Review: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME by Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables is one of my favorite books of all time.  I’ve been wanting to read his other famous work for a long time, and finally have gotten the opportunity. 

In the heart of Paris is the Notre Dame Cathedral.  In the cathedral lives the Archdeacon, Claude Frollo and his adopted son Quasimodo, who was found abandoned on the church steps as an infant because of his extreme deformities.  As an adult now, Quasimodo is the ringer of the bells, a job which has destroyed his hearing.  When a beautiful Gypsy girl, Esmeralda, comes to the square to dance and perform with her trained goat, she captivates the men who watch her.  When she meets a military officer, Phoebus, she believes herself in love with him and falls for his promises.  Phoebus is attacked and assumed dead, and Esmeralda is arrested for the crime.  As she goes to the gallows to hang for the crime, Quasimodo snatches her up and hides her in the cathedral, claiming Sanctuary.  Esmeralda is not completely safe within its confines, as Claude Frollo’s lust for her threatens them both.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is all about people not being who they appear to be.  Obviously, Quasimodo’s deformed head and body is hiding a pure and loving soul, but this duality extends to almost all of the characters throughout the novel.  Esmeralda presents as a beautiful and bewitching Gypsy girl, when in reality, she is the stolen daughter of a French nun.  Phoebus seems to be a handsome and gallant officer, yet when he finds Esmeralda going to the gallows for mistakenly being convicted of his murder, all her has to do is step forward and show himself to be alive, but he is too cold and selfish to do so.  Claude Frollo is the man of God who is driven mad by his lust for Esmeralda. 

I’ve never seen the Disney movie of this story, but I assume they must have completely bastardized it in order to make it acceptable for children.  This book is a tragedy in every sense of the term. 

Overall, I give The Hunchback of Notre Dame…

Plot – 4 bookmarks

Character Development – 4 bookmarks

Love Story – 3 bookmarks (There is not one central love story, yet love/lust is one of the central themes of the book)

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Andre the Giant (Quasimodo), Marion Cotillard (Esmeralda), Tom Hardy (Phoebus), Geoffrey Rusch (Claude Frollo)

Review: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

For those of you who might be afraid of Russian literature because of the long, hard to pronounce names, this is a great novel for you.  I’ve read a few things from Dostoevsky and he is clear and understandable. 

Written in 1917, Crime and Punishment follows impoverished university drop-out, Raskolnikov, as he murders and robs a pawnbroker and her sister, then has to suffer under the consequences of his actions. 

Raskolnikov is quite possibly the world’s worst criminal and that is kind of Dostoevsky’s point.  The crime occurs in the beginning of the story and we watch the character unravel under the guilt of it all.  There was no physical evidence tying him to the crime.  He could have gotten away with it if he had kept his cool, but instead, Raskolnikov seemed to sabotage himself over and over—behaving nervous and guilty, getting defensive, failing to come forward to the police right away with his involvement with the pawnbroker, raving about the crime while suffering from fever.  But Raskolnikov’s actions support Dostoevsky’s belief that people who are basically good will suffer more from their conscience than the actual punishment itself. 

Is Raskolnikov a good person?  He killed two women with an ax and stole from them.  On the other hand, when his scoundrel of a drinking buddy dies, leaving a sick wife and several children behind, he gives the widow most of his cash.  He also seems to have genuine affection for his sister and saves her from making a mistake of a marriage for the sake of security.  He even falls in love with a kind-hearted prostitute, someone whom many men would not consider worthy of love. 

Overall, I give Crime and Punishment…

Plot – 3 ½ bookmarks

Character Development – 4 bookmarks

Psychology – 5 bookmarks

Literary Merit – 4 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Robert Pattinson (Raskolnikov), Emily Blunt (Sonia), Michael Sheen (Detective Petrovich), Tom Hardy (Razumihin)

Review: ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac

On The Road is a novel that celebrates the Beat generation and provides a portrait of America in the late forties/early fifties.  The story revolves around the narrator, Sal Paradise, a twenty-something writer and ex-GI who travels the country by car, bus, train, and hitchhiking.  Along the way, he meets interesting people and a revolving door of friends who are also embarking on journeys of their own.  The book pay homage to the freedom of the open road. 

While the book lacked a unified plot (it’s mostly strings of stories woven together which make up a patchwork quilt-type book), I honestly have to say that this book had some of the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read.  Kerouac’s description is amazing!  He was able to say in five words what would take lesser writers two paragraphs.  His use of metaphor could have won him a gold metal if writing was an Olympic sport.  I’m not a note taker…not even in school…but I found myself writing passages down to ponder over later. 

