The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831)

Hugo will never be one of my favorite authors because, while I can tolerate his lengthy digressions, I don't really like them. I found myself surprisingly angry by the end of the book; I guess my tolerance for men obessessed with a woman and making it all her fault has substantially diminished.

It is an excellent book and the characters are all well portrayed - I think it is because Claude Frollo was so believable that he made me so mad! ( )

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo is a historical fiction novel that was originally published in France during 1831. The story is set in Paris during the 15th century and is centred around Quasimodo, a deformed bell ringer and his unrequited love for the beautiful dancer Esmeralda, who believes herself to be a gypsy. These two originally meet at the Feast of Fools where Quasimodo is elected “Pope of the Fools” and then beaten by an angry mob. Esmeralda takes pity on him and offers him a drink of water. Quasimodo immediately falls in love with the girl and decides to devote his life to protecting her.

Esmeralda has other admirers, the evil Archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo and her choice, Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers. Due to Frollo, Esmeralda becomes a suspect in the attempted murder of her love and is arrested, put on trial and sentenced to death after she is forced to falsely confesses to both the murder and to witchcraft. Quasimodo attempts to shelter her in the cathedral but Frollo interferes and Esmeralda is released to the ranting crowd leaving Quasimodo to take his vengeance upon Frollo.

This famous tragedy plays out in one of the enduring symbols of Paris, the Notre Dame Cathedral. Hugo paints a vivid story that also shines a light on life in the 15th century. While the author explores what it meant to be labelled a “monster”, the real star of the book is the historic Gothic architecture that Hugo wanted to see preserved. Although this story has been adapted many times, very few adaptations tell the actual story, most revise the ending to give the audience a happy conclusion.

I have been reading this book on and off since last November by installments and as happy as I am to be able to say that I have completed this read, I can’t say that I really felt involved in the story. I think I brought too many preconceptions with me, and the disjointed reading also played a part in my disconnection from the story. ( )

This book was mentioned on Episode 2 of Checking Out. Listen here!

2019
https://www.librarything.com/topic/306026#6869082 ( )

5 stars, because this books gets a free pass for everything:
* Entire chapters that should have been cut out, like the first two at least,
* comically ludicrous coincidences
* everyone loves the beautiful girl
* the church is unremitting evil, the beautiful gypsy is unremitting good
* every single thing is laid on with a ~~trowel~~ wheelbarrow.
* the mild, only, presence of a plot
* the overwhelming attempt to make everything into a symbol.
* Ok, ok, Notre-Dame had a mystical past. We get it.

It's just so much fun (eventually, when every 10-pages or so something happens) AND it invented the romantic novel at the same time.

So 5 well-deserved stars. ( )