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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Mmmm...definitely not my favorite classic to date. Terrible balance betweeen the plot and waxing philosophical about all things Parisian, and then some...
Me ha gustado, pero admito que la primera mitad se me hizo bastante pesada, probablemente se deba a que después de haber visto la película todas las ambientación me parecía innecesaria. Lo que mas me ha gustado de este libro es la critica para nada velada que se hace a tanto a la sociedad de la época como a sus instituciones. El autor a logrado crear unos personajes complejos, con sus cualidades y defectos pero también con sus contradicciones. En una nota más personal tengo que decir que odio a Esmeralda por su estupidez y superficialidad pero a la vez estos rasgos son acordes a sus 15 años. El personaje del villano Claude Frollo me parece el más destacado de esta novela.
Must read and still very relevant today!
I was so surprised by this! Everyone knows the story.. of course. It is a strong "shakespearian" drama about love, hatred, passion etc. But what i didn't expected was the way Victor Hugo writes the story, it was so powerful, satirical and down to earth. the action is fast, the dialogues are philosophical and could have been written today.
Forget Darth vader, The joker or Norman Bates. Claude Frollo is the most awesome badass villain ever written (from the books/movies I read or saw). He is a deeply tormented soul who can't handle his own passions. He tries so hard to be a good rational guy but his heart is aching for love... When the love isn't returned hell breaks loose.
PS: The ending!!!
I was so surprised by this! Everyone knows the story.. of course. It is a strong "shakespearian" drama about love, hatred, passion etc. But what i didn't expected was the way Victor Hugo writes the story, it was so powerful, satirical and down to earth. the action is fast, the dialogues are philosophical and could have been written today.
Forget Darth vader, The joker or Norman Bates. Claude Frollo is the most awesome badass villain ever written (from the books/movies I read or saw). He is a deeply tormented soul who can't handle his own passions. He tries so hard to be a good rational guy but his heart is aching for love... When the love isn't returned hell breaks loose.
PS: The ending!!!
A good story, but Victor Hugo badly needs an editor. Could’ve been a banger if it was 300 pages shorter.
"Notre Dame... This central mother-church is a sort of chimera among the ancient churches of Paris; it has the head of one, the limbs of another, the trunk of a third, and something of them all.
These hybrid structures, as we have observed, are not the less interesting to the artist, the antiquary, and the historian. They show how far architecture is a primitive art, inasmuch as they demonstrate (what is also demonstrated by the Cyclopean remains, the pyramids of Egypt, the gigantic Hindoo pagodas) that the grandest productions of architecture are not so much individual as social, rather the offspring of nations in labor than the inventions of genius; the deposit left by a people; the accumulations formed by ages; the residuum of the successive evaporations of human society -in short, a species of formations. Every wave of time superinduces its alluvion, every generation deposits its stratum upon the structure, every individual brings his stone. Such is the process of the beavers, such that of the bees, such that of men. The great emblem of architecture, Babel, is a bee-hive" (Victor Hugo, p. 99)
For his seductice ideas and breathtaking prose alone (which should be at least a shared merit by the traducer), this novel was a beautiful experience, with a rainbow of existential undertones to be explored. Such as Victor Hugo took it upon himself to revise every nook and cranny of Notre-Dame, this book presents itself as a sort of laberynth with a plethora of secret doors. In the sense of the extensive writings of Hugo about the architecture and history of the land, if one might take it as an invitation to investigate on the chatacters or settings pronounced by Hugo, what one encounters is plenty of stories underneath the story, to put it in some sense, and more than once we encounter moments of curiosity and awe from this rich lore intertwined into the story.
All in all, it was a tough but ever rewarding experience to read this tragedy!
These hybrid structures, as we have observed, are not the less interesting to the artist, the antiquary, and the historian. They show how far architecture is a primitive art, inasmuch as they demonstrate (what is also demonstrated by the Cyclopean remains, the pyramids of Egypt, the gigantic Hindoo pagodas) that the grandest productions of architecture are not so much individual as social, rather the offspring of nations in labor than the inventions of genius; the deposit left by a people; the accumulations formed by ages; the residuum of the successive evaporations of human society -in short, a species of formations. Every wave of time superinduces its alluvion, every generation deposits its stratum upon the structure, every individual brings his stone. Such is the process of the beavers, such that of the bees, such that of men. The great emblem of architecture, Babel, is a bee-hive" (Victor Hugo, p. 99)
For his seductice ideas and breathtaking prose alone (which should be at least a shared merit by the traducer), this novel was a beautiful experience, with a rainbow of existential undertones to be explored. Such as Victor Hugo took it upon himself to revise every nook and cranny of Notre-Dame, this book presents itself as a sort of laberynth with a plethora of secret doors. In the sense of the extensive writings of Hugo about the architecture and history of the land, if one might take it as an invitation to investigate on the chatacters or settings pronounced by Hugo, what one encounters is plenty of stories underneath the story, to put it in some sense, and more than once we encounter moments of curiosity and awe from this rich lore intertwined into the story.
All in all, it was a tough but ever rewarding experience to read this tragedy!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the Hunchback of Notre-dame was the first novel the author wrote after several plays of his, and with this in mind, you'll notice how his style in writing previous works affected the style of this one. it was almost play-like. the author built this whole fiction on some carvings he found in the cathedral Notre-dame. the author laid more than just a plot, he explained philosophy, architecture and his worldly views all woven together into this beautiful form of written art. and that is what a true author is all about. being able to speak your mind, share your thoughts and engage your audience in one work. don't be fooled by the title of this book, this is not like the Disney movie. and the book doesn't focus on Quasimodo alone. on the contrary, he sheds the light on all characters which is something you rarely see in a novel ( because authors don't want you to get lost and distracted) but i believe the author had a purpose, he wanted you to understand each personality of each character ans this can only happen if you put them under the microscope so to speak, i admit the book is lengthy because of that and if you're not careful you might have to reread the chapters (which i did) but in the end. oh, the end is more than magnificent. you will truly live and die in that age, and with that story.
PO-- the plot has some questionable points, and there are some intense scenes, but I don't believe very many people would be bothered.
A fabulous story, beautifully written. I'm a sucker for French classics, even the tragidies. Great read.
A fabulous story, beautifully written. I'm a sucker for French classics, even the tragidies. Great read.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No