Instruct: Classify a review as either positive or negative.
Query: This is not a novel -- it is a masterpiece

Les Miserables is by far one of the greatest works -- if not THE greatest work -- of Western Literature ever written. To say anything less would do injustice to Hugo's creation...a creation that, with its universal and worldly truths, still is as relevant today as it was a century ago.To fully appreciate this masterpiece however, do not settle for an abridged version: though seemingly intimidating, the full unabridged version (such as the Wilbur or Fahenstock translations) is more than worth the effort. Hugo's discussions, word use, and tangents are unparalleled, and to read a shortened version is to miss out on the essence of the novel.