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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
4/5*
Woah. What a story. So fascinating and heartbreaking. There was absolutely no moment where your heart wasn't being hit by stones. The history and the characters makes me question the time period. Was this real? Did these characters exist? Absolutely great read for any classic lover.
Woah. What a story. So fascinating and heartbreaking. There was absolutely no moment where your heart wasn't being hit by stones. The history and the characters makes me question the time period. Was this real? Did these characters exist? Absolutely great read for any classic lover.
Like many of Victor Hugo's works, The Hunchback of Notre Dame starts out slow. But then, in my opinion, it really picks up the pace and the story begins. Now, I will say that the beginning to this book is a lot slower than the beginning to Les Misérables.
Overall, I enjoyed the story (minus the beginning). I definitely will have to say that it isn't going to be a good book for everyone and some people are just going to dislike this book. In fact, I had put this book on my DNF list for about a year and I just recently decided to give it another read. But, in general, I'm really happy that I read it all the way through!
Overall, I enjoyed the story (minus the beginning). I definitely will have to say that it isn't going to be a good book for everyone and some people are just going to dislike this book. In fact, I had put this book on my DNF list for about a year and I just recently decided to give it another read. But, in general, I'm really happy that I read it all the way through!
L'amore è come un albero, cresce da solo, mette le sue radici nel profondo di tutto il nostro essere, e spesso continua a verdeggiare su un cuore in rovina. E, cosa ancor più inspiegabile, quanto più questa passione è cieca, tanto più è tenace. Non è mai più solida di quando non ha alcuna ragione di essere.
Oggi sono molto triste.
Non solo per via del finale del libro, ma per il fatto stesso che il libro sia finito.
Mi sono innamorata di Notre-Dame de Paris quando fu trasmesso per la prima volta il musical in tv.
Questo mi ha fatto innamorare della Chiesa.
E ora amo anche questo libro!
Notre-Dame de Paris mi ha insegnato che non siamo completamente buoni o completamente cattivi.
Siamo piuttosto un misto di sentimenti contrastanti e voleri che non sono chiari nemmeno a noi stessi.
Siamo una macchina infernale, da un certo punto di vista!
C'è nei personaggi (e in tutti gli uomini, in generale) un misto di follia, angoscia, passione, dolore, tormento, amore.
L'uomo è un abisso e le emozioni che si agitano nella sua anima raramente sono ben delimitate. Più spesso si accavallano l'una sull'altra con una varietà che ha dato del filo da torcere anche ai più grandi filosofi.
C'è da impazzire!
Despite the several chapters in the first volume dedicated to describing architecture and the author's philosophy about history, this book is so much better than I expected. I first started reading it because it was a classic, but soon found that I had trouble putting it down.
The characters are wonderfully well drawn, and it's got a nice bit of humour to balance out the more tragic themes. Despite knowing all the details of the ending, it still broke my heart, with the final lines being some of the saddest I've read in a long time.
Considering it's a classic, it's pretty readable, despite some rather wordy passages. I can imagine most people could get into the novel, as long as you warned them that the chapters on architecture are very skippable.
The characters are wonderfully well drawn, and it's got a nice bit of humour to balance out the more tragic themes. Despite knowing all the details of the ending, it still broke my heart, with the final lines being some of the saddest I've read in a long time.
Considering it's a classic, it's pretty readable, despite some rather wordy passages. I can imagine most people could get into the novel, as long as you warned them that the chapters on architecture are very skippable.
Tragically beautiful. I had wanted to read this for a while, and when I finally did I braced myself for a tale that would be strikingly different from the Disney version - and I wasn't wrong. Hugo's prose is something I have never experienced prior to reading this and there is something about his style that makes the story feel genuinely real. I loved the dark atmosphere and the overall gloomy presence that seemed to continually hang over Paris. Although published in 1831, this novel is a classic example of retrospective Gothic literature, and I felt the novel had a kind of dark, ominous aura to it which left me pondering the events of the story every time I put it down. The story is so powerful it stuck with me long before I turned the final page.
Bearing in mind that the novel is linguistically beautiful, it is a very difficult story to get in to. The first hundred pages or so can drag, and there are parts early on in the novel where Hugo dedicates whole chapters to descriptions of how fifteen-century Paris would have looked, as well as going in to immense detail of the architecture of Notre Dame itself. Once past those chapters however, the story is wonderful and the psychological description of some of the characters - Frollo especially - are so well written that the emotions you feel towards the characters feel truly genuine. Frollo is a disturbing antagonist; his haunting infatuation and lust for Esmerelda is certainly creepy and his character seems to disintegrate over the realisation that he cannot have her. He is evil, yet pathetic, and wicked enough that I felt a harsh hatred towards him because of the pain he inflicts on the other characters.
