The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

by Isabel Florence Hapgood

First published 2021

Quasimodo pulls the great bells of Notre Dame Cathedral while Paris bustles below. The deformed bell-ringer observes Esmeralda as she performs in the medieval streets, her grace awakening emotions he struggles to understand. Authorities arrest the gypsy dancer on false murder charges. Judge Frollo, the twisted cleric who raised Quasimodo, orchestrates the accusations against Esmeralda. Quasimodo must choose between loyalty to his cruel guardian and protecting the one person who treated him with compassion. He transforms the cathedral into both refuge and fortress. The hunchback's yearning for human acceptance propels him toward a deadly clash that will decide Esmeralda's survival. Though his disfigured appearance has kept him isolated since birth, his ability to love exceeds his terror. The ultimate battle between Quasimodo and Frollo exposes what lies within each man's heart.

Genres: drama, classic-literature, romance, historical-fiction, 19th-century

Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, social-outcasts

Setting: Notre Dame

Period: 19th-Century

262 pages · Paperback · Independently published

Content warnings: abuse, physical-abuse, violence

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