A mad priest, a vagabond playwright, a social-climbing soldier, and a deformed bell-ringer—all are captivated by a gypsy girl's beauty and charm. Two of them will betray her, but the others will remain loyal, even in the shadow of the gallows.
These outlaws find sanctuary within the walls of medieval Paris' greatest monument, the grand Cathedral of Notre Dame.
Originally published as Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris), it was conceived as a story of the cathedral itself, which functioned as the passionate heart of fifteenth-century city life. But Hugo's human drama rivals the Gothic masterpiece for dominance.
Frollo, the sinister archdeacon; Quasimodo, the hideous hunchback; and the enchanting outcast, Esmeralda. Drawn with humor and compassion, his characters endure, both in literary history and in readers' imaginations.
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“The book is enormously popular. People really thrill to the story of Quasimodo as, you know, this bell ringer who lives in the in the tower but is also a metaphor for the tower itself. The story is deeply human, and there was a major restoration effort that takes place after the book’s publication.”
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NPR