A new translation by David Bellos of the last great novel by France’s greatest novelist

In the turmoil of the French Revolution, the year 1793 represented the peak of bloody revolutionary violence. Victor Hugo plunges into this tumultuous period with a story of courage and betrayal across the political classes. As the revolution rages, three characters – a nobleman turned revolutionary, a devoted mother, and a zealous commander – find their fates intertwined in a struggle that tests their convictions and loyalties. Hugo's last great novel was also his most political and prophetic – and is the equal of Les Misérables in drama, emotion, adventure and sacrifice.