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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
As someone who grew up loving the Disney adaptation of this book, I am so glad I have found the original. This is definitely a new favorite of mine. There are so many things to discuss with this book that, rather than talk about pros and cons, I'm going to talk about specific aspects of the book.
The Characters
This book hosts a whole array of characters whose fates intertwine. Each character is so unique that I could write a whole review just on the characters themselves, but I will stick to the main characters.
Esmerelda
I completely fell in love with Esmerelda through this story. I always adored her Disney version, who was a fiercely kind and independent woman that wasn't afraid to speak her mind and stand up for herself, but was also loving and kind. In the book, I found myself falling in love with her even more. In the book Esmerelda is treated and described as a naive child by those that don't know her, but for those that get to know her she is described as a beautiful wasp, i.e. someone who will sting when cornered. She absolutely has flaws, especially her assumption that people seem to owe her something (particularly when she refuses to see Quasimodo again because he doesn't bring Phoebus to her), but even with her flaws she never stops fighting for herself.
Claude Frollo
I've read that Disney purposely wanted Frollo to break their streak of "cool" villains, and even in their attempt to make Frollo as evil and unlikeable as possible, I still think they massively underplayed him. Claude Frollo (not to be mistaken for his younger brother Jehan Frollo) was utterly creepy and obsessive in a way that made my skin crawl just reading the things he would say or do. Others have expressed pity for Frollo, and honestly...I just don't get it. He is a man that becomes increasingly obsessed with a young girl and her purity, even going to the extent of wanting her arrested before he ever meets her so that she doesn't corrupt him anymore. Then he basically condemns her to death, several times, because she won't go to bed with him. He even makes attempts to rape her to satisfy his need for her.
Phoebus
Oh....Phoebus....I was not prepared to hate Phoebus as much as I did. This is one aspect of the book that Disney completely flipped on its head. Phoebus is a bored captain that entertains himself by cheating on his fiance by seducing other women. He becomes fascinated with Esmerelda and goes out of his way to invite her to a room so that he might convince her to sleep with him, and when Esmerelda says that she can't sleep with a man before marriage Phoebus continues to push her. Then he basically abandons her because he is afraid she will reveal his adultery to his fiance...I'm not even going to touch on the fact that he allowed a stranger to hide in the closet of his room to watch him try to seduce Esmerelda....
Pierre Gringoire
I really feel quite...indifferent towards this character. He is woefully full of himself and thinks the world of his own mediocre non-accomplishments. Even when he is sleeping in the gutters (literally) he continues to look down on the poor, as if he is above them and not one of them. When Esmerelda saves him from being hung he is grateful for about a week, and then he falls more in love with her goat than her and decides he couldn't care less about Esmerelda's fate, so long as he can keep the goat.
Quasimodo
I saved Quasimodo for last because oh.....how I LOVE Quasimodo. Despite the world treating him absolutely horribly he finds it in his heart to selflessly love Esmerelda, doing everything in his power to care for and save her. Quasimodo is willing to risk his life and fight to the death to keep her safe, because of her small acts of kindness towards him. Absolutely no one in this book deserves him, and he is far too pure for this world. I have no ill thoughts of Quasimodo. I savored every scene he was in and nearly cried on his behalf several times while reading this book.
The Writing
I have both good and bad things to say about this...but lets get the obvious out of the way...
Unnecessary Information
WOAH was this story overflowing with unnecessary information. Now, I will say that I don't think it's quite as bad as some have made it out to be. Some have said that this book could easily be condensed to 200 or so pages to that I firmly disagree. Did we really need the history lessons and architectural indulgences? No, not at all. But there is SOO much nuance in so many chapters of this book that seem irrelevant at the time that I actually don't think you could cut this book down so much and maintain the genius story telling of this book. If it were up to me I would get rid of the chapters that focus solely on history and architecture, and the random frustrating chapter that interrupted the height of the climax to discuss the economics and politics of France. That's mostly it.
The Plot/Storytelling
Let's talk about what truly set this book over the top for me: the storytelling. Yes it was hard to get into at first, but when Hugo was focused on the actual story telling this book was MASTERFUL. So many little things that you wouldn't expect to be important become integral and the action of this story was completely entrancing. The way the nun in the rat hole went from screaming at a random girl on the street to a woman who died defending her lost daughter was completely heartbreaking. The depth to Quasimodo and the irony of his court date were amazing. I loved the way it felt like we had a narrator telling us this story from a bird's eye view and the subtle dark, dry humor that was woven into the narration.
