theresa_glover 's review for:

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo

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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...)