Les Miserables just made me cry all over again

I first read Les Miserables when I was around 17 after watching Hunchback of Notre dame and getting into the book. I discovered the rest of Victor Hugo’s bibliography afterwards. The first time I read Les Miserables I was so enchanted by it I cried at the ending. The book moved me so much I cried in front of my girlfriend at the time. I have read it a few times since then but I’m 26 now and it has been a couple of years since I read it so I decided to crack open my worn down copy of the book.

As an adult the book hit even harder. I can’t exactly put a pin on it but the amount of empathy I felt for all the characters had virtually doubled. I love Jean Valjean and Cosette the most. By the time I got to the end I was crying because he never got to see his daughter again. It’s such an excellent book even if a bit dense. Aside from Frankenstein it is quite possibly one of my favourite novels of all time. Victor Hugo is definitely apart of my author Mount Rushmore. His characters are just so realistic and well developed. He is possibly the French version of Leo Tolstoy. Les Miserables isn’t merely a novel you read. You feel like you’re living it as you read it.