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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
From the introduction: "the three protagonists competing for Esmeralda . . . are the victims of desires that they cannot or do not wish to control (p xvii)."
Firstly, the book was unexpectedly funny in that style where the narrator sounds like he's having a conversation with you. Small, random asides like remarking that Gringoire would give away all the silver in Peru . . . if he had it . . . and if Peru had been discovered yet. Or remarking that he's not going to bother describing this person because he introduced them earlier and surely you remember that elaborate description, right?
One downside was the long digressions. There was a 35 chapter that started by describing the cathedral of Notre Dame and then proceeded to describe Paris. For 35 pages. At another part, Hugo pontificates on why the printing press will destroy the church. Which was interesting but random and didn't really have anything to do with the main plot.
I found the recurring theme of people mistaking some odd or out of the ordinary event for the supernatural interesting. Like early on there's an incident involving a mattress and an aside comment reveals that the people attributed it to the Virgin Mary's intervention, or how Djali is thought to be Esmeralda's familiar spirit rather than a well trained goat. Or even later, how a missing coin is thought to have been magicked away rather than just stolen. Being that this was written well after the (first, I guess?) French Revolution, I wondered if that was meant to make all of the medieval persons look silly and superstitious.
Then, Frollo and some of the other characters from the upper crust are really into alchemy which seems really hypocritical when they want to execute people for witchcraft. I think that medievals would've distinguished between alchemy and witchcraft or sorcery but to my eyes they both seem of the same ilk. And the contrasting of the two in here makes me think that Hugo intended that too.
Firstly, the book was unexpectedly funny in that style where the narrator sounds like he's having a conversation with you. Small, random asides like remarking that Gringoire would give away all the silver in Peru . . . if he had it . . . and if Peru had been discovered yet. Or remarking that he's not going to bother describing this person because he introduced them earlier and surely you remember that elaborate description, right?
One downside was the long digressions. There was a 35 chapter that started by describing the cathedral of Notre Dame and then proceeded to describe Paris. For 35 pages. At another part, Hugo pontificates on why the printing press will destroy the church. Which was interesting but random and didn't really have anything to do with the main plot.
I found the recurring theme of people mistaking some odd or out of the ordinary event for the supernatural interesting. Like early on there's an incident involving a mattress and an aside comment reveals that the people attributed it to the Virgin Mary's intervention, or how Djali is thought to be Esmeralda's familiar spirit rather than a well trained goat. Or even later, how a missing coin is thought to have been magicked away rather than just stolen. Being that this was written well after the (first, I guess?) French Revolution, I wondered if that was meant to make all of the medieval persons look silly and superstitious.
Then, Frollo and some of the other characters from the upper crust are really into alchemy which seems really hypocritical when they want to execute people for witchcraft. I think that medievals would've distinguished between alchemy and witchcraft or sorcery but to my eyes they both seem of the same ilk. And the contrasting of the two in here makes me think that Hugo intended that too.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No início da leitura fiquei algo reticente pelos parágrafos iniciais que, infelizmente, não me cativaram. No entanto, foram a única exceção. Deliciei-me com este livro que me fez viajar no tempo para quando era uma miúda e delirava com o filme. Se na altura já amava o Quasimido, depois do livro, ainda gosto mais dele. É daquelas personagens tão humanas e tão bonitas que transmitem uma mensagem tão importante e especial: as aparências não ditam a pessoa que és. A beleza ultrapassa o aspeto "perfeito". É algo que vem de dentro. Conforme vou crescendo vou percebendo que as pessoas me conquistam mais pelos gestos e este livro retrata na perfeição isso. É romântico sem entrar em clichés. É triste por toda a discriminação, perseguição e humilhação. É satírico por retratar uma sociedade tão medíocre (que funciona em "massa", onde vão atrás uns dos outros), um rei tão ridículo. É histórico por todo o contexto, pelas descrições da catedral e das ruas de Paris. É intemporal, porque a sua mensagem é extremamente pertinente, principalmente nos dias de hoje, em que as redes sociais estimularam uma preocupação pela beleza da aparência. Esta história terá para sempre o meu coração: se, em miúda, descobri o lado mágico, agora, mais adulta, descubro o lado mais humano e real, e fico ainda mais deliciada.
Barely 3 stars. I thought this book would never end.
First, this is not the story of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame I grew up on. Disney lied to us. haha.
A protagonist does not really exist in this story. Its a story full of selfish people looking out for their own interests. I think that is what Victor Hugo was trying to get across though. Hugo published this book 30 or so years after the end of the French Revolution. The Gothic architecture was being torn down and destroyed. Hugo spends half the story focusing on architecture and the difference of the buildings in his present day (1830s) to the time of the story (1480s) He was trying to bring awareness to the beauty and history that was being destroyed. His message caught on and preservation projects were started. This book is what brought Notre-Dame so much notoriety and why it is so famous and treasured today.
I liked the story but not the book, if that makes sense. This book was so disappointing to me after Les Miserables is one of my favorites books ever and I have enjoyed other classical French literature such as The Counte of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.
First, this is not the story of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame I grew up on. Disney lied to us. haha.
A protagonist does not really exist in this story. Its a story full of selfish people looking out for their own interests. I think that is what Victor Hugo was trying to get across though. Hugo published this book 30 or so years after the end of the French Revolution. The Gothic architecture was being torn down and destroyed. Hugo spends half the story focusing on architecture and the difference of the buildings in his present day (1830s) to the time of the story (1480s) He was trying to bring awareness to the beauty and history that was being destroyed. His message caught on and preservation projects were started. This book is what brought Notre-Dame so much notoriety and why it is so famous and treasured today.
I liked the story but not the book, if that makes sense. This book was so disappointing to me after Les Miserables is one of my favorites books ever and I have enjoyed other classical French literature such as The Counte of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense