The book is dedicated to the island of Guernsey, where Victor Hugo spent 15 years in exile. Hugo uses the setting of a small island community to convert seemingly mundane events into drama of the highest caliber. Set just after the Napoleonic Wars, Toilers of the Sea deals with the impact of the Industrial Revolution upon the island. The story concerns a Guernseyman named Gilliatt, a social outcast who falls in love with Deruchette, the niece of a local shipowner, Mess Lethierry. When Lethierry's ship is wrecked on a perilous reef, Deruchette promises to marry whoever can salvage the ship's steam engine. Gilliatt eagerly volunteers, and the story follows his physical trials and tribulations, as well as the undeserved disapproval of his neighbors.
Chapters
1 Volume I - Dedication & Preface 2 min 2 Book First - What a Bad Reputation is Composed of - Chapter I - A Word Written on a Blank Page 5 min 3 Chaptef II - The Bû de la Rue 11 min 4 Chapter III - For your Wife when you Marry 8 min 5 Chapter IV - Unpopularity 21 min 6 Chapter V - Other Suspicious Things about Gilliatt 7 min 7 Chapter VI - The Paunch Boat 12 min 8 Chapter VII - For a Haunted House, a Visionary Inhabitant 7 min 9 Chapter VIII - The Chair of Gild-Holm-'Ur 6 min 10 Book Second - Mess Lethierry - Chapter I - A Restless Life and a Quiet Conscience 6 min 11 Chapter II - A Taste which he had 5 min 12 Chapter III - The Ancient Dialect of the Sea 6 min 13 Chapter IV - One is Vulnerable through what one Loves 4 min 14 Book Third - Durande and Déruchette - Chapter I - Chatter and Smoke 8 min 15 Chapter II - The Eternal History of Utopia 5 min 16 Chapter III - Rantaine 10 min 17 Chapter IV - Continuation of the History of Utopia 6 min 18 Chapter V - The Devil-Boat 12 min 19 Chapter VI - Entrance of Lethierry into Glory 5 min 20 Chapter VII - The same Godfather and the same Protectress 6 min 21 Chapter VIII - "Bonny Dundee" 8 min 22 Chapter IX - The Man who had seen through Rantaine 3 min 23 Chapter X - Tales of Long Voyages 7 min 24 Chapter XI - A Glance at Possible Husbands 3 min 25 Chapter XII - An Exception in the Character of Lethierry 12 min 26 Chapter XIII - Heedlessness adds New Grace to Beauty 4 min 27 Book Fourth - The Bagpipe - Chaprer I - The First Gleams of Dawn, or a Conflagration 6 min 28 Chapter II - An Entrance, Step by Step, into the Unknown 6 min 29 Chapter III - The Air "Bonny Dundee" finds an Echo on the Hill 3 min 30 Chapter IV - A Nocturnal Serenade 5 min 31 Chapter V - Well-Merited Success is always Hated 3 min 32 Chapter VI - The Luck of a Shipwrecked Crew in meeting a Sloop 6 min 33 Book Fifth - The Revolver - Chapter I - The Conversation at the Jean Tavern 18 min 34 Chapter II - Clubin perceives some one 6 min 35 Chapter III - Clubin Carries Away and does not Bring Back 7 min 36 Chapter IV - Plainmont 18 min 37 Chapter V - The Bird-Nesters 22 min 38 Chapter VI - The Jacressarde 17 min 39 Chapter VII - Nocturnal Purchasers and a Shady Vendor 7 min 40 Chapter VIII - The Red Ball and the Black Ball Carom 23 min 41 Chapter IX - Information Useful to Persons who await or who fear Letters from Across the Sea 10 min 42 Book Sixth - The Drunken Helmsman and the Sober Captain - Chapter I - The Douvres Rocks 8 min 43 Chapter II - Unexpected Brandy 9 min 44 Chapter III - Interrupted Conversations 17 min 45 Chapter IV - In which Captain Clubin displays all his Qualities 13 min 46 Chapter V - Clubin puts the Finishing Touch to Admiration 10 min 47 Chapter VI - The Interior of an Abyss Illuminated 21 min 48 Chapter VII - The Unexpected intervenes 10 min 49 Book Seventh - The Imprudence of asking Questions of a. Book - Chapter I - The Pearl at the Bottom of the Precipice 19 min 50 Chapter II - Much Astonishment on the Western Coast 11 min 51 Chapter III - Tempt not the Bible 21 min 52 Volume II - Part Two - Gilliatt The Crafty - Book First - The Reef - Chapter I - The Place which it is Hard to Reach and Difficult to Leave 13 min 53 Chapter II - The Thoroughness of the Disaster 7 min 54 Chapter III - Sound but not Safe 4 min 55 Chapter IV - A Preliminary Exmination 7 min 56 Chapter V - A Word as to the Secret Cooperation of the Elements 10 min 57 Chapter VI - A Stable for the Horse 6 min 58 Chapter VII - A Chamber for the Traveller 18 min 59 Chapter VIII - Importunaeque Volucres 6 min 60 Chapter IX - The Reef, and the Manner of Using it 8 min 61 Chapter X - The Forge 11 min 62 Chapter XI - A Discovery 10 min 63 Chapter XII - The Interior of a Submarine Edifice 6 min 64 Chapter XIII - What one sees there, and what one gets a Glimpse of 15 min 65 Book Second - Labor - Chapter I - The Resources of one who lacks Everything 7 min 66 Chapter II - How Shakespeare and Aeschylus can meet 5 min 67 Chapter III - Gilliatt's Masterpiece comes to the succor of Lethierry's Masterpiece 9 min 68 Chapter IV - Sub Re 16 min 69 Chapter V - Sub Umbra 17 min 70 Chapter VI - Gilliatt brings the Paunch into Position 7 min 71 Chapter VII - A Danger at Once 8 min 72 Chapter VIII - Change rather than Conclusion 9 min 73 Chapter IX - Success snatched away as soon as granted 4 min 74 Chapter X - The Warnings of the Sea 8 min 75 Chapter XI - A Word to the Wise is Sufficient 7 min 76 Book Third - The Battle - Chapter I - Extremes Meet 4 min 77 Chapter II - Sea Breezes 9 min 78 Chapter III - Explanation of the Noise to which Gilliatt Listened 9 min 79 Chapter IV - Turba, Turma 6 min 80 Chapter V - Gilliatt has his Choice 3 min 81 Chapter VI - The Combat 51 min 82 Book Four - The Pitfalls of the Obstacle - Chapter I - A Man who is Hungry is not the only Hungry one 12 min 83 Chapter II - The Monster 21 min 84 Chapter III - Another Form of Combat in the Gulf 7 min 85 Chapter IV - Nothing is Hidden and Nothing is Lost 10 min 86 Chapter V - In the Interval which Separates Six Inches from Two Feet there is Room to Lodge Death 9 min 87 Chapter VI - De Profundis ad Altum 17 min 88 Chapter VII - There is an Ear in the Unknown 5 min 89 Part Third - Déruchette - Book First - Night and Morn - Chapter I - The Bell of the Port 38 min 90 Chapter II - Again the Port Bell 21 min 91 Book Second - Gratitude in Full Despotism - Chapter I - Joy Surrounded by Anguish 25 min 92 Chapter II - The Leather Trunk 5 min 93 Book Third - Departure of the "Cashmere" - Chapter I - The Havelet quite close to the Church 8 min 94 Chapter II - Despairs in Presence of Each Other 18 min 95 Chapter III - The Foresight of Abnegation 12 min 96 Chapter IV - "For your Wife when you Marry" 9 min 97 Chapter V - The Great Tomb 22 min
