it a valid way in which to encourage repentance and rehabilitation (no spoilers!)The novel even spawned its own genre: the “City Mystery”, a species of crime fiction which depicted the seedy underbellies of great cities and was continued by such writers as George W. M. Reynolds, Émile Zola, Paul Féval, and others.
It’s very pulpy and very fun and it’s interesting to see the roots of some of the elements of later genres at their birth. If you like 19th century serial fiction this is a good bet. There are a few unfortunate examples of info-dump chapters that come across (or did to me) as a bit heavy-handed in technique, and one bizarre example of Sue spoilering a mystery with an authorial aside that seemed completely unnecessary to me. I’m reading the series in a six volume set and while I am not planning to continue immediately I do look forward to following the further adventures of Rodolph in the streets of Paris.
Stay tuned! Same bat-time! Same bat-channel!
Amongst the sinks and dens of the Paris backstreets a mysterious figure lurks. The criminals whisper in hushed tones. There is a dark avenger on the streets. Even the great amongst the fallen are subject to his heavy hand and rough justice. Those who see the errors of their ways, those who are victims dragged down to the gutter and yet still retain their hope, those who have not given up on their fellow man, these may see the fair face of mercy and be given a new chance at life, but those who remain immured in their sin, wallowing in their own filth and degrading those around them, these will feel the iron hand and swift justice of the avenger.
In public he is Rodolph, Grand Duke of Gerolstein in Paris for the purposes of amusement and the fulfillment of his diplomatic obligations. In reality he is a man haunted by his own past and convinced of his mission of atonement: to punish the wicked as the very hand of God and equally to reward the just who are oppressed. His enemies are legion, yet his allies are also numerous: the noble Sir William Murphy, mentor, right-hand man and courageous bodyguard, David the former slave from the Americas and now medical doctor and aide to the Grand Duke’s plans, Madame Georges the keeper of sanctuary and victim of a tragic past. Thrill as Rodolph faces le Chourineur and must either awaken his better nature or fell this giant with his fists! Cheer as Rodolph rescues the beautiful la Goualeuse, a prostitute with a heart of gold! Gasp as Rodolph metes out rough justice to the frightful and deformed master villain the Schoolmaster! Be confounded as we hear the debased story of the Schoolmaster’s twisted one-eyed lover la Chouette! But wait! Our hero’s adventures have only begun. How will he weather the storm when his haunted past meets his dangerous present? Shrink as we hear of the depravity of the duplicitous Doctor César Polidori! Gasp at the audacity of the venal Sarah Seyton of Halsbury and her brother Thomas! Wonder at the mysterious sorrow of the beautiful Marquise d'Harville! What lies in store for Rodolph’s uncertain future?
Yup, that’s really not much of an overstatement of this book so far. Eugene Sue, a former physician and sailor, took up the pen at the same time as Dumas, Stendhal, Balzac and Hugo. Unlike these eminent confrères he is largely forgotten today, though in his own day he was enormously popular and _The Mysteries of Paris_ has apparently even been given some credit in laying the groundwork for the 1848 revolution (this fact comes from wikipedia, so I cannot speak to its veracity). It’s a great potboiler of a tale, reminiscent in some ways of elements of Dumas (esp. some aspects of The Count of Monte Cristo) and I imagine it may have been an influence on later writers who created such figures as Batman, the Shadow, and Doc Savage…though there are obvious differences. The justice Rodolph dispenses is definitely a very harsh one when viewed with modern eyes, and while it is likely to come across as little more than revenge it appears that Sue actually considered it a valid way in which to encourage repentance and rehabilitation (no spoilers!)The novel even spawned its own genre: the “City Mystery”, a species of crime fiction which depicted the seedy underbellies of great cities and was continued by such writers as George W. M. Reynolds, Émile Zola, Paul Féval, and others.
It’s very pulpy and very fun and it’s interesting to see the roots of some of the elements of later genres at their birth. If you like 19th century serial fiction this is a good bet. There are a few unfortunate examples of info-dump chapters that come across (or did to me) as a bit heavy-handed in technique, and one bizarre example of Sue spoilering a mystery with an authorial aside that seemed completely unnecessary to me. I’m reading the series in a six volume set and while I am not planning to continue immediately I do look forward to following the further adventures of Rodolph in the streets of Paris.
Stay tuned! Same bat-time! Same bat-channel!
