Ah, Les Miserables. I'm a self-proclaimed expert on the subject. (; So, be prepared for some rambling. This is probably my biggest "Enthusiastic Interest." So I suppose I should start off my posting with this subject, yes? Yes. (: I have an indescribable love for the musical, and I enjoy the book very much as well. Starting with the book, I've only ever read the unabridged version, and I prefer the translation by Norman Denny. As of right now, I'm on my third time of reading it. It's by far the longest book I have ever read, but also one of the best. The characters and messages that this book has inside are all so beautiful and thought-provoking. I love it all. 
As for the musical, I can never get enough of it. The music, the story, the characters, I'm in love with it all. Through out my entire life, I pray that I'll be able to see the musical as many times as possible. I actually saw my first performance of Les Mis live and in person this past Sunday, on June 5th. (Yes, I was so deeply in love with the musical even before I saw an actual performance of it. Thank God for YouTube and iTunes). It was an amazing experience that I'll never forget. The characters, in both the book and the musical, are so memorable and touching. My two favorite characters are the antagonist and the protagonist: Javert, followed by Valjean. Valjean is an easy character to love; his story of redemtion and the lengths he will go to to be good in the eyes of God, and also to protect his beloved daughter Cosette can touch anybody's soul. As for Javert, many people will look at me funny when I say that he's one of my favorite characters. 'Why would you love the villain of a story?' First of all, Javert is not necessarily the villain. He's not necessarily a bad man. He's simply misguided. (:
Why do I love Javert? Well, for one thing, I'm usually a sucker for the "misunderstood" characters. Here's my take on him: Javert is the way he is because of his belief system; being born in a jail, the son of a gypsy fortune teller and her convict husband, he grew up unwelcome in society. He came to find that he had only two options in life: to attack society, or to defend it. He chose to defend it, and the law became his religion. Anybody who choses to break the law needs to be punished justly. And that's why he treats people the way that he does. It's true, he's not right in the way thinks, but in his mind, he is.
On a side note, I have one more favorite character, but this one is only in the musical, not in the book: Enjolras. Oh, Enjolras. (: I don't like him much in the book, but I simply adore him in the musical. (: So full of passion, usually quite attractive, most of the time an fantastic singer, and all-together amazing. Not my absolute favorite, mind you, but definitely up there. (; I honestly think that the biggest reason as to why I fell in love with the musical's version of Enjolras would be this man:
Ramin Karimloo. (: With a smile that could melt your heart and a voice that could melt your soul, I absolutely love this man and his take of Enjolras in the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert. He. Is. Fantastic. (:
Anyway. I should probably stop this rambling now. Though, to be honest, I could go on and on. I'll save it all for later. ;D
Til next time! (:
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