Customer Reviews

Penguin Classics Notre Dame Of Paris

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This is one of those "masterpieces of literature" one always hears about but never gets around to reading (unless forced to in high-school!). Hugo was never required reading in any of my high-school English classes, so finally, after recently visiting Paris and seeing Notre Dame for myself, I felt obliged to read Hugo's novel. Over the course of a few weeks, and some wistfully long rainy days, I became enthralled with Hugo's seemingly eye-witness acccount of 15th century Paris. The most developed character of all is of course, the cathedral, and Hugo devotes whole chapters to its history. Another chapter on the invention of the printing press is fascinating not only for its historical value, but Hugo's comparisons to architecture, the middle-ages, and society. The highly symbolic character of Esmeralda, who takes refuge in Notre Dame's walls, is the "other" protagonist of the novel, and the object of both the repressed Claude Frollo, and the grotesque, Quasimodo. She falls tragically in love with Phoebus de Chateaupers, a typically arrogant and callous soldier who treats her like a prostitute (i.e. Mary Magdalene). The characters of Jehan Frollo (Claude's brother), and the destitute poet Pierre Gringoire, are enjoyable to follow throughout the story, which weaves in and around the streets surrounding the dominating towers of Notre Dame (which all visitors are obliged to climb after reading this beautiful novel for just as beautiful views of Paris).

Without giving away the story or ending, I'll just say that despite having known about this story all these years, it held many surprises and interesting scenes for me. Understanding that Hugo is a quintessential 19th Century Romantic, the reader will encounter two different worlds in one here, as Hugo creates a 19th Century gothic romance using exquisite research and detail from the late 15th Century. His general commentaries on architecture and history are worth reading in themselves. Without being overly dry or pedantic, Hugo manages to convey the importance of historical preservation (the popularity of this book was greatly responsible for refurbishing Notre Dame to its present well-being), as well as creating an enthralling, imaginative human story which is accessible to every reader throughout time. Esmeralda & Notre Dame (strangely, not Quasimodo, "the Hunchback") remain the most memorable and haunting characters to me. Overall, Notre Dame is an impressive accomplishment, especially for a story with an edifice as its central character!

This novel is so well-written that I'm giving it five stars despite the fact that I wasn't greatly impressed with the plot. Hugo's penchant for digressing from the story and thoroughly engaging the reader in various discourses is perhaps the most brilliant aspect of his style. In Notre-Dame the educated layman gets convincing arguments in several subjects: philosophy, religion, science, human temperaments, architecture, justice, and others. On top of all that you get a good deal of humor. Quasimodo's trial before the deaf judge had me rolling on the floor.

You may have seen a play or the Disney movie based on this novel. These productions are by necessity abridged down to the bare plot. Unfortunately, the plot is really not what earns this title entry into the annals of the classics. On its own merits, the story is rather absorbing (and tragic) but replete with random coincidences that are often crucial to the progress of the tale but detract from its believability and by extension the likelihood of total immersion. For example, Phoebus's appearance near the end of the chapter "The Little Shoe" is a contrived coincidence. Events like these make the plot itself more suitable for teens than for adults. Thirty-one years later Hugo would use similar plot devices in the otherwise wonderful Les Miserables.

There's really not much else to say. Notre-Dame is one of the finest classics ever written. You're surely missing out if you haven't read it!

Having little knowlegde of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I failed to realize how drastically different the Disney version was from reality. The story does not focus on a loveable hunchback who finds happiness in the end, rather it is about the cathedral itself. The action and characters all feed off of Notre Dame and represent its values, but they are merely secondary aspects of the book. It is also a violent, depressing, and sometimes even erotic book, none of which of course comes through in a Disney movie.

Many things make this book an incredible read. The most obvious is the incredible prose. Hugo was a beautiful writer and his writing flows so smoothly. He also described with incredible detail the Paris of the late 15th century--the city's skyline, its culture, some of the notable people, and the issues of the day. He spent three years researching the book and he turned his noted into an historical epic. Finally, the action and characters of the book are well developed, exciting, and unique while still representing the values and controversies Hugo wanted to explore.

I originally picked this book up when I was in the 7th grade and was unable to make it more than 20 pages without giving up in frustration, but having more knowlegde of European history, a greater appreciation for literature, and more patience with a book that admittedly starts slowly, I am very glad I came back to it. I don't think this is a book that a young reader will find interesting--though the story itself is great so an abridged version would keep them reading--but any fan of great literature, beautiful prose, French history, architecture, or Victor Hugo will love this book if they give it a chance and do sit patiently while it revs up for 30-40 pages. I highly recommend it.

If you've only seen the film adaptations of this story, for heaven's sake read this jewel of a book! Hugo's ability to see into the hearts of people, especially those in states of degradation, is unequalled. His style, even in translation, is immensely powerful. The scene between Claude and Esmeralda in the dungeon is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking bits of writing I have ever come across.

This is one of the greatest love stories ever written.

After ignoring this book for all my life since the story is so well-known I finally read it since it is written, after all, by the great Victor Hugo. I knew that it was not about the hunchback but rather about Notre-Dame itself (as the correct translation of its original title indicates) but still this novel really took me by surprise - at times I was wondering if it was in fact the novel all the movies are based on. Although the plot develops at a fast pace from the start, there are chapters which some readers might find lengthy or oddly out-of-place, such as the very detailed description of the cathedral and the view of Paris from it, or the discourse on how books kill architecture. But it is so beautifully written that I did not mind this in the least bit. Another critizicm often is that Hugo uses too many adjectives to describe one noun, but this is exactly what makes this book so highly enjoyable - a firework display of Hugo's literary brilliance. To top this off, the book is also very witty and entertaining at times, despite its dismal subject. I found myself reading entire pages several times because I enjoyed them so much. This is a much under-appreciated book. Please do not let the fact that it has been "disney-fied" deter you from reading it!

This book is perfect. Victor Hugo's descriptions are so vivid. The story is great too. It's so tragic.