April 5, 2013
Eugene Sue was a wildly popular serial writer in his day - I find serial writers (like Dickens)compelling because they wrote for the everyday person not just the elite of their time. This brought them popularity, yes, and influence too. This novel shed light on the plight of the poor of Paris in a manner not easily dismissed.
(I like to think of the readers waiting breathlessly for the next installment of the story.)
I was hoping for something in the Hugo, Balzac, or Dumas line - a gritty adventure, lots of drama, high highs and lowly hovels, good vs evil with a lot of chiarascuro-like contrasts - and I do think there was a little of all that in it, yes, maybe not with the same force or potency of the aforementioned authors - but really, not bad at all. I wouldn't call it picaresque exactly, but it borders on the genre, and that can only help it in my opinion. Of course, this is only the 1st Volume, and I've been left hanging as to what might happen next...!
A little suspense is good for the heart.
(I like to think of the readers waiting breathlessly for the next installment of the story.)
I was hoping for something in the Hugo, Balzac, or Dumas line - a gritty adventure, lots of drama, high highs and lowly hovels, good vs evil with a lot of chiarascuro-like contrasts - and I do think there was a little of all that in it, yes, maybe not with the same force or potency of the aforementioned authors - but really, not bad at all. I wouldn't call it picaresque exactly, but it borders on the genre, and that can only help it in my opinion. Of course, this is only the 1st Volume, and I've been left hanging as to what might happen next...!
A little suspense is good for the heart.
Shelved as '_in-sospeso_'
December 13, 2015Non era il suo momento... dopo cinque capitoli e la presentazione dei personaggi principali avevo già capito - a grosse linee, dopo tutto è un feuilleton anzi, la madre di tutti i feuilleton - chi era chi e cosa era destinato a fare... e non potevo farcela a reggere per tutti i volumi. Forse, quando sarà passato un po' di tempo, potrò affrontarlo meglio, ma per questa volta mi è bastato poco.
March 25, 2012
Écouté la version enregistrée par de multiples voix sur www.litteratureaudio.com. Très bon enregistrement, qui rend le tout très vivant. Je comprends pourquoi on a dit que les Parisiens attendaient la fin de ce feuilleton avant de mourir. Ça donne envie de lire la suite.
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February 27, 2022Can't wait to read the next volume surprised it's so good !
Keeps you wanting to read more , love , mystery, suspenseful , the author keeps you wanting to read on
Keeps you wanting to read more , love , mystery, suspenseful , the author keeps you wanting to read on
July 19, 2016
loved the mystery at the beginning. Felt labored by the end though. Probably just a difference in cultural expectations now vs the period it was written.
December 9, 2018
Как-то Евгений Евтушенко разделили человечество на две категории: тех, кто читал и тех, кто не читал "Братья Карамазовы" Достоевского. У меня было подобное желание разделения по поводу "супер-кирпича" Эжена Сю "Парижские тайны". Целых две недели я мурыжил эту долгоиграющую книгу! 75 часов!
Конечно, книга несколько устарела. Многие социальные и экономические проблемы, поднятые Сю, остались в прошлом, но кое-что осталось. Всё та же вечная борьба добра со злом. Хотя, как водится, добро и зло в действующих лицах романа в основном чётко вычерчены: если ты хороший - ты идеал доброты и чистоты, а если плохой - то хуже мизантропа нигде не найти.
В позапрошлом веке не было мыльных опер. Не было телевизора для просмотра бесконечных сериалов. Зато были газеты и журналы, в которых печатались романы-фельетоны. Фельетоны - это не те, сатирические короткие рассказы, к которым привык современный читатель. Роман-фельетон — это такая жанровая разновидность крупной литературной формы: художественное произведение, издаваемое в периодическом печатном издании в течение определённого периода времени в нескольких номерах.
Роман-фель��тон - замечательная коммерческая идея, чтобы в разы повысить тиражи издаваемых газет. Как правило, отрывок романа-фельетона заканчивался на самом интересном месте, чтобы читатель с нетерпением ждал продолжения в следующем номере. Не то ли же самое мы имеем в мыльных операх?
В "Парижских тайнах" даже перипетии сюжета похожи на мексиканский сериал. Она - нищая и беспризорная сирота, обитательница сомнительных заведений оказывается дочерью принца! Он - благородный французский Иисус, вошедший в "содом и гоморру" парижских улиц, и творящий там добро/благо длинный кошелёк позволяет/ оказывается тем самым принцем, помогающей падшей женщине, которая оказывается его дочерью. Ну, как при этом не брызнуть слезой!
