Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo
In the vaulted Gothic towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral lives Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bellringer. Mocked and shunned for his appearance, he is pitied only by Esmerelda, a beautiful gypsy dancer to whom he becomes completely devoted. Esmerelda, however, has also attracted the attention of the sinister archdeacon Claude Frollo, and when she rejects his lecherous approaches, Frollo hatches a plot to destroy her, that only Quasimodo can prevent. Victor Hugo’s sensational, evocative novel brings life to the medieval Paris he loved, and mourns its passing in one of the greatest historical romances of the nineteenth century.
I was rather bowled over by this big and bold book and really enjoyed it a lot. Expecting a lot more of it to be focused on Quasimodo, it was revealing to discover how much there was in here about politics and change in medieval Paris but especially about the city itself and its buildings and architecture. There are plenty of great characters on display with the cathedral itself being one of the foremost. A hugely impressive achievement and well worth reading.
Prole Art Threat 