While Les Miserables may generally be considered Victor Hugo's greatest and most popular work, my favorite by far is The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
There are several reasons why I consider Hunchbank superior to Les Mis. First is that it is a more compact and tightly written story, covering only 6 months compared to the 20+ years of Les Mis. It has all the drama and emotion of Les Mis (more about that below) but without all the verbose divergences for which Les Mis is notorious. While Les Mis is filled with several of Hugo's lengthy discourses on topics having little or nothing to do with the story itself -- and which certainly do not advance the plot at all -- Hunchback has only one such divergence: Hugo's discussion of the architecture of Paris.
Secondly is the setting of Hunchback -- Medieval Paris. I realize this is purely subjective, but for me the color, pageantry and drama of 15th century Paris -- which Hugo illustrates so effectively -- is the most captivating of settings. The superstitions which still had a stronghold on society at that time, and the half-barbaric city which Paris still was, add to the drama and bitter irony of the story.
But for me what truly makes Hunchback the better book is the sheer power of the story itself. This is an action-driven plot from very first paragraph (as opposed to Les Mis which is more thoughtful and contemplative), and Hugo spends only minimal time describing the personalities and backstories of his characters, letting their full aspects emerge as the story progresses. The story is full of all the dark superstition and emotion that makes for a truly Gothic tale, and the misplaced loyalties, betrayals, misunderstandings and bitter irony that fill the tale make it heartwrenching and powerful.
It is curious that the English title of this book focuses on the hunchback, since he is not the main character; one could argue that there is no single main character at all. However, Quasimodo is the only truly good, selfless character and the only one who manages to not lose the reader's sympathy by the book's end. That the only character who felt true, genuine, unselfish love was a hideously deformed hunchback, a total outcast of society, is perhaps the bitterest irony of all. Hugo's theme of the spider and its web is a perfect capsulation of the tale he spun in The Hunchback.
As in Les Mis, Hugo has crafted a story that probes the darker aspects of human nature. And as with Les Mis, Hunchback is not a happy story with a happy ending. However, unlike the more melancholy sadness of Les Mis, the sadness of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is bitter and acute.
This is my second listen to Hunchback and definitely won't be my last. I highly recommend this captivating classic. Frederick Davidson does a fine narration. He is growing on me since this is the third audio book I've listened to with his narration and I find that with each one the drawing, affected voice with which he speaks is less annoying. He does a fantastic job with character voices, and Hunchback provides the perfect vehicle for this talent. His weakest performance is that of Esmeralda, but I've yet to hear a male narrator who can do a young female voice well. All in all his narration adds color and personality to this already animated story.
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Reviews with images
Beautiful! 😍
Truly a gorgeous book! I love the cover with it's super soft feel and it's pretty design and the inside picture is such a great touch! I love Victor Hugo, but this is one of his that I have never read so I'm looking forward to the read! As I have yet to read it, I cannot rate the story itself, plot or writing of course, but definitely a 5 out of 5 stars for the beautiful book itself and for the perfect condition that it came in! Would make a wonderful gift for any people in your life that love the classics! ❤
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
The only book where I stood up and applauded after reading.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2023
