ronja234's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Violence, Classism, and Hate crime
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: Misogyny, Classism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Abandonment, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Cannibalism
Harmful racialized tropesviviuhler's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death, and Violence
brutusbloch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Es hat eine Weile gedauert, dass ich mich daran gewöhnt habe, dass Victor Hugo den Leser immer Mal wieder direkt anspricht. Aber dann fand ich seinen Schreibstil fantastisch.
Es beginnt auch sehr langsam, was damit zusammenhängt, dass ca. 1/3 des Buches für den Plot komplett irrelevant ist und sich hauptsächlich im Beginn des Buches abhandelt. Das hängt natürlich mit der Liebe von Hugo zu Paris und vor allem Notre Dame zusammen.
Meiner Meinung nach ist es ein unglaublich gutes Buch, kein schönes Buch, sehr verstörend, aber wirklich, wirklich gut. Wenn auch etwas vorhersehbar.
Ohne den leider sehr hervorstechenden Gadjé-Rassismus und Ableismus, die dem Plot zugrunde liegen, wären es vlt. sogar 5 Sterne gewesen.
Es beginnt auch sehr langsam, was damit zusammenhängt, dass ca. 1/3 des Buches für den Plot komplett irrelevant ist und sich hauptsächlich im Beginn des Buches abhandelt. Das hängt natürlich mit der Liebe von Hugo zu Paris und vor allem Notre Dame zusammen.
Meiner Meinung nach ist es ein unglaublich gutes Buch, kein schönes Buch, sehr verstörend, aber wirklich, wirklich gut. Wenn auch etwas vorhersehbar.
Ohne den leider sehr hervorstechenden Gadjé-Rassismus und Ableismus, die dem Plot zugrunde liegen, wären es vlt. sogar 5 Sterne gewesen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Racism
Moderate: Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
displeased_ghoooost's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
impla77's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Phoebus is a fuckboy wbk. Also Hugo loves to go off on a random tangent.
at least djali got a happy ending
at least djali got a happy ending
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping
sarasreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
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
3.5
I attempted to read this as a teenager and quit when I reached a point that was absolutely bogged down with architecture description. I don't judge younger me at all for quitting. It was so boring and had no bearing on the rest of the book at all. If you're into dozens of pages of description about 1400s Paris, boy do I have the book for you!
About halfway through it finally started picking up, and it became a mostly unputdownable book for me, which was a lovely surprise!
Other things that were a surprise:
1. Playwrite marries the prettiest girl in Paris, literally only cares about her goat and basically elopes with it by the end, leaving the 16 year old in the clutches of a total pedo.
2. Phoebus was a bigger douchebag than Frollo, change my mind. At least Frollo was mildly conflicted. "Oh she's been charged for my murder but had nothing to do with the attack I'm still totally alive and well? Eh, let her hang I guess, not my problem." -Phoebus probably.
3. The battle scene in front of the Notre Dame was wild. Probably said "holy crap!" out loud like 7 times.
4. This book is a huge bummer. Towards the end you hope and hope, and then it guts you.
If the first half of the book was much shorter, it would be a 4-4.5 star read for me. I know he was trying to get people to care about older gothic architecture, and the churches specifically, which is probably why we still have the Notre Dame today. So good on him and all, but in the 21st century it's a total snooze fest lol
About halfway through it finally started picking up, and it became a mostly unputdownable book for me, which was a lovely surprise!
Other things that were a surprise:
Spoiler
1. Playwrite marries the prettiest girl in Paris, literally only cares about her goat and basically elopes with it by the end, leaving the 16 year old in the clutches of a total pedo.
2. Phoebus was a bigger douchebag than Frollo, change my mind. At least Frollo was mildly conflicted. "Oh she's been charged for my murder but had nothing to do with the attack I'm still totally alive and well? Eh, let her hang I guess, not my problem." -Phoebus probably.
3. The battle scene in front of the Notre Dame was wild. Probably said "holy crap!" out loud like 7 times.
4. This book is a huge bummer. Towards the end you hope and hope, and then it guts you.
If the first half of the book was much shorter, it would be a 4-4.5 star read for me. I know he was trying to get people to care about older gothic architecture, and the churches specifically, which is probably why we still have the Notre Dame today. So good on him and all, but in the 21st century it's a total snooze fest lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Ableism
Moderate: Torture and Animal death
cambrand'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.
Spoiler
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: Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Torture, Xenophobia, Death, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Ableism
reebeee's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
As with any Hugo novel, if you come to the book expecting it to be like its adaptations, you will be disappointed—the novel is much more interested in depicting a historical place and time than focusing on a particular character or storyline. The biggest surprise for me (who otherwise by and large knew what to expect from Hugo) was how morally ambiguous every character was. It's fascinating to compare with its adaptations and consider what goals and effects various changes had.
Also, there's not a specific content warning label for this but I think it's worth noting that this book contains a repeated accusation of blood libel.
Also, there's not a specific content warning label for this but I think it's worth noting that this book contains a repeated accusation of blood libel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Racial slurs, 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: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Death, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Racial slurs, Body shaming, and Torture
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Confinement
Minor: Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Animal death, Child death, and Abandonment