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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3.75 stars. Hugo really knows how to write a story but he also tends to go off script for long painful pages about things that do nothing to carry forward the story. I'll probably try to find the Disney movie which I haven't seen in at least 25 years as I kept remembering tiny flashes while reading this.
10/26/15-got to page 65 and just couldn't go any further. :/ It's just too long and dull.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's a classic for a reason
WOW, what an amazing novel. I loved every minute of it. I also believe it to simply be the French version of Frankenstein
The translator has done an excellent job of the translation. Of course, Hugo’s writing itself is fantastic. You really feel for the characters; there is a real humanness and empathy to them.
Where the book falls a bit flat for me is in the architecture descriptions and fleshing out of really incidental scenes. I am aware that it is part of the Gothic/Romantic style that he was writing this in, but I feel like some of this “fleshing out” really slows the story’s pace towards the end. Overall, though, worth the read!
Where the book falls a bit flat for me is in the architecture descriptions and fleshing out of really incidental scenes. I am aware that it is part of the Gothic/Romantic style that he was writing this in, but I feel like some of this “fleshing out” really slows the story’s pace towards the end. Overall, though, worth the read!
Technically 4.5, but worth rounding up.
I definitely encourage getting an edition with notes in the back, especially because of the Latin and French lines if you don't speak those languages. That was a big help reading this one.
While I will always love the Disney version, the book, as usual, blows it out of the water! The charaters are more complex and they have so much more background to their stories. I wish some of it hadn't been cut, especially Esmeralda's, but when you're trying to make this appropriate for all ages, what can you do? (Other than make kids read this when they're older)
The lost half-star is for the chapters chronicling the history of Parisian architecture. I understand why Victor Hugo included it, but I was already too interested in the characters by the time I got there, and I was starting to get a little impatient to get back to them about midway through that part.
I definitely encourage getting an edition with notes in the back, especially because of the Latin and French lines if you don't speak those languages. That was a big help reading this one.
While I will always love the Disney version, the book, as usual, blows it out of the water! The charaters are more complex and they have so much more background to their stories. I wish some of it hadn't been cut, especially Esmeralda's, but when you're trying to make this appropriate for all ages, what can you do? (Other than make kids read this when they're older)
The lost half-star is for the chapters chronicling the history of Parisian architecture. I understand why Victor Hugo included it, but I was already too interested in the characters by the time I got there, and I was starting to get a little impatient to get back to them about midway through that part.
As an introduction to classic French literature, this novel seems to be ideal. A common trope in this type of literature is the idea that the story is not fiction but rather a retelling of an actual event. Acclimating yourself to this narrative structure might take a little time as will the language and general narration, but that is true for all "classic" literature. While you might be tempted to give up the story in the first fifty pages or so, I would encourage you to stick with it. The narration can become a bit too overwhelming with its intense focus on Parisian geography and architecture, but all that takes on new meaning if you realize the Hugo was writing this in the midst of the French Revolution when he feared that rowdy crowds would destroy the Notre Dame Cathedral. His novel was an attempt to draw attention to the history and beauty that surrounded them.
In terms of the plot, it introduces us to one of the most despicable villains in literature--Claude Frollo. The heroine Esmeralda is sympathetic but can also come across as child-like and naïve, but you must remember that she is only fifteen years old. Phoebus is not much more than a plot device. And then there is Quasimodo, the titular character of the novel whose actions drive some of the major and most moving moments of the novel. Be aware that Hugo often spends chapters discussing one or two characters and then returning to the others so there will be long stretches where characters seem to disappear. He always, though, brings it all back together.
Finally, the greatest love story of the novel is that between Gringoire and Djali. They have the greatest ending of any of the characters, but I'll leave you to discover that story.
In terms of the plot, it introduces us to one of the most despicable villains in literature--Claude Frollo. The heroine Esmeralda is sympathetic but can also come across as child-like and naïve, but you must remember that she is only fifteen years old. Phoebus is not much more than a plot device. And then there is Quasimodo, the titular character of the novel whose actions drive some of the major and most moving moments of the novel. Be aware that Hugo often spends chapters discussing one or two characters and then returning to the others so there will be long stretches where characters seem to disappear. He always, though, brings it all back together.
Finally, the greatest love story of the novel is that between Gringoire and Djali. They have the greatest ending of any of the characters, but I'll leave you to discover that story.
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really loved the story but sometimes the author described everything in too much detail
This book was so good I started reading it after the fire at the church at Notre Dame I always wanted to read it but kept putting it off, the fire kind of kick-started my passion to want to read it. Im happy that I did it seems to be a trend with me books that I put off reading end up being the best books. The book started off slow but only because the author really set interest in describing the architecture and structures of the majority of the churches and buildings of the city. There was a lot of character development and little details that frustrated me at first but I appreciate now. It took me a long time to get through the book because of the slow start to the story but once it picked up speed it was so interesting. I'm happy I finally got around the reading this book. I enjoyed the plot twists and turns and how everything finished up nicely.