Miki

I've only read the first 10 chapters of _Les Miz_ so far and have only the vaguest idea of the plot, but the whole novel so far seems...*uplifting*. The bishop, although altruistic, is a good man; the two main female characters, despite the mild sexism in their portrayal, can be respected for their choices; and the trio are battling injustice and poverty tooth and nail and seem to be winning. Even that voluble atheist delivers a lovely speech to which the bishop can only respond with irony, and even the cutthroat bandits redeem themselves. And, although death is the universal low point of serious writing, the way the death of the conventionist is depicted almost makes a reader feel that it's a wonderful thing to die. So that might be one thing Rand admired about the book. I detest all the topical StarTV references to French Revolution personalities, which make me think of the _Iliad's_ Catalogue of Ships, but that doesn't really have anything to do with Objectivism. Miki Kocic