Why Isn’t Hugo’s Book Quoted In The Greatest Musical That Is Based On It?

“To love another is to see the face of God.”

This is a powerful and famous line from the stage production of Les Miserables. However, it is not in Victor Hugo’s book of the same name, the novel that the play is based on.

In fact, there are no lines from the 1,463-page book that are included in the amazing three-hour musical. Over 530,000 words make up the French tome. None of them appear in the play.

The book, published in 1862 while Hugo was in exile from France, is something I have wanted to read. I have seen the show 14 times, including most recently at Radio City Music Hall this past month. Every time I go, I cry and marvel with delight at how these well-worded songs are powerfully sung, piercing my heart and soul. But the book is way too long and the fact that its words are not used in the play boggles my mind and makes me wonder why.

If a book inspires a musical to be made, why wouldn’t some passages or even one sentence be quoted verbatim on stage? That would be like doing a play about President Ronald Reagan and not ever quoting things that he actually said. Is it common that a novel being turned into a movie never actually has its original words used? I think not.

The show examines poverty, religion, politics, law, and love. It shows the very best and worst of humanity. Sacrificing and suffering tend to make up a lot of the play’s key moments. There is not one song or scene that bores me. It all just comes together to result in the greatest musical of my lifetime.

The play has run for more than four decades straight in London. May the lights never go out on this masterpiece!

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Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 8,200,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum