Phil’s Reviews > Les Misérables > Status Update

There are few classic novels that could be improved by removing roughly 80% of the text, but I feel this might the main contender.

I can't help thinking that - unlike Moby Dick, for example, where deep dives into detail reflect Ahab's obsession with the whale - the endless digression in this book is because Hugo is paid by the word. It's one of few classics that could definitely be enjoyed in an abridged version. Count of Monte Cristo it ain't, which fairly rattles along.

Javert = bad