Reviews

L'ultimo giorno di un condannato a morte by Adèle Foucher Hugo, Victor Hugo

leepa's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

dragonsandfoxes's review against another edition

2.0

Belki de çok büyük beklentilerle başladığım içindir bilmiyorum ama maalesef hayal kırıklığına uğradım. Yıllardır herkesin bu kitabın ne kadar güzel olduğuyla ilgili sözlerini dinlemiş biri olarak okuyunca beklediğim kadar etkilenmedim fakat mahkûmun hayat hakkında söylediği şeyler bağ kurduğum cümleler oldu. Suçunun nasıl işlendiğini, neler olup bittiğini öğrenememek ise içimdeki merakı daha da alevlendirdi. Buna rağmen sevdiğim bir kitap oldu, tam anlamıyla bir "klasik."

lisalit's review against another edition

4.0

Yes it is well written and when you know that this book participated to the end of the death penalty in France you get why it got so highly praised. That being said though, I did not feel much when reading it. I was not touched by the main character's fate and even if some chapters were elegantly written I was overall happy that this book was not hundreds of pages long.
I still enjoyed reading it and being thrown back into that era when people lived very different lives. I like travelling through books. For some parts, I wish it was longer, describing more things about how they lived, his social interactions were short as well, I wished they were longer. Funny enough, I think I will still be thinking about this book later on and I will probably appreciate it more the second time I read it.

hstapp's review against another edition

3.0

Hugo is very good at characters. This book is probably the most accessible of his works. The language is pretty simple and easy to read, and there are know long convoluted sides that take us away from the story. It's very focused. Hugo's preface to the book is quite difficult to parse through, however so if you're not interested in reading many pages of why he's against the death penalty in a non-fictional way. Maybe skip that part. I also didn't find the play toward the end particularly valuable.

baybod's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really liked this. It took a strong stance and acknowledged it’s purpose. I felt the introduction was very effective in setting the stage for the story and also emphasized Hugo’s intentions in writing the book. The use of a short play to transition into the novel was creative and effective. The story itself was moving. There were some great quotes and reflections. I particularly enjoyed his reflections on how the death penalty always punishes the innocent in some way. I also appreciated his reflections on the king as he was awaiting his execution. Very well written and effective book.

belrodrigues's review against another edition

4.0

"além disso, o que me oferece a vida para que eu lamente tanto ser privado dela?"

ziggy_2112's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nathegz's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

regina_phalange13's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

sophiefrancoiselucie's review against another edition

5.0

"Et puis, on ne souffre pas, en sont-ils sûrs ? Qui le leur a dit ? Conte-t-on que jamais une tête coupée se soit dressée sanglante au bord du panier, et qu'elle ait crié au peuple : Cela ne fait pas de mal !
Y a-t-il des morts de leur façon qui soient venus les remercier et leur dire : C'est bien inventé. Tenez-vous-en là. La mécanique est bonne."