Hunchback of Notre Dame

by Victor Hugo

Overview

This historically significant novel of love and betrayal led to a renewed interest in preserving the grand architecture of Paris.

Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame was written in 1831, at a time when the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was falling into disrepair. This epic novel helped spark a preservationist movement that led to the cathedral being restored to its full glory. Set in 1482, the story tells of how four men—the hunchbacked bell-ringer, Quasimodo; the archdeacon of Notre Dame, Claude Frollo; the dashing soldier Phoebus de Chateaupers; and the poet Pierre Gringoire—vie for the love of Esmeralda, a young Romani woman. As the story unfolds, readers come to realize that the focus of the story is not only on the human characters but on the grand cathedral itself. 
 

Product Details

Release Date:	08/01/2006
Label:	NAXOS AUDIO BOOKS
UPC:	9789626343821

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Victor Hugo   Primary Artist

Editorial Reviews

Simon Vance's precise narration and softly shaded voice might seem unsuited for Victor Hugo's sprawling melodrama of passion and violence in fifteenth-century France. The many characters include a dancer, a lusting priest, and his love-struck, hunchbacked foster son. Vance's narration suits the audio medium and the text, with its intrusive narrative voice, better than full-on acting would. Both listeners and the novel are well served by Vance's care, restraint, and letter-perfect delivery. He provides believable character voices, engages the listener in the story, and energizes Hugo's essay-like digressions. He gives proper emphasis and expression to every phrase, speaks French excellently, and even delivers Latin comprehensibly. His taste, intelligence, and skill enhance this operatically lurid romance, producing a version perfect for audio. W.M. 2023 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2023 - AudioFile