Родольф - главное положительное действующее лицо романа, обладает всеми атрибутами супермена, или даже спайдер-мена. Он красив, благороден, богат/чем, правда, современные супермены не могут похвастать, но такова задумка всеобщих охмурителей, чтобы простой люд почувствовал себя ближе к своим идолам/, не имеет высшего дана по карате, но прекрасно боксирует и фехтует. С ним как у Христа за пазухой.
С одной стороны, автор показывает всю нищету и беспросветность жизни простого люда. С другой стороны, Сю полон ложными идеалами, что христианской добродетелью можно добиться процветания путём сближения бедных и богатых, когда последние добровольно раскошеливаются перед нищими, отчаянно глотая слёзы жалости и сострадания. Первое - необычайно привлекательно, например, для марксистов. Второе же их отталкивает. Не может быть сближения между бедными и богатыми, а может быть только классовая борьба!
Эжен Сю, наверное, забыл откуда взяли богатые и нищие, откуда взялись короли, пэры и маркизы. С давних времён, те, кто имел силу и оружие организовывал банды, которые терроризировали окружающие сёла и города. Затем обычный грабёж перешёл в более цивильное собирание дани и налогов/нечего убивать кур, которые несут золотые яйца/. Банды превращались в армии, которые вели бесконечные войны для расширения своего грабительского ариала. Так создавались государства и короли. Королям нужны были преданные люди, имеющие свои бандформирования. Таким короли дарили обширные земли, замки и города, и обитающих на них людей, позволяя тем уже самим грабить бедноту. Добытое и награбленное передавалось наследникам. И откуда здесь может быть сближение между бедными и богатыми? Наивная простота. Но она умиляет на страницах романа.
И всё же, действие романа захватывает. Хочется, чтобы добрые были счастливы, а плохие - низвержены. Что и происходит на страницах книги в угоду благодарному читателю. В жизни, конечно же, всё по-другому. Но на то и пишутся романы, чтобы увести в иную, виртуальную реальность, где мечты сбываются.
January 24, 2024
Livre très intéressant.
J’ai pris du temps à le lire au début parce que j’étais assez occupée mais finalement, l’histoire est vraiment prenante.
On est transporté dans un Paris du XIXsiecle, avec des personnages étonnants et très attachants. L’auteur reflète bien l’époque de l’histoire et sa manière d’écrite est tres appréciable.
Narrateur omniscient, il arrive à garder le mystère, noué les liens entre les personnages tout en nous dévoilant des intrigues au bon moment.
La fin du tome 1 s’est finie en coup de théâtre et je veux absolument lire la suite !!!
J’ai pris du temps à le lire au début parce que j’étais assez occupée mais finalement, l’histoire est vraiment prenante.
On est transporté dans un Paris du XIXsiecle, avec des personnages étonnants et très attachants. L’auteur reflète bien l’époque de l’histoire et sa manière d’écrite est tres appréciable.
Narrateur omniscient, il arrive à garder le mystère, noué les liens entre les personnages tout en nous dévoilant des intrigues au bon moment.
La fin du tome 1 s’est finie en coup de théâtre et je veux absolument lire la suite !!!
February 8, 2024
je me faisais un plaisir de lire ce roman que j'ai cherché en poche pendant plusieurs années. Quelle bonne surprise que 10/18 l'ai enfin réédité ! Las !L'écriture et surtout l'histoire sont assez datées. C'est très mélodramatique et le livre m'est tombé des mains.
Cependant et pour être juste, il se lit assez vite, Eugène Sue emmène son lecteur de coup de théâtre en péripétie et c'est un vrai "page turner" ; de plus je veux bien croire qu'à l'époque, écrire des dialogues en argot était très novateur.
Mais bon....
Cependant et pour être juste, il se lit assez vite, Eugène Sue emmène son lecteur de coup de théâtre en péripétie et c'est un vrai "page turner" ; de plus je veux bien croire qu'à l'époque, écrire des dialogues en argot était très novateur.
Mais bon....
