Manga Classics: Les Miserables

by Stacy King (Editor), Tszmei Lee (Illustrations), Victor Hugo

336 pages

Adapted for stage and screen, loved by millions, Victor Hugo's classic novel of love and tragedy during the French Revolution is reborn in this manga edition!

My rating

Review
I have actually always wanted to read more classics, "Les Miserables" being one of the books included in this huge list of novels I am ashamed to not have read. So when the manga adaptation popped up in my NetGalley newsletter as being available to read now, I didn't second guess my choice to click the button. So here I am, a few days after having finished it, and let me just say: wow!

First of all, turning an almost 1500 pages novel into a 336 pages of manga obviously needs a lot of work and cutting many scenes, so I was impressed how good it was, without feeling rushed or not making sense in places. Wonderfully thought out!

And the graphics! Oh, "splendid" doesn't even begin to describe it. Just the way I like my mangas. Really, really great!

I'm not sure how faithful it all is to the original book, but I am pretty sure it was the best that could have been done given the length it has. The story was amazing and it makes me want to forget about my huge TBR pile and just run to the store and buy a huge copy of "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo and read it. That's how good it was!

This manga tells a dramatic story during the French Revolution, about Jean Valjean, a former convict who redeems himself, falls in love with a prostitute and ends up adopting her child after she dies. Jean Valjean has to always hide his identity because he is to be arrested if found, but he is a changed man, giving money to the poor and helping anyone in need. The second half of the book focuses on the child, Cosette, who has grown up and fell in love with Marius.

I really enjoyed this a lot, and I would recommend it to anyone who is not sure if they would enjoy the original book.