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mollyridley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Apparently Victor Hugo won't allow anyone in Paris to have a nice life.
Picking this book up was a long time coming. I finally got around to it and I'm pleasantly surprised, though it's far from being my favourite gothic classic.
The book has a few issues, pretty much all of which come down to the age of the work. Ableism, racism and misogyny run rampant from everybody, including the characters we're meant to be rooting for. Esmeralda, bless her soul, can't catch a break and is continually harassed, assaulted and is almost raped twice, already hard to read and becoming harder whenever she's referred to as a "child" or "girl" because mind you, she's only 16. The way her and specifically her body are discussed is deeply uncomfortable through today's lense.
But I could forgive that, because when reading classics you can't compare their sensibilities and social awareness to now (though it is important to learn from them). What I struggled the most with is the pacing, which would be going by nicely before grinding to a stop because we get two chapters describing the layout of Paris. At this point the fact that Victor will have been paid by the word becomes very apparent. The most frustrating part was that on a sentence by sentence level, the writing was beautiful and clear and vibrant. It just went on for far too long and always jumped in just when the plot was starting to pop off.
But I did finish the book, and I do think if you're interested then it's worth reading. Claude Frollo remains one of the most unnerving and chilling villains that I've ever read, a man sunken so deep into obsession that he is unwilling to accept no for an answer and then blames his victim for it, which leaves his character feeling eerily current. Gringoire is amusing and makes for good comic relief. The writing is genuinely beautiful and funny and gives interesting social commentary, some of which strikes home even to this day.
Despite the name, the book really isn't about Quasimodo. He's a secondary victim in the plot and has the misfortune of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time from the second he was born. He's given a surprising amount of humanity as the book progresses but in fairness the bar was set very low. A disabled character in a book written so long ago is never going to age well, but he could have been characterized a whole lot worse I guess?
Overall: A decent gothic classic with themes that are surprising in their relevancy, yet also as you might expect, very difficult to read in places due to a combination of heavy handed writing and things now considered problematic. I think if you take it with a fistful of salt you'll find a lot to like within this book. It isn't one I'll be likely to revisit anytime soon however.
Picking this book up was a long time coming. I finally got around to it and I'm pleasantly surprised, though it's far from being my favourite gothic classic.
The book has a few issues, pretty much all of which come down to the age of the work. Ableism, racism and misogyny run rampant from everybody, including the characters we're meant to be rooting for. Esmeralda, bless her soul, can't catch a break and is continually harassed, assaulted and is almost raped twice, already hard to read and becoming harder whenever she's referred to as a "child" or "girl" because mind you, she's only 16. The way her and specifically her body are discussed is deeply uncomfortable through today's lense.
But I could forgive that, because when reading classics you can't compare their sensibilities and social awareness to now (though it is important to learn from them). What I struggled the most with is the pacing, which would be going by nicely before grinding to a stop because we get two chapters describing the layout of Paris. At this point the fact that Victor will have been paid by the word becomes very apparent. The most frustrating part was that on a sentence by sentence level, the writing was beautiful and clear and vibrant. It just went on for far too long and always jumped in just when the plot was starting to pop off.
But I did finish the book, and I do think if you're interested then it's worth reading. Claude Frollo remains one of the most unnerving and chilling villains that I've ever read, a man sunken so deep into obsession that he is unwilling to accept no for an answer and then blames his victim for it, which leaves his character feeling eerily current. Gringoire is amusing and makes for good comic relief. The writing is genuinely beautiful and funny and gives interesting social commentary, some of which strikes home even to this day.
Despite the name, the book really isn't about Quasimodo. He's a secondary victim in the plot and has the misfortune of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time from the second he was born. He's given a surprising amount of humanity as the book progresses but in fairness the bar was set very low. A disabled character in a book written so long ago is never going to age well, but he could have been characterized a whole lot worse I guess?
Overall: A decent gothic classic with themes that are surprising in their relevancy, yet also as you might expect, very difficult to read in places due to a combination of heavy handed writing and things now considered problematic. I think if you take it with a fistful of salt you'll find a lot to like within this book. It isn't one I'll be likely to revisit anytime soon however.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
benna_21's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment
loony_moon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Eu achei o livro, na verdade, bem deprimente e isso não faz com que eu não queira ter lido. Eu acho que me agregou alguma coisa, mas não é das minhas preferências de leitura.
O Corcunda de Notre-Dame é um livro que realmente deixa a desejar, porque é complicado dizer que os personagens são diversos, porque na verdade eles são muito caricatos, apesar de terem funções e vidas diferentes. E isso forma um grupo, uma dinâmica muito fechada e que não agrada muito a um leitor mais voraz. Por outro lado, o livro é muito bem escrito e ele tem o típico ar que os clássicos trazem, de enxergar algo pelos olhos de outra pessoa que pode te agregar alguma coisa.
O livro tem uma complicação em dizer também que o livro se trate das falhas do Corcunda de Notre-Dame porque se chama o CORCUNDA de Notre-Dame. Mas, ao mesmo tempo, o Corcunda é o menos problemático ali. E isso não tem qualquer senso de adequação social. E para outros livros, eu diria que isso é um critério para dizer que o personagem não tem habilidades às quais vamos tratar. Mas, nesse livro, acaba sendo o menor de todos os problemas, uma vez que seu mentor é mesquinho e punitivo de "falhas" que não são realmente falhas. A cigana é apresentada o tempo todo com uma alta sexualidade que destrói até o mais nobre dos homens por ser "coisa demoníaca", e o herói é um homem superficial que só está lá para cumprir o papel de salvar o dia.
