A Little in Love

June 1, 2015
The story of Eponine Thenardier, a side character from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, is told here, from early childhood to untimely death. Born to almost cartoonishly money-hungry parents, Eponine is taught to steal from a young age. She feels uncomfortable cheating people, but she loves the way a successful night of thievery elicits her mother's pride and affection. As Eponine grows up, her internal conflicts grow deeper: please her family or follow her conscience? Do good deeds or cruel ones? Steal or starve? Eponine's choices and observations are rendered in simple and evocative language-a pebble of sadness knocking in her heart when she longs to be loved, viscerally felt daydreams "that one day I'd be pretty, and I walk with a boy...in a skirt that went shush...shush...shush." When Eponine's father kills a man in a robbery gone wrong, the family flees to Paris. There, Eponine meets Marius, the young man whom readers know from the prologue, if not from the source text, that she will die saving. Though the bittersweetness of Eponine's doomed, unrequited love shines through the later parts of the book, the deeper story about goodness and kindness is just as carefully and compellingly told. A worthy companion book, with storytelling strong enough to interest even readers unfamiliar with the original novel or its many adaptations. (Historical fiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from June 1, 2015

Gr 7 Up-While staying true to Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, Fletcher crafts another masterpiece based upon the classic. With great care, she fleshes out minor characters until they live and breathe. This is Eponine's story-her tale of strength, inner character, and self-sacrifice. Raised by vile pickpocket parents in rural 19th-century France, she is forced to lie, steal, and cheat, despite her prickling conscience. When beautiful young Cosette comes to live with Eponine's heartless family, Eponine's kindness is buried by her desire to be loved by her mother, who values only cruelty. When Cosette leaves with Jean Valjean, the protagonist's life fills with longing for something more. After her family's furtive escape to Paris, the teen finds beauty and love upon meeting Marius Pontmercy. Her pure, unselfish feelings are destined to be unrequited, for he loves the beautiful Cosette. Eponine, through fate or destiny, is the bridge between Marius and Cosette. Her selflessness leads to a tragic end as she sacrifices all to ensure the two lovers' happiness. The heroine's inner strength is powerful-she resists becoming cruel and bitter, showing how circumstances can influence behavior but not define one's character. The lyrical writing completely immerses readers in 19th-century French life. Characters, mainly villains or the darkly inclined, are vivid and memorable. VERDICT The entire tale will be long remembered, and is a must-read for all Les Mis fans.-Lisa Crandall, formerly at the Capital Area District Library, Holt, MI

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015
Grades 7-10 Whether you know her from Victor Hugo's classic novel Les Miserables or from its musical adaptation, Eponine has likely tugged your heartstrings. Fletcher's latest novel breathes new life into this fallen heroine to tell her tragic story of love and self-sacrifice in nineteenth-century Paris. Told as a flashback during her final moments, Eponine recalls her childhood, during which she was made to steal for her parents and instructed to be cruel rather than kind; her acquaintance with the sweet, beautiful Cosette; and falling in love with a young revolutionary, Marius, resolving to do anything to make him happy. While Fletcher makes few alterations to Eponine's existing tale, she does embroider it with detail and offer insights into her heart and mind. Political turmoil and economic disparity swirl around the lovelorn teen, effectively setting the scene, but her longing for love remains center stage. To the end, Eponine is depicted as a romantic and a dreamer, and her story will appeal to those of a similar disposition.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)