This novel belongs to Hugo’s best-known works. The development of events—dramatic and dynamic—unexpected turns in the heroes’ fates, sometimes promising happiness, sometimes plunging into despair, draw you into a world of extraordinary adventures. And the author’s digressions, containing reflections of a historical, philosophical, and broadly cultural nature, help you better understand the life of people of that time. Romantic descriptions of nature and the lyrical experiences of the heroes sit alongside sharp satirical attacks on the aristocracy, exposure of the monarchical system, and condemnation of society’s injustice. This novel is something like a “poem in prose,” and it’s no wonder it’s counted among the masterpieces of the great writer Victor Hugo.