Love and lust were main themes within the novel, Esmerelda being the main focus point for both. Throughout the novel, the reader truly gets to see the destructive power that love has when not controlled or channelled properly. Especially if ones love for a person is given to someone who doesn't appreciate it. In the words of Shakespeare: "Don't waste your love on somebody who doesn't value it." It is in this case that unfulfilled love is what drives the main characters to act the way they do, and in the process destroying all things pure and good.
Plus, there are some great quotes. As I've said Hugo's writing is something I've never previously experienced but it has a certain sharp aesthetic quality to it that allows him to successfully channel human emotions through words. I found myself folding the pages where I found quotes that I particularly liked.
The final chapter of the novel was perfect, yet heart breaking at the same time since it felt like some peace and tranquillity had been restored. However, at the same time I felt the true pain and power of what love leads a person to do. I feel if I were to describe it any more I wouldn't do it any justice, it has to be read yourself. A truly tragic tale that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Gothic literature. Just, wonderful.
Bearing in mind that the novel is linguistically beautiful, it is a very difficult story to get in to. The first hundred pages or so can drag, and there are parts early on in the novel where Hugo dedicates whole chapters to descriptions of how fifteen-century Paris would have looked, as well as going in to immense detail of the architecture of Notre Dame itself. Once past those chapters however, the story is wonderful and the psychological description of some of the characters - Frollo especially - are so well written that the emotions you feel towards the characters feel truly genuine. Frollo is a disturbing antagonist; his haunting infatuation and lust for Esmerelda is certainly creepy and his character seems to disintegrate over the realisation that he cannot have her. He is evil, yet pathetic, and wicked enough that I felt a harsh hatred towards him because of the pain he inflicts on the other characters.
Love and lust were main themes within the novel, Esmerelda being the main focus point for both. Throughout the novel, the reader truly gets to see the destructive power that love has when not controlled or channelled properly. Especially if ones love for a person is given to someone who doesn't appreciate it. In the words of Shakespeare: "Don't waste your love on somebody who doesn't value it." It is in this case that unfulfilled love is what drives the main characters to act the way they do, and in the process destroying all things pure and good.
Plus, there are some great quotes. As I've said Hugo's writing is something I've never previously experienced but it has a certain sharp aesthetic quality to it that allows him to successfully channel human emotions through words. I found myself folding the pages where I found quotes that I particularly liked.
The final chapter of the novel was perfect, yet heart breaking at the same time since it felt like some peace and tranquillity had been restored. However, at the same time I felt the true pain and power of what love leads a person to do. I feel if I were to describe it any more I wouldn't do it any justice, it has to be read yourself. A truly tragic tale that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Gothic literature. Just, wonderful.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was not what I was expected at all.
I never read this classic before, but I watched the Disney movie many times and I really like it. BUT, this just showed me how much Disney changes the stories.
This book is not a love story, is definitely a tragic and super sad story. however, the prose and the idyllic and epic form in which Victor Hugo is based to tell this tragedy is simply beautiful and fantastic.
Worth noting that the main character isn't Esmeralda not even Quasimodo, it's with no doubt Notre Dame de Paris and France's architecture.
I never read this classic before, but I watched the Disney movie many times and I really like it. BUT, this just showed me how much Disney changes the stories.
This book is not a love story, is definitely a tragic and super sad story. however, the prose and the idyllic and epic form in which Victor Hugo is based to tell this tragedy is simply beautiful and fantastic.
Worth noting that the main character isn't Esmeralda not even Quasimodo, it's with no doubt Notre Dame de Paris and France's architecture.
The story itself is not to bad, but the elaborate explainations at the beginning are quite tedious. Although these can be expected in a novel from this period. Overall quite a good book, but very different from the well-known disney film version.
Though I found Hugo's writing style to be quite rambling at times, I was still blown away by how beautiful and lyrical it was. He brought Paris and his characters to life, and though I didnt find any of them particularly likable besides Quasimodo and the lovely Esmeralda, the plot was brilliant. It took me longer to get through than it has any book for a while but it was definitely worth reading.
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A