Conclusion
I loved being able to see all the moments that the movie pulled from the book, and unlike others I actually don't think the movie butchered or ruined this story. Nearly every scene of the movie was pulled from the book in one form or another and it really helped me fully immerse myself into the story. I will ABSOLUTELY be re-reading this many times in years to come, hopefully picking up more and more details that I missed this first time through.
The Characters
This book hosts a whole array of characters whose fates intertwine. Each character is so unique that I could write a whole review just on the characters themselves, but I will stick to the main characters.
Esmerelda
I completely fell in love with Esmerelda through this story. I always adored her Disney version, who was a fiercely kind and independent woman that wasn't afraid to speak her mind and stand up for herself, but was also loving and kind. In the book, I found myself falling in love with her even more. In the book Esmerelda is treated and described as a naive child by those that don't know her, but for those that get to know her she is described as a beautiful wasp, i.e. someone who will sting when cornered. She absolutely has flaws, especially her assumption that people seem to owe her something (particularly when she refuses to see Quasimodo again because he doesn't bring Phoebus to her), but even with her flaws she never stops fighting for herself.
Claude Frollo
I've read that Disney purposely wanted Frollo to break their streak of "cool" villains, and even in their attempt to make Frollo as evil and unlikeable as possible, I still think they massively underplayed him. Claude Frollo (not to be mistaken for his younger brother Jehan Frollo) was utterly creepy and obsessive in a way that made my skin crawl just reading the things he would say or do. Others have expressed pity for Frollo, and honestly...I just don't get it. He is a man that becomes increasingly obsessed with a young girl and her purity, even going to the extent of wanting her arrested before he ever meets her so that she doesn't corrupt him anymore. Then he basically condemns her to death, several times, because she won't go to bed with him. He even makes attempts to rape her to satisfy his need for her.
Phoebus
Oh....Phoebus....I was not prepared to hate Phoebus as much as I did. This is one aspect of the book that Disney completely flipped on its head. Phoebus is a bored captain that entertains himself by cheating on his fiance by seducing other women. He becomes fascinated with Esmerelda and goes out of his way to invite her to a room so that he might convince her to sleep with him, and when Esmerelda says that she can't sleep with a man before marriage Phoebus continues to push her. Then he basically abandons her because he is afraid she will reveal his adultery to his fiance...I'm not even going to touch on the fact that he allowed a stranger to hide in the closet of his room to watch him try to seduce Esmerelda....
Pierre Gringoire
I really feel quite...indifferent towards this character. He is woefully full of himself and thinks the world of his own mediocre non-accomplishments. Even when he is sleeping in the gutters (literally) he continues to look down on the poor, as if he is above them and not one of them. When Esmerelda saves him from being hung he is grateful for about a week, and then he falls more in love with her goat than her and decides he couldn't care less about Esmerelda's fate, so long as he can keep the goat.
Quasimodo
I saved Quasimodo for last because oh.....how I LOVE Quasimodo. Despite the world treating him absolutely horribly he finds it in his heart to selflessly love Esmerelda, doing everything in his power to care for and save her. Quasimodo is willing to risk his life and fight to the death to keep her safe, because of her small acts of kindness towards him. Absolutely no one in this book deserves him, and he is far too pure for this world. I have no ill thoughts of Quasimodo. I savored every scene he was in and nearly cried on his behalf several times while reading this book.
The Writing
I have both good and bad things to say about this...but lets get the obvious out of the way...
Unnecessary Information
WOAH was this story overflowing with unnecessary information. Now, I will say that I don't think it's quite as bad as some have made it out to be. Some have said that this book could easily be condensed to 200 or so pages to that I firmly disagree. Did we really need the history lessons and architectural indulgences? No, not at all. But there is SOO much nuance in so many chapters of this book that seem irrelevant at the time that I actually don't think you could cut this book down so much and maintain the genius story telling of this book. If it were up to me I would get rid of the chapters that focus solely on history and architecture, and the random frustrating chapter that interrupted the height of the climax to discuss the economics and politics of France. That's mostly it.