December 20, 2022
C’est plein de faiblesses dans la narration, facile, dans les personnages, aujourd’hui stéréotypés, mais ça a un charme fou, complètement désuet. Bien en deçà de ses inspirateurs et de ses suiveurs (Dickens, Hugo, Dumas pour les plus évidents), mais avec un goût de reviens-y. A valider avec la suite
August 18, 2019
Franchement j'en veux limite à l'amie qui m'a recommandé ce livre comme étant passionnant... C'est poussif, bien pensant, lourd et le peu que j'ai lu de l'histoire est tiré par les cheveux. J'abandonne au milieu du premier tome (il y en a 5...)
October 30, 2023
Livre noir, assez prenant bien que les ressorts du récit soient un peu datés (le livre a plus de 150 ans) et les ficelles un peu grosses.
Prévoir une édition avec un lexique, tant l'argot de la pègre parisienne de la première moitiée du XIXeme siècle est utilisé.
Prévoir une édition avec un lexique, tant l'argot de la pègre parisienne de la première moitiée du XIXeme siècle est utilisé.
January 15, 2024
The old French was difficult, but the characters were fabulous. However 3/4 of the way through the book there was a conversation that lasted so long that I finally gave up and read the summary on Wikipedia.
April 14, 2024
Belle description de la difficile vie des pauvres gens à Paris au 19e le siècle. Un petit côté conte de fée avec ce Rodolphe-sauveur. Le livre se termine et son se demande ce qui va arriver ensuite aux personnages …
March 4, 2021
Hấp dẫn phết, hóa ra tập 1 từng có phiên bản rút gọn in ở VN hồi xưa.
December 17, 2022
2022/12/17 19:41
Ai thích đọc văn học cổ điển Pháp thì nên đọc ngay cuốn này. Mới tập 1 mà đã có tầng tầng lớp lớp bí mật hé lộ rồi.
Ai thích đọc văn học cổ điển Pháp thì nên đọc ngay cuốn này. Mới tập 1 mà đã có tầng tầng lớp lớp bí mật hé lộ rồi.
August 3, 2023
Repose sur de nombreuses coïncidences, un charme suranné indéniable.
March 22, 2024
Nette, teilweise spannende Geschichte. Gut geschrieben! Zum Schluss will man unbedingt den nächsten Band lesen.
June 26, 2019
I have a copy of the entire book, rather than separate volumes, so this is a review of Les Mystères de Paris in all its glory.
To call this book "sprawling" is an understatement. There are multiple interlocking plots and subplots, characters who come and go--some with multiple names (la Goualeuse has no fewer than five over the course of the book)--and a few loose ends that never quite get resolved. There are ridiculous coincidences throughout and more than a few hoary plot devices. And yet the story was so intriguing that I kept reading, with pleasure, all those more than 1300 pages in 19th-century French.
The book was a pleasure on many levels. First, as a ripping adventure story, with thrilling escapes, good versus evil, and clever plot twists (and as others have noted, Prince Rodolphe is a kind of ancestor to superheroes like Batman). Second, it provides insight into the life of les misérables of the era, and was an inspiration for Victor Hugo's masterpiece of the same name. Third, it is a moral tale of the highest order, with a particular emphasis on the power of redemption for even those who have fallen to the lowest of levels.
The short chapters (nearly 200) and many cliffhanger moments make it easy to read "just one more chapter" because you want to know what happens next. It's not an easy read, mostly because of its length, but definitely one that rewards the patient reader.
To call this book "sprawling" is an understatement. There are multiple interlocking plots and subplots, characters who come and go--some with multiple names (la Goualeuse has no fewer than five over the course of the book)--and a few loose ends that never quite get resolved. There are ridiculous coincidences throughout and more than a few hoary plot devices. And yet the story was so intriguing that I kept reading, with pleasure, all those more than 1300 pages in 19th-century French.
The book was a pleasure on many levels. First, as a ripping adventure story, with thrilling escapes, good versus evil, and clever plot twists (and as others have noted, Prince Rodolphe is a kind of ancestor to superheroes like Batman). Second, it provides insight into the life of les misérables of the era, and was an inspiration for Victor Hugo's masterpiece of the same name. Third, it is a moral tale of the highest order, with a particular emphasis on the power of redemption for even those who have fallen to the lowest of levels.
The short chapters (nearly 200) and many cliffhanger moments make it easy to read "just one more chapter" because you want to know what happens next. It's not an easy read, mostly because of its length, but definitely one that rewards the patient reader.
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