Product Description

This extraordinary historical novel, set in Medieval Paris under the twin towers of its greatest structure and supreme symbol, the cathedral of Notre-Dame, is the haunting drama of Quasimodo, the hunchback; Esmeralda, the gypsy dancer; and Claude Frollo, the priest tortured by the specter of his own damnation. Shaped by a profound sense of tragic irony, it is a work that gives full play to Victor Hugo's brilliant historical imagination and his remarkable powers of description.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35135 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-01
• Released on: 2001-04-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6?Done in picture-book format, this retelling is, of necessity, reduced to its bare bones, but the essentials of the complex plot have been captured. The pictures, full of action and crowded with scenes of the Parisian mob, the Festival of Fools, and the airy heights of the cathedral are skillfully drawn and colored with pale hues. Quasimodo's crooked figure and distorted face are appropriately repulsive, a foil to Esmeralda's grace and beauty. Middle grade readers familiar with the Disney movie will particularly enjoy this spin-off of the original novel.?Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
The Modern Library here offers a very reasonably priced yet high-quality edition of Hugo's classic.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (40 pp.; $15.95; Sept. 1997; 0-531- 30055-2): A storybook retelling of Hugo's classic of the lonely bellringer and his hopeless love for the beautiful gypsy girl, Esmerelda, whom he rescues from hanging and the evil archdeacon Dom Frollo and reunites with her mother. While remaining relatively faithful to the original, this version from Wynne- Jones (The Maestro, 1996, etc.) is always competent, but never compelling. Slavin creates lovely illustrations, but his pale washes leave even the most festive scenes sedate. The volume lacks power or emotion; adults seeking an alternative--any alternative--to the Disney film may find that this one hardly competes for the hearts and minds of the target audience. (Fiction. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

A Delightful Read
This delightful novel has rekindled my desire to read or re-read the classics. I picked it up for no particular reason other than I had never read Hugo. I didn't expect much: My experience with the classics in high school and college was that they are dull and not worthy of modern reading. But, to my pleasant surprise, I discovered a fascinating book that is rich in wonderful characters and vivid descriptions of 13th century Paris. This is a very good book and it's easy to see why it has stood the test of time.

Notre Dame de Paris -- C'est perfect!
After a recent trip to Paris with my son on a business trip, I decided it was crazy that I had been to Paris and inside Notre Dame so often yet had not read this classic novel. As someone who loves modern Paris, this book captivated me with its vivid portrayal of life in medieval Paris. What a far cry from Baron Hausman's modern Paris -- a Paris with teeming with squalor, poverty, vagabonds -- and the King's Court. Hugo paints wonderful portraits of the main characters -- the hunchback bellringer of Notre Dame, Quasimodo; the tormented archdeacon, Claude Frollo; the exotically beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda.

All of these characters and the city of Paris come to life in a way that transports one back 650 years. My only criticisms of the book are the couple of chapters that painstakingly outline the street detail of Paris and the layout of Notre Dame. For me, these interrupted the flow of the story, the development of the characters and left me quite bored. As soon as Hugo got back into the core story and plot, I was re-captivated.

I do wish that the original French title was preserved -- Notre Dame de Paris -- rather than the English "Hunchback of Notre Dame". While Quasimodo is certainly a core character, the book is a story about medieval Paris, the daily life of the city, the ordinary citizens of the growing city,the privileged class and themes of love, passion, death and honor. For someone misled by the title, this book is far richer, deeper and more complex than just the story of a deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame in spite of the images that are etched in most people's minds, a great many who haven't read the book.

This is truly one of those novels that deserves its rightful place in the pantheon of literature classics.

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Short and ugly ain't no fun. Either is being a witch.


If you aren't interested in fifteenth century Paris, France, and a considerable amount of detail about the odd large building there, don't read this book, you will find it somewhat on the tedious side.

The interesting part of course is that you know something nasty is coming between the accused girl, the authority figure that wants to do her over, the dumb pretty boy, and the smarter would-be saviour Quasimodo.