The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Apr 19, 2007 Suvi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: _book-shelf, _france, cities_paris, 1800s, novels, _to-reread

Not as good as Les Mis but great nevertheless. Though the passages about medieval Paris architecture may only interest those who adore the city or architecture in general. I personally loved the whole package. The characters are legendary and one of the best ever invented.

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Aug 15, 2012 M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, interlibrary-ownership

To be honest, the novel is highly unbalanced: some parts are amazing and some parts are either a chore to get through (I take my medieval architecture lectures only in brief chapters, please) or very mediocre. However, Hugo had a point to get across to his contemporary readers: he was trying to save what was left of medieval Paris and thought the best way to do it was by linking the buildings to a moving story. And he managed to be snarky even while writing verbose descriptions, so I think moder To be honest, the novel is highly unbalanced: some parts are amazing and some parts are either a chore to get through (I take my medieval architecture lectures only in brief chapters, please) or very mediocre. However, Hugo had a point to get across to his contemporary readers: he was trying to save what was left of medieval Paris and thought the best way to do it was by linking the buildings to a moving story. And he managed to be snarky even while writing verbose descriptions, so I think modern readers can forgive those long chapters. Moving on.

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Victor Hugo completely tricked me into a brilliant, moving tale of despair full of unforgettable and complex characters. There isn't a single character which can be designated as good-willed and compassionate, nor is there a completely evil villain. My unquestionable favorite is Dom Claude Frollo, which remembered me to Don Fermín de Pas (from La Regenta / The Regent's Wife). All of them suffer from impositions beyond their control, but with enough free will to be able to change their situation. Sadly, no one does. These are characters that truly act in character, if that makes sense. ...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Bradley rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This tale makes me recall a fascinating college course. I believe it was Western Art that mentioned many of the wonderful buildings of fine architecture throughout Europe. A good dose of history went into the class too. This classy novel dragged me kicking and screaming into mediveal Paris. This author definitely knew his setting and hammers your intellect until you get his point of view.

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