Só que são essas falhas que também nos mostram o quão valioso esse livro pode ser, tratado como uma completa alegoria à função da igreja, o papel do homem branco rico na época em que foi escrito o livro assim como eram vistos os outros povos retratados pelos ciganos apartados da sociedade e os homens "pobres e tolos" vistos no corcunda, que eram jogados de um lado para o outro conforme os desejos das grandes massas. Como eu disse antes, não é meu estilo de livro, é justamente por eu ver as qualidades nele eu posso dizer que realmente é um bom livro, já que normalmente eu evito esse tipo de obra.
O Corcunda de Notre-Dame é um livro que realmente deixa a desejar, porque é complicado dizer que os personagens são diversos, porque na verdade eles são muito caricatos, apesar de terem funções e vidas diferentes. E isso forma um grupo, uma dinâmica muito fechada e que não agrada muito a um leitor mais voraz. Por outro lado, o livro é muito bem escrito e ele tem o típico ar que os clássicos trazem, de enxergar algo pelos olhos de outra pessoa que pode te agregar alguma coisa.
O livro tem uma complicação em dizer também que o livro se trate das falhas do Corcunda de Notre-Dame porque se chama o CORCUNDA de Notre-Dame. Mas, ao mesmo tempo, o Corcunda é o menos problemático ali. E isso não tem qualquer senso de adequação social. E para outros livros, eu diria que isso é um critério para dizer que o personagem não tem habilidades às quais vamos tratar. Mas, nesse livro, acaba sendo o menor de todos os problemas, uma vez que seu mentor é mesquinho e punitivo de "falhas" que não são realmente falhas. A cigana é apresentada o tempo todo com uma alta sexualidade que destrói até o mais nobre dos homens por ser "coisa demoníaca", e o herói é um homem superficial que só está lá para cumprir o papel de salvar o dia.
Só que são essas falhas que também nos mostram o quão valioso esse livro pode ser, tratado como uma completa alegoria à função da igreja, o papel do homem branco rico na época em que foi escrito o livro assim como eram vistos os outros povos retratados pelos ciganos apartados da sociedade e os homens "pobres e tolos" vistos no corcunda, que eram jogados de um lado para o outro conforme os desejos das grandes massas. Como eu disse antes, não é meu estilo de livro, é justamente por eu ver as qualidades nele eu posso dizer que realmente é um bom livro, já que normalmente eu evito esse tipo de obra.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, and Xenophobia
Minor: Abandonment
m1neava's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Racial slurs, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Classism
maiahhtratchh's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I’ve always wondered how this book got turned into a Disney movie and passed all the different layers of people to become produced… and then I read it. There is no way ANY sane person can get through and read this book. It made me feel illiterate. I don’t know what happened. Supposedly a chapter was not in the original publication and was viewed at the time to not add anything to the story… honestly that could be ANY of the chapters. I’ll stick to the Disney movie and musical from now on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Cannibalism
Harmful racialized tropescambrand's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Hugo's "Notre-Dame de Paris" is the first French Romantic novel and a great representation of it. The original title represents the story better than "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame", given the the cathedral is the real center point and symbol of his novel rather than Quasimodo. A great illustration of middle-ages France - its people, politics, religion, and architecture. If you're reading this book based on the Disney's movie, you might be disappointed. Knocking off a star because of the mixed narration in the book that shifts from novel to almost essay-like in some chapters. I'm sorry to say Frollo is actually the most interesting character and Esmeralda is actually painfully boring and mildly infuriating. Phoebus isn't a knight in shining armor and Quasimodo is somehow both heroic and pathetic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Murder
danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you’ve not read the book and you think you know the story, you don’t. There’s never been an entirely accurate adaptation. A deeply felt and deeply charged story about xenophobia, fear of the future, and both of their deadly intersection with politics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
voyage_of_a_time_wanderer's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
sarah_speaks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
seullywillikers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.0
I'm not sure how to rate a book like this. It is obviously a classic, and for very good reason. It is funny, dark, sad, and suspenseful. But I find it very hard to enjoy something so filled with racism, sexism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and ableism. Overall, I'm glad to have read it. I'm also fairly amazed at how much the Disney movie kept from the original story-it actually follows the book pretty closely. And, as tragedies are such an important part of human story-telling, this one is true to form.
At times I wasn't sure if the author was denouncing all the above-mentioned isms, or agreeing with them. Maybe both, for different things? I'm not sure. I'll give this a star rating to reflect my enjoyment of the reading, and not so much to reflect that it is a classic. When reading stories like this I try to maintain cultural relativism-it is not my time, my culture, my society, therefore I can't judge it the same way I would my contemporary stories, even as I disagree with so much of the wrongs of that time and place.
Ultimately, I'm glad to have read it.
At times I wasn't sure if the author was denouncing all the above-mentioned isms, or agreeing with them. Maybe both, for different things? I'm not sure. I'll give this a star rating to reflect my enjoyment of the reading, and not so much to reflect that it is a classic. When reading stories like this I try to maintain cultural relativism-it is not my time, my culture, my society, therefore I can't judge it the same way I would my contemporary stories, even as I disagree with so much of the wrongs of that time and place.
Ultimately, I'm glad to have read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism