Like the loooonnng section in Les Mis about the Paris sewerage system, this does get in the way of the storyline a bit. There is A LOT in it about Gothic architecture, which was one of Hugo's passions. There is a hunchback and a beautiful gypsy woman and a doomed love story and cruelty and jealousy and persecution - but the principal character in this novel is the city of Paris, particularly the environs of the titular cathedral. And if you're going to dive into Victor Hugo, surely you want the beautiful descriptive prose, the classical and Biblical and historical allusions, the social commentary and humanism ?īut Hugo tyros should take note of the original title of the book. I'm not a fan of abridged books - after all, who does the abridging ? Not usually the genius who wrote the original. Like a lot of novels of this era, it's very long, and does have its tedious passages. Not the equal of Les Miserables, but a fine novel.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |