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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Naming this book "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" was brilliant, as it is exactly what the book was about. Half of this book was about the vibrant characters: their love and loss, their feelings, their souls; and then the other half is Hugo describing in great details about Paris and Notre-Dame. Painstaking details. I'm talking from the bottom of the steps of the stairs to a bird's eye view of the place. Incredible. It was like listening to a tour guide who has spent his entire life documenting every single detail of the place. I've never read a book more passionate about a building as much as this one.
It took a bit of build up with this book. I was reading the first four chapters in confusion. I didn't know what I was reading, but I made myself go on anyway. It picked up after that but whenever he starts going on about the church, I'm torn between being in disbelief or in awe. My dude can really write about every crack in the pavement.
I loved the scenes between the main characters. French literature always has a flair for the dramatics and I'm often sitting up straight whenever they interact with one another. Some of the scenes were quite violent, that it had me clamping my mouth with my hand in shock.
Quasimodo reminded me of Frankenstein's fiend. Mary Shelley's "All men hate the wretched" quote came to mind when reading this book. Particularly in this scene:
"He was mischievous, indeed, because he was savage, and he was savage because he was deformed. As he grew up, he had found around him nothing but hatred. What wonder that he should have caught it! He had contracted it--he had but picked up the weapon that had wounded him."
There were so many beautiful lines in this book, so I'm really interested in his other works. My phone was filled with pictures of pages from the book, and that's how you know how much I enjoyed reading it. Once I started getting comfortable, I was quickly zooming through it. Book 8, particularly, had so many great lines that I was constantly taking notes. At times, I'd even shriek a little because of how great his writings were. It blew me away.
I devoured half the book in one evening and my heart felt heavy when I reached the last page. The final paragraph painted a scene so beautiful, I didn't want it to end. This book made me cry several times so yes, I am definitely recommending this to everyone who's reading this! I didn't expect to enjoy it this much and I am so glad I picked it up. Au revoir, Quasimodo!
It took a bit of build up with this book. I was reading the first four chapters in confusion. I didn't know what I was reading, but I made myself go on anyway. It picked up after that but whenever he starts going on about the church, I'm torn between being in disbelief or in awe. My dude can really write about every crack in the pavement.
I loved the scenes between the main characters. French literature always has a flair for the dramatics and I'm often sitting up straight whenever they interact with one another. Some of the scenes were quite violent, that it had me clamping my mouth with my hand in shock.
Quasimodo reminded me of Frankenstein's fiend. Mary Shelley's "All men hate the wretched" quote came to mind when reading this book. Particularly in this scene:
"He was mischievous, indeed, because he was savage, and he was savage because he was deformed. As he grew up, he had found around him nothing but hatred. What wonder that he should have caught it! He had contracted it--he had but picked up the weapon that had wounded him."
There were so many beautiful lines in this book, so I'm really interested in his other works. My phone was filled with pictures of pages from the book, and that's how you know how much I enjoyed reading it. Once I started getting comfortable, I was quickly zooming through it. Book 8, particularly, had so many great lines that I was constantly taking notes. At times, I'd even shriek a little because of how great his writings were. It blew me away.
I devoured half the book in one evening and my heart felt heavy when I reached the last page. The final paragraph painted a scene so beautiful, I didn't want it to end. This book made me cry several times so yes, I am definitely recommending this to everyone who's reading this! I didn't expect to enjoy it this much and I am so glad I picked it up. Au revoir, Quasimodo!
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Has been on my list for years and I finally read it and I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Unlike the Disney movie most people know it from it is not the story of Quasimodo but more the story of Esmeralda and Frollo told through a narration of Parisian architecture.
Reasons I Recommend:
1) each character brings something to the story and you don't know who to root for - the hunchback, the gypsy, the captain, the priest
2) the intricacies and political regime in the Court of Miracles is very interesting to sed
And 3) it is full of hellfire and witchcraft, love and hate, fear and forgiveness. A truly amazing story. #recommended #fiction #bookworm #briereads #goodreads #bookstagram #thehunchbackofnotredame #victorhugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reasons I Recommend:
1) each character brings something to the story and you don't know who to root for - the hunchback, the gypsy, the captain, the priest
2) the intricacies and political regime in the Court of Miracles is very interesting to sed
And 3) it is full of hellfire and witchcraft, love and hate, fear and forgiveness. A truly amazing story. #recommended #fiction #bookworm #briereads #goodreads #bookstagram #thehunchbackofnotredame #victorhugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Vicky has once again broke my heart (as he does)
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disney set me up fr...
This is a pretty big book, but it doesn't read like one? Hugo sure loves describing every little detail :), somehow I got through it quickly, but I wish the book gave me more.
I really appreciate that a part of Paris will forever be preserved in this book, even though I hated reading the detailed description of it.
However I wasn't that impressed with the story itself, to me, the characters ended up feeling hollow, I simply wish more emphasis was put on their motives, personalities, behaviour. Everyone seemed like a superficial caricature. Somehow the story feels grand when I think about it, but I didn't feel that while reading it. I think a lot more could have been done with the story, but I still appreciate this classic work.
This is a pretty big book, but it doesn't read like one? Hugo sure loves describing every little detail :), somehow I got through it quickly, but I wish the book gave me more.
I really appreciate that a part of Paris will forever be preserved in this book, even though I hated reading the detailed description of it.
However I wasn't that impressed with the story itself, to me, the characters ended up feeling hollow, I simply wish more emphasis was put on their motives, personalities, behaviour. Everyone seemed like a superficial caricature. Somehow the story feels grand when I think about it, but I didn't feel that while reading it. I think a lot more could have been done with the story, but I still appreciate this classic work.
As a way to prepare to see the musical _The Hunchback of Notre-Dame_, I decided to finally read Hugo's book. (My daughter played trumpet in the orchestra.) I have seen the hauntingly vivid 1930 film version starring Laughton and O'Hara. I have also seen the Disney version (which I realized was quite sanitized). But I was ill prepared for the experience of reading Hugo's very detailed novel about medieval Paris.
Yes, there is an adventure story in this novel, but it's really confined to the last 100 pages. What comes before is a product of three years of research Hugo conducted before drafting his novel. The novel has detailed descriptions of how Paris developed into three sections, how architecture in Europe traces its roots back to Greece, how the Cathedral of Notre-Dame has evolved over the years by frequent additions and remodeling, and how the social structures of 15th century France were constituted by castes/hierarchies: royals/nobles, clerics, scholars, merchants, and the underclass.
I thought I would read this novel over a week, but it took me three weeks because of the immense detail. Also, the translator preferred using French-Latin cognates in English even if these are more rarely used words. For example, the term "sacerdotal" was employed when "priestly" would convey the same idea and be more recognizable to readers. This happened over 100 times. I didn't always consult a dictionary. If I didn't have other responsibilities, I might have taken the opportunity to expand my vocabulary. There were also a lot of technical terms that wouldn't have an easy translation--terms about architecture, court life, ecclesiastical rituals, etc.
THAT BEING SAID, it was very interesting to read Hugo's ideas about medeival Paris as filtered through his 19th century perspective. Hugo waxes poetic and emotional in several passages, going on trajectories that flesh out symbols to a point of near absurdity and often contradicting himself. For example, Quasimodo is the cathedral, Quasimodo is the devil, Quasimodo is a child, Quasimodo is a savior.
It's well worth the time, given that Hugo spend three years doing research and given the reception of the novel. It would be interesting to read scholarly articles that describe which characters are based on historical characters (Louis XI makes some appearances and Nicholas Flamel is discussed frequently, but I have no idea who else may be based on a real person). And I'd like to read literary criticism based on feminism, classism, and ableism. But I have other projects that require my attention. I would at least like to rewatch the 1939 film since it's been about 40 years since I've last viewed that!
Yes, there is an adventure story in this novel, but it's really confined to the last 100 pages. What comes before is a product of three years of research Hugo conducted before drafting his novel. The novel has detailed descriptions of how Paris developed into three sections, how architecture in Europe traces its roots back to Greece, how the Cathedral of Notre-Dame has evolved over the years by frequent additions and remodeling, and how the social structures of 15th century France were constituted by castes/hierarchies: royals/nobles, clerics, scholars, merchants, and the underclass.
I thought I would read this novel over a week, but it took me three weeks because of the immense detail. Also, the translator preferred using French-Latin cognates in English even if these are more rarely used words. For example, the term "sacerdotal" was employed when "priestly" would convey the same idea and be more recognizable to readers. This happened over 100 times. I didn't always consult a dictionary. If I didn't have other responsibilities, I might have taken the opportunity to expand my vocabulary. There were also a lot of technical terms that wouldn't have an easy translation--terms about architecture, court life, ecclesiastical rituals, etc.
THAT BEING SAID, it was very interesting to read Hugo's ideas about medeival Paris as filtered through his 19th century perspective. Hugo waxes poetic and emotional in several passages, going on trajectories that flesh out symbols to a point of near absurdity and often contradicting himself. For example, Quasimodo is the cathedral, Quasimodo is the devil, Quasimodo is a child, Quasimodo is a savior.
It's well worth the time, given that Hugo spend three years doing research and given the reception of the novel. It would be interesting to read scholarly articles that describe which characters are based on historical characters (Louis XI makes some appearances and Nicholas Flamel is discussed frequently, but I have no idea who else may be based on a real person). And I'd like to read literary criticism based on feminism, classism, and ableism. But I have other projects that require my attention. I would at least like to rewatch the 1939 film since it's been about 40 years since I've last viewed that!
If your only basis for understanding the story of the Hunchback is the Disney version, be prepared to confront a rude awakening. Disney's been taking the teeth out of fairy tales and stories for longer than my generation has been alive. They make stories safe, they make monsters bearable; you know there will be a happily ever after. It's Disney. Hugo's story is dark and twisted, and one has to endure long passages waxing poetic about the architecture and the construction of the city unrelated to the story. It's like contending with thick bits of gristle to get to the meaty story beneath, but once done, it is well worth it. There is a lot of Latin phrasing, and in the DailyLit.com version, not all of it is translated, so keep your internet handy. There were times when it felt draggy, but the romance and tragedy were not trivialized and the conclusion was sad, but fitting and fulfilling. I'm not entirely sure where in the story it happened, but I became enthralled with the story and I was happy that I hadn't been reading my emails in a timely fashion, so I had several to burn through at once. I enjoyed it, but I don't think I need to take up room on my shelf with the dead tree version. A digital copy will work just fine. (And it's free...)