The Hunchback of Notre Dame

by Malvina G. Vogel (Adapter), Victor Hugo

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.

This edition adapted for young readers by Malvina G. Vogel.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Chapter Books, Novels, Literature

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously the original gets 5 stars and is superb in all ways. My review here is more for the Great Illustrated Classics series in general. If you are looking for good children's adaptations of classic works, these are a pretty good place to start. They keep to the original storyline, as much as possible (not all children's adaptations do...in which case, why not let them watch the disney version and be done with it?) They also have a picture on every page (or nearly in some of them) which my younger kids like.
All that said, this series does have a few shortcomings. First, in every single one I've read, there have been horrendous editing mistakes and typos. Second, they do not attempt to keep any of the author's original style or language. These books are simply to introduce the child to the plotline and characters of the original (which does of course have merit, it makes reading the original a lot easier later on when they are already familiar with the story). Also, once in a while you might come upon a character taking the Lord's name in vain, but I just edit this to a 'my goodness' or whatever when I'm reading to my kids, and my older ones obviously know to edit it when they are reading to themselves.
I recommend this series in general, however for some classics there are better children's adaptations available.

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was 9 and I was so touched by it that I was crying. I ended up writing a letter to Quasimodo in my journal telling him that if I lived in his time I would be his friend, etc. I then studied the Notre Dame Cathedral for weeks: read books, put together 3D puzzles, etc. It really touched my heart by the sadness of the story and helped me think about how I can make a difference in the lives of people around me by my words and actions.

[Gil K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda a cheap version. Of course the story is there, and its cleaner- as in I would recommend this version to my siblings. But it doesn't capture it well at all. I read it very quickly and it was duller than it should have been.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good read. It was nothing like the Disney movie, which is good because the book has a sad ending. I can't remember how the Disney movie ended lol.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not like the Disney movie. 10/10 tragic.

[Ryne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the original Hunchback novel (or most of it, anyway) during a family road trip, but I was too young to grasp a lot of it, or remember most of it. As many reviewers have no doubt noted, the Disney film had set up my initial expectations, but those were quickly subverted...especially my main impression, which is that Phoebus is a huge dirtbag. For real.

These are great for introducing kids to the classics, and they might eventually go on to read the real classics for themselves in their fullness!

[Marsyee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me shed pitiful tears. My heart went out to Quasimodo. He was brave, loving, and kind but was ostracised by society simply for being disabled. From the start, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was filled with colourful happenings and characters. It was simply one of those books that you would devour quickly. Plus the big font, simple language and beautiful illustrations made this book so much easier to digest and be loved.

I remember reading that Victor Hugo wrote this book as a way to save Notre Dame and I think it was greatly written; anyone who has had the privilege to read this book would keep Notre Dame alive too. This would be another addition to my fave classics, no doubt.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t underestimate this series! It’s a great way to get an overview of a classic, and decide whether you want to slog through the original or not. In this case, I decided on “not.” I actually did read the original once, as a teenager, but I didn’t remember much of the plot--only that the book had a terrible ending. (Some of the movie versions have Esmerelda getting off, but it doesn’t happen here.) The quick overview reminded me of all the wretched details, and I left it at that.

[Đinh Anh Phương · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not until now have I done reading the plot of this famous story (I'm 21 now), and I'm astonished since Disney created a movie for children out of this tragedy.

Moral of the story in my opinion: learn to let go and move on from people you love but do not love you back, or have gone for so long. Just don't spend your life in rage, jealousy and bitterness.

[McKinley Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as Illustrated Classics go, this was weaker than most. But also, it was depressing. I’m sure the original is poignant and tragic, but this version was just frustrating.

Owen’s Review: 3/5 milk bottles. I want heroic rescues of damsels in distress because I am Sir Owen the Observant. Instead we get dummy Phoebus.

[Arjun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another book I read while in school. At that time my naive self believed that this was the original book. Now I know that what I read was an illustrated book for children. But I guess this was a good pick considering my age at that time.

[Meahgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read the original version by Victor Hugo. I think I will be doing that. This was a good introduction for my 8 year-old.

[Steven Jerris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a easy read. I really liked it, and I thought It was a good story. It also had a good amount of pages.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claude Frollo reminds me of those guys online who say they're nice guys but become monstrous when rejected. Phoebus turns out to be a real jerk, too. Also, if you like happy endings, skip this one.

[Shannon Ann Bliesner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written (although abridged version) story. The characters were well done, however was a sad ending for all, well except for those characters you come to hate.

[asiya | アセヤ (free palestine) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like I said before for these books, not really my type, however, it was really good! I think I might read the original.

