Paris, 1482. The beautiful gypsy dancer Esmeralda attracts the attention of three men: Claude Frollo, the archdeacon of Notre-Dame, who is torn between religion and desire; Quasimodo, the deaf, hunchbacked bell-ringer whom Frollo raised; and Captain Phoebus, a handsome soldier. When Frollo's obsession turns violent, Esmeralda is accused of a crime, and Quasimodo tries to protect her by giving her sanctuary in the cathedral. Victor Hugo's novel is also a love letter to the Gothic cathedral and medieval Paris, with long chapters about architecture and the city's streets. It helped inspire the restoration of the building.
It suits readers who enjoy large nineteenth-century novels with dramatic plots and rich setting. If you only know the story from adaptations, the book offers a darker, more political and more architectural experience.
Deep and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2002
- Publisher
- Gallimard
- ISBN
- 9782070422524
- Language
- FR
