Cosette or The Time of Illusions: The Sequel to Les Miserables

by François Cérésa, Howard Curtis (Translator)

This is a sequel to Victor Hugo's classic epic of revolutionary France, Les Miserables. It is two months since the death of Jean Valjean, yet in September 1833 his daughter Cosette lives a seemingly idyllic life. Eighteen and married to wild and carefree Marius, she is unaware of his unfortunate penchant for getting involved in questionable enterprises with dubious characters. But there are other more sinister concerns. In the shadows, Thenadier the hangman bides his time while Inspector Javert, saved from suicide at the last minute, contemplates his quest for redemption. From the Paris of the July Monarchy to the penal colony where Marius, like Jean Valjean before him, is condemned, the characters criss-cross each other against a backdrop of the events of 1833 to 1836.

Genres: Fiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Pilke Valta · Rating 1 out of 5]

No.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ending was very unsatisfactory

[Dede · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was flat. It was an effort to keep reading, just seemed to be event after event, "and then (she/she/they)... It is an attempt to carry the original Les Mis into the period of Louise Phillipe, and incorporate many of the original characters into an ongoing narrative. Many of the connections seemed improbable or superfluous. Characterisation is mainly "telling" rather than any revelation through action. Again, I'm not sure if that is simply an artefact of translating from the French, but it really doesn't work. I will write a more detailed review later.

The worst aspect was the sudden end. It just stopped, without even a decent cliff-hanger. Not sure whether this was intended as the first part of a series, but as it stands it is entirely unsatisfying. It took ages to finish this book, mainly because it was very "put-downable". I read dozens of other books, and only picked this up when I had nothing else to read.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd read because the book ends so abruptly. I feel like another part was expected. It's much better than Laura Kalpakian's "Cosette." However, the characters are no longer "in character," it was difficult to feel invested in their storylines.

[Sheena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed to finish abruptly with no ends tied up