A review by jesseliv
Les Misérables: High School Edition by Victor Hugo

3.0

I first read the unabridged version more than 10 years ago and absolutely loved it, many scenes still vivid in my memory. Despite multiple attempts to reread, I could not get myself to trudge through what felt like unnecessary history lessons, and so this edition was gifted to me. While a faithful retelling of the story and certainly digestible at a high school level, I struggled to feel much connection to the characters or the world in which they lived due to the 1000+ pages that were cut out. I enjoyed revisiting the tale of Jean Valjean and his miseries and joys, but if anything this edition has lit a fire beneath me to make another real attempt at the unabridged version again. I'd absolutely recommend this to someone familiar with the full story as a way to revisit it, but the unabridged remains a must-read in my mind.