Like chess the written word has infinite possibilities, there are countless ways to describe any one moment. Of these possible options each and every instance falls onto a continuum of efficacy. It is this continuum that divides great authors from the pedestrian. It is no secret that Hugo danced on the very precipice of this scale mostly through his specialty; character development. He masterly accomplishes in a few lines what some attempt to achieve in complete works. Of the countless characteristics or observations that can be conveyed, he had the ability to focus on the meaningful points that brought you ever closer to his characters. By the end of this lengthy tome I feel as though I would recognize Jean or Cossette should I run into them on the street.

In fact, after reading on the metro one workday morning, I found that, without even being fully aware, I was crying while walking down the sidewalk towards my building. By my evaluation, that there is some mighty fine storytelling.