[Veronica F · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a pretty twisted story. I love that Great Illustrated Classics stayed with the real story and not the cute Disney version. My middle schoolers will love this next year.

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very romantic. Beautiful story. Quick read.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting and I didn’t know that this was such a big story. It is one of my favorite books now.

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great classic but probably not my favorite. I would still recommend this to people though.

[Greg Hovanesian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even as an illustrated book for children, the sheer power of Hugo's work came rampaging through these pages. Amazing.

[presley green · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Jaida °•In my heart Is a christmas tree farm°• · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is nothing like the movie so don't think if you watched it first you shouldn't read the book

[Jazmin °•JFC•GFB•° · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slay funny I like when they shriek and rip out they hair and gnash they teeth☝️🤓

[Kane B · Rating 4 out of 5]

holy shit that was so depressing my god

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot, I was sad when Esmerelda died though. She didn’t die in the movie.

[Shabana Mukhtar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the edition I read is not by Victor Hugo, but I loved it. It also made me think, I am impressed with the adapted version, what's the OG like?

Detailed review to come.

[Marcelaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Les Miserables and really liked it. I am finding that this book has the same issues as Les Miserables. When he's actually telling the story, it's great and I can't put it down. But then he starts telling about architecture or trivial, boring things, and I just can't seem to pay attention--unfortunately, these parts seem to last for a hundred pages every time. Maybe some people like that, but I'm having a hard time with it. Like I said, I love the book when it gets to the actual story again, but the other stuff is tough to get through. This and Les Miserables are two of the only books where I would recommend choosing the abridged version.

And for some reason I feel like I need to make it clear that I'm reading the unabridged version (actually, listening to the unabridged version on CD in the car), not the great illustrated classics version. If I were reading the GIC version, I would have finished it in a day. I'm just having a hard time finding the actual Hunchback of Notre Dame in the midst of all the Disney books with the same title or words.

Update: Okay, definitely not like the Disney movie. I didn't go into the book expecting that, of course, but they took like three things from the book and made an entirely different story for the Disney version. Phoebus is not the kind and noble character from the movie, that's for sure. What a selfish jerk. Not that I'm that impressed with La Esmeralda's intelligence either. Also, even the story parts are getting tedious. I bet this book would have been better if it were about 300 pages.

Another update: Frollo is lame. La Esmeralda is lame. I wish she would stop saying, "Oh, my Phoebus." Would it be that hard to say, "Look, there's this guy that's been stalking me forever. I don't know who he is, but he's the one who killed Phoebus." I've been rolling my eyes a lot lately as I listen to this book. Granted, the reader on the CD isn't great, but it's largely the text.

Another update: I've given up for a while. Maybe forever. I think I've read enough, except I kind of want to find out how everyone dies.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made one of my bucketlist goals to re-read the classics, which I can't stand. Most are too wordy, somewhat irrelevant, too ridiculous and hard to swallow while you need to be glued to some type of reference material to be able to understand what you are reading. And no the Disney movies of the classics mostly bore me as well depending on the exact film.

Anyway there was no definite amount of literature necessary to be read and so I chose to go with a hundred classics along with my normal reading pile before next April. Upon researching various classics that I can put into my reading list I have noticed that not everyone considers the same books as classics such as "Black Beauty" seems to be missing from many lists. Anyway this is #17.

First of all the Disney version was interesting but definitely like most other novel-based movies truly not the same. I still like how they made Esmeralda in the movie pretty, the hunchback was acceptable and some of the beautiful music, which was playing in my head a bit while I read this book. Strange combination.....

Anyway I had read "The Hunchback" once and it was okay while now getting a chance to read this version I can say that I truly like it. The writing is simple, easy to understand and the story has been cleaned up in its presentation to the reader so it moves fast in the giving of the plot then the conclusion. You are able to actually keep your spot without trying to flip back through to see where the path split off.

Meanwhile some of the pictures weren't exactly on the matching side while Esmeralda was drawn too old looking for her near tender age of 16. But otherwise it did add to the story.

So if you are a non-classic fan like me I would definitely recommend reading this one if you are required to. Or if you are just getting into the classics for the first time and need something that isn't hard to digest again this would be a wonderful book to get your hands on.....

[Tim Sormin · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE: This is a super short, Illustrated "children's" version of The Hunchback. It's only something like 120 pages long, but although it's obviously HUGELY edited down from the original it sticks to the original plot unlike some *cough-Disney-cough* versions. I loved the story so much that I started reading the full, 1200 page version... God I hate wading through the mass of words in 19th century books. Still, it was good until I fell asleep on the GO train one day and then woke up with a start and hopped of the train without my book. I think I was about 50 pages into it and they still hadn't even introduced the Hunchback yet :)