I’m reading Les Mis for the first time at the moment and am at the point where Marius has encountered Eponine / the Thenardiers as his neighbours at the Gorbeau tenement. What is striking to me is the adject squalor they live in… The description of Eponine versus the image of Samantha Barker in the musical is quite a striking disconnect. Also, it hasn’t been outright stated but it seems to me that Gavroche is actually one of the Thenardier’s children? As someone who only knows the story through the musical, this detail is kinda blowing my mind a little bit. I don’t think it’s ever hinted at or referenced there? Then again, Azelma doesn’t exist in the musical either…
I’m absolutely loving the novel. It’s so vast and sprawling and dense. The biggest slog so far was all the stuff about Waterloo, which while interesting at points goes into such specifics as to be somewhat impenetrable. But most of the other tangents are actually super interesting and insightful.
I’m reading Les Mis for the first time at the moment and am at the point where Marius has encountered Eponine / the Thenardiers as his neighbours at the Gorbeau tenement. What is striking to me is the adject squalor they live in… The description of Eponine versus the image of Samantha Barker in the musical is quite a striking disconnect. Also, it hasn’t been outright stated but it seems to me that Gavroche is actually one of the Thenardier’s children? As someone who only knows the story through the musical, this detail is kinda blowing my mind a little bit. I don’t think it’s ever hinted at or referenced there? Then again, Azelma doesn’t exist in the musical either…
I’m absolutely loving the novel. It’s so vast and sprawling and dense. The biggest slog so far was all the stuff about Waterloo, which while interesting at points goes into such specifics as to be somewhat impenetrable. But most of the other tangents are actually super interesting and insightful.