Friday, May 27, 2011

Melancholy

I finished "Les Miserables" last night. It was a good read, not as good as "Tale of Two Cities" or "To Kill a Mockingbird", but certainly the best book I've read so far this year.

But I'm not sure what to make of the ending. Jean Valjean dies, of course, and it seems he dies rather unfairly, having been wronged one more time. And yet, he dies happy, and secure in having redeemed himself. As the bishop at the start claims, he has indeed "bought his soul for God."

So, is a happy ending, or a sad ending?

"It's an ending, and that's enough." - Marge Simpson.

#13: "Pathfinder: Trial of the Beast", by Richard Pett
#14: "Les Miserables, Volume Two", by Victor Hugo (a book from The List)

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