The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Victor Hugo
Format: Paperback (others available)
Pages: 429
Rating: 5 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads, we cannot live without you): In the vaulted Gothic towers of Notre-Dame lives Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bellringer. Mocked and shunned for his appearance, he is pitied only by Esmerelda, a beautiful gypsy dancer to whom he becomes completely devoted. Esmerelda, however, has also attracted the attention of the sinister archdeacon Claude Frollo, and when she rejects his lecherous approaches, Frollo hatches a plot to destroy her that only Quasimodo can prevent. Victor Hugo's sensational, evocative novel brings life to the medieval Paris he loved, and mourns its passing in one of the greatest historical romances of the nineteenth century.

My Thoughts: I feel bad saying anything bad about Victor Hugo. It's not that I want to. As far as classics go it is one of the better ones. I found it, for the most part, easy to understand. As I got closer to the end, the more into the story I found myself. Sometimes, though, I didn't have a clue what was going on. The story was told from many perspectives and we knew more than just what they were thinking. Also, I thought that a lot of the detail describing Paris could have been skipped but it's his book; he can do what he wants. In the beginning I was worried that I would end up putting the book down. It started a little slow for my taste. 

It kills me what Disney does to stories. This wasn't like the Disney movie at all. I'm glad I read it and discovered that. It is a lot more heart-breaking than the child's version. Actually, I'm kind of sad right now. Why does Disney hate us so much?

Final Thoughts: The only way to get the real, original story is to read it. This is one of the easier classics to follow so if you want to try one but not sure which you might be able to actually finish, this one might be a good place to start.