Friday, September 30, 2016

Book Review: 52 Little Lessons from Les Miserables

52 Little Lessons from Les Miserables. Bob Welch. 2014. Thomas Nelson. 224 pages. [Source: Bought]

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is one of my favorite books. It is one of my favorite books to reread. I had intended to wait until I reread this one before reading Bob Welch's 52 Little Lessons from Les Miserables. But I couldn't wait. I gave into temptation. (For me, I don't think it mattered. I found myself knowing--remembering--all the characters and plot twists.)

52 Little Lessons from Les Miserables would be a good devotional choice for fans of the novel or even fans of the musical. The entries are a good length--not too long, not too short.

Each chapter shares one lesson. Lessons include:
  • Religion isn't the answer
  • Political opinions are unworthy idols
  • Love means letting go
  • We need to see people as God sees people
  • Goodness requires no audience
I would definitely recommend this one. I liked it.

Favorite quotes:
Being poor in spirit is the deepest form of repentance because it acknowledges our desperate need for God.
Nothing lifts Jesus’ message of hope more than those who live it out in the lives of others; nothing disparages it more than those who don’t.
To believe in one-size-fits-all thinking is to set yourself up to be a victim of the same assumption, should others do likewise about a group of which you’re part.
TO READ HUGO’S DESCRIPTION OF JEAN VALJEAN CARRYING Marius through the Paris sewer system is to be reminded of love at its grittiest, grimiest, gut level. Can you think of anything more repulsive than carrying what amounts to a corpse through streams of human waste, sometimes up to your chin, while rats scamper about?

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Les Mis is one of my favorite novels, too. Sounds interesting!

Becky said...

This sounds really good! I've never read the book (except for an abridged version I used in an ESL class), but I adore the musical. Will have to check this out!