The Plot/Storytelling
Let's talk about what truly set this book over the top for me: the storytelling. Yes it was hard to get into at first, but when Hugo was focused on the actual story telling this book was MASTERFUL. So many little things that you wouldn't expect to be important become integral and the action of this story was completely entrancing. The way the nun in the rat hole went from screaming at a random girl on the street to a woman who died defending her lost daughter was completely heartbreaking. The depth to Quasimodo and the irony of his court date were amazing. I loved the way it felt like we had a narrator telling us this story from a bird's eye view and the subtle dark, dry humor that was woven into the narration.
Conclusion
I loved being able to see all the moments that the movie pulled from the book, and unlike others I actually don't think the movie butchered or ruined this story. Nearly every scene of the movie was pulled from the book in one form or another and it really helped me fully immerse myself into the story. I will ABSOLUTELY be re-reading this many times in years to come, hopefully picking up more and more details that I missed this first time through.
honestly every Hollywood screenwriter should learn from Hugo how to create a chilling angsty story
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexual assault
A very uneven read for me. When Hugo sticks to the plot, the novel moves briskly. When he goes on tangents to develop certain themes, the writing bogs down and sometimes feels superfluous. I can imagine an abridged version being a very fast read; however, this is not a novel to be read quickly, and the abridged sections would eliminate some of the key ideas Hugo develops centering on architecture, print, and the preservation of memory. The great dilemma I had in reading this novel was understanding the importance of those divergent chapters and subplots (some of which read like essays jammed between fictional chapters), but also feeling that they brought the text to a halt in the process of attempting to further advance or illustrate the key ideas in the surrounding chapters.
It took a good while to get into this book, as the beginning (centered around the play) was so dreadfully dull. However, I have to admit that I really did enjoy reading this book, as a whole.
To anyone interested, I would definitely recommend the unabridged version. Most of my favourite chapters were those that were unrelated to the plot, and would be precisely the type of thing an editor would cut out. It was a real experience to sink into Hugo's descriptions and commentary about Paris and architecture.
His parallels between architecture and language were absolutely enthralling, and I adored his description of the bells in Paris. While reading, I wished that I was standing about Notre Dame, admiring all the intricacies Hugo wrote about. I found it fascinating, too, to read about the changes in Paris's buildings between when the story was set and when Hugo was writing, and to then compare those to what I know of the city as it is now.
As to the characters int he story, I think Hugo did a fantastic job of letting the readers see into the depths of their hearts to understand their motives, while also making it clear how they perceived one another. I was honestly in awe of Frollo's character, how evil and horrid his motivations were; I reviled him in every possible way, but still found it realistic that the other characters considered him nothing but good and pious. Impressively written.
I wouldn't recommend picking this up for a quick read, or suggest it to anyone who wasn't prepared to slough through a long book. Also, do not even try to compare this to the Disney movie version! But for readers passionate about history and classics, this is a very interesting and eloquent read.
To anyone interested, I would definitely recommend the unabridged version. Most of my favourite chapters were those that were unrelated to the plot, and would be precisely the type of thing an editor would cut out. It was a real experience to sink into Hugo's descriptions and commentary about Paris and architecture.
His parallels between architecture and language were absolutely enthralling, and I adored his description of the bells in Paris. While reading, I wished that I was standing about Notre Dame, admiring all the intricacies Hugo wrote about. I found it fascinating, too, to read about the changes in Paris's buildings between when the story was set and when Hugo was writing, and to then compare those to what I know of the city as it is now.
As to the characters int he story, I think Hugo did a fantastic job of letting the readers see into the depths of their hearts to understand their motives, while also making it clear how they perceived one another. I was honestly in awe of Frollo's character, how evil and horrid his motivations were; I reviled him in every possible way, but still found it realistic that the other characters considered him nothing but good and pious. Impressively written.
I wouldn't recommend picking this up for a quick read, or suggest it to anyone who wasn't prepared to slough through a long book. Also, do not even try to compare this to the Disney movie version! But for readers passionate about history and classics, this is a very interesting and eloquent read.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If these stones could speak …
Victor Hugo wrote this book in 1829, largely to make his contemporaries more aware of the value of the Gothic architecture, which was neglected and often destroyed, only to be replaced by new buildings or defaced by replacing parts of buildings in a newer style (such as the beautiful glass window of Nôtre Dame).
The actual French title translates to „Our Lady in Paris“ as it is not really about Quasimodo but about the cathedral of Nôtre Dame.
Now, in order to understand the core story, I have to go somewhat into detail. For those, who don’t want to know, I recommend skipping this paragraph, fair warning.
We find ourselves in Paris in 1482.
