Author:Victor Hugo,Joss Ackland,Roger Allam,Full Cast
Joss Ackland, Roger Allam and Leslie Phillips star in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel.
When poverty drives Jean Valjean to steal a loaf of bread from a baker’s window, it is an action that will haunt him for the rest of his life. A citizen of post-revolutionary France, he is sentenced to nineteen years’ hard labour. On his release, his fortunes change and he becomes a respectable businessman and member of society - and yet his past continues to dog him in the form of the sadistic Inspector Javert, who seems determined to pursue Valjean to the grave.
A student uprising is gaining momentum in Paris, and barricades are being built around the city. Valjean’s adopted daughter, Cosette, has fallen in love with the young revolutionary Marius, and the lives of all three are in peril unless they can flee to safety.
Some of the most significant moments in 19th Century history form the backdrop for Victor Hugo’s powerful story, in which love and heroism march in the face of poverty and social injustice.
In The Days of Surprise the reader is continually, refreshingly, entertainingly, disturbingly surprised and, more importantly, nourished
—— Niall MacMonagle , Irish IndependentA new Durcan poetry book is always a joy. This one is no exception
—— Mayo NewsScrupulously paced poems of the life, times and beliefs of this emotionally intense yet intellectually rewarding writer are inscribed touchstones
—— Hayden Murphy , HeraldTo have heard him read adds another pleasure to the reading of his work – but the voice speaks clearly on the page in poems of harrowing intimacy, politics and love
—— Carol Ann DuffyExcellent... A characteristically daring walk along the tightrope of fiction
—— Sunday TelegraphThis is an important book... Wonderful
—— The TimesI'd say it's his best novel yet
—— Daily TelegraphThere are some breathtakingly eloquent passages
—— SpectatorPassionate, well-informed
—— London Review of BooksThe story is exciting and memorably analyses the way in which fanaticism can wreck the most inoffensive lives
—— Mail on Sunday[Vann is] such a fine craftsman.
—— ObserverStrange and sad and desperately readable
—— We Love This BookA kind of modern fairy tale, one laced with treachery and trials and the greatest demon of all to battle, the past ... Vann’s novels are striking, uncompromising portraits of American life; here is another exceptional example.
—— Booklist starred reviewBy pulling no punches in this explicit exploration of family, forgiveness, duty, acceptance, parent-child relationships, and what constitutes abuse, Vann has outdone himself.
—— Kirkus starred reviewA 12-year-old’s fragile world, mesmerizing innocence, and emerging adolescence are the heart of this alluring novel … Her fresh voice rings true … Since electrifying the literary world five years ago with his debut novel, Legend of a Suicide, Vann has racked up an astonishing number of international awards. This lovely, wrenching novel should add to that list.
—— Library Journal, starred reviewGenuinely thought-provoking.
—— CultureFlyVann’s deceptively simple style conceals the story’s raw emotional power.
—— Mail on Sunday
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