Kathleen Williamson
I wanted to read Victor Hugo's book: Les Miserables. I couldn't find an ebook from my local library, so I checked out this site and was happy to find it. However; I was NOT happy to find out that Google edited the book by removing parts that Google deemed unnecessary or irrelevant for today. Shame on them for this. I do not support the banning of books or the editing of books as Google describes in the preface and at the back of the book. I will not read this book nor any other book that has been edited from the original text other than for translation. A books' worth isn't just its' storyline, it is also a history of who the writer was at the time they wrote it. If a writer wants to spend countless pages on something that seems trivial to me, you must respect that it may not be trivial to someone else. It is the highest disrespect to change, alter or delete from an authors' work and I will never condone it being done. I will go to my local bookstore and purchase the book. As I now feel I cannot trust any ebooks to not be edited, I will remove myself from this and any ebook sites and speak out against this type of censorship whenever I can.
Andy Reeve
This abridged version is very accssible whilt retaining the essence of this powerful story. The translation brings through enough humour to punctuae the sadness and one really ends up knowing and caring about the characters (even Thenadier reluctantly). Hugo's rich descriptions of the scenes create a much better mental picture than any film ever can. This story really does not need to be a musical to create a lasting impression.