Archdeacon Frollo is torn between his oaths and his obsessive lust for the gypsy Esmeralda. He therefore instructs Quasimodo to kidnap Esmeralda. Quasimodo, a half-blind and meanwhile also deaf hunchback, loving Frollo ever since he took Quasimodo in when his mother abandoned him as a child, does as he’s told. However, Quasimodo is stopped by Captain Phoebus and his guards and is captured by them. Subsequently, he is sentenced to be flogged and turned on the pillory for an hour, followed by another hour’s public exposure. During this ordeal, he almost dies of thirst but Esmeralda, of all people, saves him by giving him water - which makes him fall in love with her.
Frollo, meanwhile, driven half mad by jealousy, tries to kill Captain Phoebus and, when that fails, frames Esmeralda for the attempted murder since she keeps refusing him. Quasimodo saves her from the gallows by swinging down from Nôtre Dame and taking her into the cathedral, claiming sanctuary for her. The leader of the gypsies then tries to rally the citizens of Paris to free Esmeralda before the Parliament can vote to deny her the right to sanctuary. However, Quasimodo mistakes their motives and repels them while thinking that the King’s men are there to help. Eventually, Esmeralda and Quasimodo are betrayed by Frollo, Esmeralda being handed over to the guards and hanged. Frollo, truly mad now, laughs while watching from a balcony high up on Nôtre Dame, driving Quasimodo to push him off to his death. Then, Quasimodo vanishes (it is implied that he dies also, holding Esmeralda's body in a comforting embrace).
This is not the entire story, not by far. But it is the core and what is usually addressed in movie adaptations and perhaps more than future readers want to know in advance (which is why I wrote that warning above).
It has to be stated that Quasimodo does not feature too often in this story. The reason being that the story is more about the structure of the cathedral, its timelessness and what it witnessed ever since it was built. The author was trying to make the point that mere men don’t have the right to destroy or - through inaction - allow to come to harm such a magnificent and important piece of architecture. Nevertheless, it is a love story and one of the most tragic ones at that. It features all the elements relevant at the time: the aloof upper society including the uncaring ruling parties, the lower levels of society such as beggars and gypsies, artists, conflicted and not-to-be-trusted members of the clergy, outcasts. In short: the puppets and puppet masters.
The book impresses with the author’s impeccable writing style, rich with lively descriptions that place one firmly amongst the characters. The author also effortlessly throws in historical information as decoration to describe the timelessness of structures and of works of art.
Albeit this being a tragic romance, it is also definitely a satire full of sarcasm shown in people using gatherings in the church to gossip and make fun of others, or shown in how the people here react to current events and inventions:
„Printing will kill bookselling.“ since it supposedly is a „wretched“ German invention. *lol*
Not to mention the social criticism that continuously exposes ludicrous customs, vanity, hypocrisy and other character weaknesses.
Like Dumas, Hugo allows a sharp look at the times, at the different levels of society and politics but also at peoples’ characters and occupations. Unlike Dumas, however, Hugo doesn’t quite manage to successfully walk the knife’s edge between bringing the surroundings and times alive through detailed descriptions, firmly placing the story through adding relevant historical information and clubbing the reader to death with too much information that has no immediate merit whatsoever. Nevertheless, it is an important piece and I very much enjoyed Bill Homewood's narration once again.
I bought this book back in the mid-90s when the Disney movie of the book came out and began reading it. I never finished it and wanted to try reading it again. Since the book is really thick, I got an e-version of it too and put that on my tablet to read while commuting to and from work and at lunch. I would then switch to the print book when I came home. Anything I read about it said Hugo wrote it with architecture being the main focus and it wasn't really about the characters. I suppose that could be true, but I felt Hugo seemed to be saying something about how unwanted children were treated during the middle ages and racial issues too. I really liked Esmerelda's character and realized that she was the lost daughter of the woman who had her daughter stolen and allegedly eaten by Gypsies. The woman disliked Esmerelda and heckled her whenever she was around. I was right in predicting that Esmerelda was her daughter. The two reunited at the end of the story when the woman then tries to save Esmerelda from being hung for a murder she didn't commit. Also, interesting that there was a priest who lusted after Esmerelda and also wanted Esmerelda either to agree to be his mistress or he would have her killed. I feel that while Hugo may have been using the theme of architecture as the main plot of the story, he also seemed to be making statements about unwanted children, people of different races, and the corrupt clergy. I'm a bit shocked he seemed to get away with the last bit.
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes