No other novel has conquered my heart than Les Miserables of Victor Hugo. This novel written in 1862 is simply the best among the myriads of novels I have read. It speaks of the beauty of love, the unspoken universal language.
The first time I read this novel was when I was in high school. Summer breaks are boring and I always find reading good books or good novels at that relaxing and entertaining. The owner of the book is my cousin who is now based in Canada as a nurse. She left it when she went back to Manila during her vacacion grande to see our grandmother. At first I was hesitant to read the book because I have never read a Victor Hugo before. But then again, there is something about the book that enticed me. Aside from the fact that some national heroes of the land were inspired by this novel, Les Miserables is also a great musical in theaters. It took me two days to read the novel and when I finished reading, there was a part of me that became gentle and kind. 
Perhaps one great lesson I learned from this novel is compassion. My favorite part of the novel is the exchange of words between Jean Valjean and Bishop Myriel when the former is captured by the police and the latter told that he had given Jean Valjean the incriminatory things as gifts. In fact, one of my favorite quotes from the book is the kind advice of the bishop to Jean when he said that “Jean Valjean my brother you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I have bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred, and now I give you back to God.” Such words of compassion had changed the destiny of a man who wanted to redeem himself in the face of mockery and rejection of society. In real life, we might not be aware that our words have great impact on the person whom we are addressing our words to.
The sad yet victorious stories of Fantine and Cosette, the revolutionary ideas of Marius and the redeemed Jean Valjean are a cornucopia of love, hatred, deceit and compassion. No other novel I read encompasses these human values in a single book than the Les Miserables. It simply stands out on the bookshelf.
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