Les Miserables- Book Two- Cosette

I finished book two of Les Miserables well ahead of schedule this week. This book, entitled Cosette, really drew me in. It was too easy to be drawn into the sad life of this poor little girl. Cosette had been left with an innkeeper and his family by her mother in book one. Her mother, Fantine, was assured that the little girl would be taken care of in exchange for a monthly fee. Sadly, the innkeepers were not the kind of people Fantine thought they had been. They were cruel to Cosette and treated this poor young child as a slave. She wears rags, sleeps under the stairs and is forced to do chores and gets beat by the woman.


Finally one night while fetching water in the cold and dark winter, Cosette finds an ally. A stranger who is willing to change her circumstances. Book Two deals with Cosette's rescue and the journey to find a new home with her new mysterious friend.

I was totally sucked in to this part of the book. I was rooting for the little odd couple as they made their way out of the village where the innkeepers lived and as they tried to establish themselves in a new life. The interaction between Cosette and her new "father' as she calls him was sweet and heartwarming, especially after all that she's experienced.

The story ends on a happy note but with 3 more books to go, it's likely that the happy times won't last much longer. Overall, I'm pleased with the book so far and am looking forward to reading more.