The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

From what I remember of the Disney movie (which I remember pretty well) there was about one scene that matched anything from the source novel by Victor Hugo. As I read the book, I wondered periodically, “How did the screenwriters at Disney make that movie out of this book?”

The novel is about a third of the length of Hugo’s Les Miserable, and by comparison, a walk in the park!

The story is mainly about four people: Quasimodo the Hunchback, Frollo the bishop, Esmerelda the kind gypsy girl, and the soldier Phoebus, all amid the backdrop of the cathedral Notre Dame.

This book, like Les Miserables, is truly about its characters. They deal with love, lust, faith, revenge, forgiveness, and not everyone is all good. Quasimodo is deafened by the bells he rings, and can’t trust anyone to be kind to him; Frollo is losing his religious faith and is obsessed with the young Esmerelda; Phoebus is a womanizing scoundrel (who is also engaged!); and Esmerelda is so smitten with unreturned love for Phoebus that she would give up everything to be with him. 

These  character studies are beautiful, though tragic, and some of the ridiculous (though still realistic) choices that take place make the reader want to yell through the pages at the characters. Even at 185 years old, this novel will make you think of how humanity deals with each other and how it carries out justice. Amid all of this, there is some comic relief, especially with the poet/philosopher Gringoire.

The writing is a lot easier and straight forward than Les Miserables, and if you read this book with the mentality of it being completely new, without ever thinking of the other adaptations, and you’ll love it.