The Book Party Page
with Host Bill Moore

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

When: Saturday March 14th, 2009. 9:00-2:00+

Where: 9AM at 1130 Fishinger Road (Church of Christ) in Upper Arlington, Ohio [New location]
Here we will have breakfast, the book discussion, a little live theatre and the movie.

Where: 1:30PM meet for lunch La Chatelaine on Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington, Ohio [New location]

Cost: I will have a continental breakfast at the building where we will meet. If you'd like to help out w/ a couple bucks on that, it would be appreciated [coffee, juice, milk, croissants, and sweet pastries]

I hope all who come for the discussion and movie will join together for lunch at the La Chatelaine (Bistro and French Bakery). on LANE AVE.

What to expect: fun friends gathered together for talk, food, and a good movie.

More Information: Email Bill at wmoore@biblicalstudies.org  requesting to be updated as more details are available.


Past Book Parties:
    2008 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolsoy
    2007 Moby Dick by Herman Melville
    2006 The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
    2005 Favorite Father Brown Short Stories by G. K. Chesterton
    2004 A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
    2003 Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
    2002 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    2000 The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis
    1996 The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
3/12/09 Well, I finished it; finding it largely satisfying. I will say that the title does the novel a great disservice, untranslated as it is from French into English. Perhaps a more effective English title would be UNDERDOGS and the subtitle Touched by God. Perhaps you all will suggest some on Saturday.

3/4/09 With only ten days to go, I've made serious LAST MINUTE CHANGES:  1. A new location for the discussion and movie, and 2. a different location for lunch afterwards.

Please accept my apologies, since this was a lack of planning on my part. I could have told you earlier that the Worthington La Chatelaine changed their mind on letting me hold the entire event in the back room (as we did in 2004).

1/25/09 I've made some notes about my initial impression of the novel, which might give you reason to read the book.

Initial Impression

Wow! What an author. If it did not have such a miserable title, this would be a best seller. It's such a fast read and it ties in the history and culture of France in the early 1800s. Victor Hugo is writing the story about 46 years after the events of the Novel. France is still trying to adjust from multiple revolutions, bringing back the Monarchy, and getting rid of Napoleon. But Napoleon returns, to interrupt the main thread of the story surrounding Jean Valjean. It's an exciting and wild interruption.

But I can't wait to see what happens to Jean next. Jean is someone who is truly trying to overcome all obstacles to follow in Jesus' steps.

Well, I'm only about 15% through the book and I've cried a couple times, been horrified a couple times, and have learned a lot of very exciting French history. What's not to like? It has a very enobling theme, thus far. I expect it to continue.

I'm reading the Penguine Classics version translated by Norman Denny. There are so many excellent complete and abridged translations. There's no shame when busy people read abridged versions. As always, no one is required to read the book in order to come to the party. I hope to see you.

-- Bill