Title: Les Misérables (Manga Classics)
Author: Crystal S. Chan
Series: Manga Classics
Major Themes: Classics, Manga, French Revolution
Synopsis: The classic Les Misérables story, faithfully retold in manga format.
I don’t remember when I was first introduced to the Les Misérables story—either it was an old-school radio drama shared by a homeschooling-supporting company, or it was a passing mention on one of the many blogs I read when I was 12 or 13. Either way, I was intrigued and decided I wanted to get to know the story better whenever I had the chance. My chance came several years ago when I was able to gain access to the Les Misérables 2019 TV show, and I came away from watching that with a great appreciation for the depth and breadth of the story, and with even more of a desire to read it myself. While I haven’t (yet) gotten my hands on a copy of the original story, I was excited to see that Manga Classics had put out a version of the story! I’ve loved comics for years, so this seemed like a natural “next step” before I got to the original work itself.
Publisher’s description:
Victor Hugo’s classic novel of love and tragedy during the French Revolution is reborn in this fantastic new manga adaptation by Crystal S. Chan! In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker’s daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.
Les Misérables has been adapted for stage and screen, and loved around the world by millions of readers. The gorgeous art of SunNeko Lee brings to life the tragic stories of Jean Valjean, Inspector Javert, and the beautiful Fantine, in this epic Manga Classics production of Les Misérables!
My thoughts:
Having never read a book in the manga style before, I found that aspect rather interesting, and surprisingly, not too difficult. Instead of reading from the front cover, right-to-left, with manga, you read from the (normal) back cover and left-to-right! It took a bit of getting used to, but nothing too major.
The Les Misérables story itself was told in more detail than I anticipated—something I really liked. From the little exposure I’ve had to the story in other places, this seemed to stick closely to what I’ve seen before—I appreciated that!
I didn’t like the artistic style that much; in my opinion, it emphasized some parts of the body more than necessary, especially for certain characters. For that reason, I’m not keeping this story on the shelf.
Besides that fact, I loved this book. I found myself marveling, over and over, how many subplots this story contained, all the different characters, and how the characters’ histories were interwoven. This is a masterful tale, and this book does an excellent job maintaining the breadth and depth of the story while still delivering it in a concise, easy-to-follow manner.
If, like me, you’ve been intrigued by the Les Misérables story, but haven’t yet mustered up the courage to tackle the original (I understand—I’m with you!), this would be an excellent stepping stone. A tale of love, loss, hope, heartache, and an intriguing character study set against a backdrop of volatile French history, this is one of those stories that will stick with you for a long time. I enjoyed it, and hope I’ll have a chance to read other books in the Manga Classics series eventually!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.
WARNING: Throughout the book, but especially in the first few chapters, there are mentions of a woman who had an illegitimate child. As mentioned above, several of the women have very pronounced breasts in this artistic style (there are also multiple instances of women wearing off-the-shoulder dresses). There is a small illustration of a naked person (crouched over; you just see their back/legs) on pg. 31. Swear is used on pg. 20, 86, 91, and 231 (twice); “my Lord” is used on pg. 47, “good God” is used on pg. 112, someone is called “you devil” on pg. 157, someone is called “that great hog” on pg. 198, and darn is used on pg. 212. There is some lying throughout the book, as people try to steal from others or get revenge. (The “good” people lie too, occasionally, as they try to escape from people hunting for them.)
A man steals some things on pg. 28. A woman thinks “I must sell the only thing I have left [for my child]”, and on pg. 71–72, she sells herself to a man (you can tell she doesn’t have clothing on under the blanket, but it isn’t explicit); this is mentioned again on pg. 88–89. A girl is beaten on pg. 78 and 140. A man teases a woman and she fights him on pg. 84–85. A woman spits in a man’s face on pg. 87. On pg. 92, a man tells the woman who sold herself: “If all is as you say, [doing it to provide for your child,] you have never ceased to be virtuous and holy in the sight of God.” A woman dies on pg. 122. A man dies on pg. 195. A girl is scantily dressed (you see most of her legs and her dress is off her shoulders) from pg. 202 and beyond. Thugs beat up a man on pg. 220. On pg. 240, someone says, “I believe that God wants us to be together, and all the universe too!” People start a revolution from pg. 244, and there is a lot of shooting and people being injured. A man is caught and bound, his life threatened, on pg. 252. People are shot on pg. 257, someone is killed on pg. 259, a girl is shot and dies on pg. 264–269, a boy is killed on pg. 282, more men are killed on pg. 288–289, people are drinking on pg. 291, and there is an illustration of someone lying in a pool of blood on pg. 292. A man commits suicide on pg. 304. On pg. 306, someone says, “I believe my friends in heaven know [they died fighting for freedom].” There is an illustration of a dead character coming back as an angel on pg. 327 (not particularly decent—her clothing clings to her body), and a man dies on pg. 328. Unmarried people touch and kiss on pg. 236, and touch again on pg. 307.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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