Author:Victor Hugo,Christine Donougher,Andrew Davies
Where there is love, there is hope.
Accompanying a 6-part series on BBC One from the makers of War and Peace, and starring Dominic West, Lily Collins, David Oyelowo and Olivia Coleman, this edition of Les Misérablesalso has a foreword from screenwriter Andrew Davies (War and Peace, Pride and Prejudice).
Les Misérables is Victor Hugo's classic tale of injustice, heroism and love following the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. Those attempts are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. A compelling and compassionate view of the victims of early nineteenth-century French society, this is a novel on an epic scale, moving from the Battle of Waterloo to the the June rebellion of 1832. With striking intensity and relevance to us today, it is testimony to the struggles of France's underclass.
James Anthony has done something I would have confidently stated to be impossible. He has ‘translated’ Shakespeare’s sonnets and he has done so with an insolent, loveable charm … A dazzling success
—— Stephen FryThis most French of all French writers . . . One thinks of her as the female voice of Paris . . . It's as if all the house fronts of Paris were cut away and we could see men and women talking, dressing, brooding, loving
—— New York TimesEverything that Colette touched became human
—— The TimesA perfectionist in her every word
—— SpectatorHer sensual prose style made her one of the great writers of twentieth-century France -
—— New York Times Book ReviewHer prose is rich, flawless, intricate, audacious and utterly beautiful
—— Raymond Mortimer , VogueVivid, engaging, densely plotted - are almost certainly destined to be counted among the classics of popular fiction
—— New York TimesMs Wroe's is a rare and beautiful telling. She takes the miracles of St Francis and sings them in four keys.
—— Laura Freeman , EconomistThe ever-inventive biographer [Ann Wroe] retells the life of Francis of Assisi in deft, lyrical rhyming verse.
—— Daily Telegraph, Books of the YearThe poems themselves are beautiful and clever… Wroe is at her exquisite best when directly tackling the most sacred of Christian images.
—— Kate Maltby , Financial Times[Wroe] captures here the essential spirit of the saint – himself a poet after all, whose work has never died – making this a delight to read. A book not to be missed.
—— Peter Costello , Irish CatholicThis is a book full of complex engagements with the word and the flesh, and the counterpointed rhythms of the sacred and the secular. Wroe’s book is a praise song, vindicating the worlds beyond our rationalist compass.
—— David Wheatley , GuardianThe spiritual is vivid through quality and vitality in this poetry. Wroe’s writing method is incarnational, translating the apparently mundane into rich parables.
—— Martyn Halsall , Church TimesAn elegant hardback with ambitions beyond the poetry shelves… Ann Wroe’s unusual and impressive book is less a Life of Francis than a series of…epiphanies and personal revelations inspired by his imagined company.
—— John Greening , Times Literary SupplementThis joyous and thoughtful tribute leaves you wanting more.
—— Sophie Ratcliffe , TLSBy Jove! It's a ripping old yarn... Dashed agreeably close to the master.
—— Daily MailA hugely enjoyable caper
—— The WeekThere are laughs and admirable ingenuity in Schott’s confection
—— Irish TimesA book that is so close in spirit and style to the PG Wodehouse originals it’s like the real thing
—— The SportTop-notch fun.
—— S magazineSucceeds triumphantly, both as light entertainment and as a tribute to the master
—— Country & Town HouseIn his first foray into PG Wodehouse homage/imitation/pastiche (whichever it may be) Schott appeared to hit the Wodehouse target dead on.
—— RTEJonathan Coe's Middle England is brilliantly insightful on the times we are living in
—— Mishal Husain, Books of the Year , Big IssueLet me add to the chorus of praise for Jonathan Coe's new book Middle England. Easily my favourite of his since What a Carve Up! Which did for Thatcherism what Middle England does for Brexit
—— John CraceAn astute, enlightened and enlightening journey into the heart of our current national identity crisis. Both moving and funny. As we'd expect from Coe
—— Ben EltonFrom post-industrial Birmingham to the London riots and the current political gridlock, it takes in family, literature and love in a comedy for our times
—— GuardianCoe can make you smile, sigh, laugh; he has abundant sympathy for his characters
—— ScotsmanThis book is sublimely good. State of the (Brexit) nation novel to end them all, but also funny, tender, generous, so human and intelligent about age and love as well as politics
—— India KnightProbably the best English novelist of his generation
—— Nick HornbyNo modern novelist is better at charting the precariousness of middle-class life
—— ObserverAn angry and exuberant book
—— Sunday Times on 'Number 11'Jonathan Coe has established himself as one of the most entertaining chroniclers of our times
—— TatlerYou can't stop reading....I was haunted for days
—— Independent on 'Number 11'