The characters in this book were slightly disturbing, especially Dean Moriarty.  Sal seems to worship Dean in a bazaar and unhealthy way.  Dean is a philandering, pedophilic, criminal, yet Sal sees him as some sort of mystical god-like being.  I don’t get it.  The guy is a creep.  People have to lock up their daughters when he’s around.  He marries women, knocks them up and runs off with another over and over again.  At one point, he obtains a quickie Mexican divorce from his second wife, rushes back to marry his third wife, and that very night, he leaves wife #3 to go back to wife #2.  What a pig!  But Sal sees Dean as some sort of modern philosopher, always taking and eluding to Dean’s deep thinking.  I just saw him as a dude high on pot going, “Whoa, man!” “Yes!” over and over. 

On The Road wasn’t the most exciting book, nor had it the deepest characters, but it definitely has historic and literary value. 

Overall, I give On The Road…

Plot – 1 ½ bookmarks

Character Development – 2 ½ bookmarks

Literary Value – 5 bookmarks

Historic Value – 4 ½ bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Penn Badgley (Sal Paradise), Chris Pine (Dean Moriarty), America Ferrera (Teresita), Anne Hathaway (Camile), Tom Hardy (Remy), Reese Witherspoon (Mary Lou), Viggo Mortensen (Old Bull Lee), Lukas Haas (Carlo Marx)

Review: CANDIDE by Voltaire

Voltaire is possibly the most famous of French writers, so I thought it important to read Candide, a short novel and his most famous work.  The novel was written in 1759 and is a satire of Liebnizian optimism, a philosophy which holds that the flaws of the world were created by God to provide balance and the world is a perfect creation. 

Candide was taught optimism by his tutor growing up, and it heavily influenced his outlook on life.  However, when his life goes to hell, he struggles to maintain his philosophical belief.  The novel sets out to torture poor Candide in every possible way.  Everywhere he goes, he is surrounded by death, disease, earthquakes, war, rape and murder.  Everyone he loves is treated brutally.  By the end of the novel, Candide breaks with his optimistic philosophy. 

Okay, I get it…but why is this one of the great classics in Literature?  I think this novel suffers from a case of “guess you had to be there.”  Since the Liebnizian philosophy is not one generally accepted in today’s world, it is hard to understand the cultural context for this story.  I think people today are much more cynical and generally believe the world to be fucked up.  We don’t need Voltaire to destroy a man to get it.  It kind of reminds me of the Biblical story of Job, where he is tortured in every possibly way to get him to break from his philosophy.  In Job’s case, he never does break from God and therefore is rewarded in the end.  Candide broken.  He adopts a new philosophy where one should devote themselves to their work and keep free from boredom, vice and poverty.  He also concludes that God doesn’t care about the lives of humans any more than a ship captain would care about mice. 

It is easy to see why this book would have caused a controversy in its time.  I’m sure the religious powers that be were not too thrilled with it.  In fact, I believe in some places it had been deemed blasphemous and banned. 

Overall, I give Candide…

Plot – 3 ½ bookmarks (It moves really fast and there is plenty of action.)

Character Development – 3 bookmarks

Satire – 2 bookmarks (Might have felt differently had I been living in that time period.)

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Hunter Parrish (Candide)

Review: “Bel Ami” by Guy de Maupassant

Written in 1885, Bel Ami is a scandalous French novel about a scoundrel.  I’m not kidding.  The main character, George Duroy is a major slime-ball.  Written as an anti-hero, the novel begins with Duroy fresh from the military, penniless and struggling to make something of himself in Parisian society.  Duroy’s major talent is his incredible good looks and ability to charm the ladies.  Through the seduction of various women, Duroy moves up in the world, landing a career in journalism at a newspaper and making more money at every turn.  The problem is, Duroy is never satisfied. 

As I was reading this, I realized that Duroy is guilty of all seven of the deadly sins.  Lust – He seduces married women, balancing several at a time.  Wrath – He is vengeful on those men who are more fortunate than him.  He also flayed a government minister in the press rather viciously.  Sloth – Unless you count his bedroom activities as work, Duroy is lazy.  He even gets his wife to write his newspaper articles for him.  Envy – Duroy gets insanely jealous for the fortunes of other men.  This gets really bad when the owner of the newspaper lands a windfall in a savvy investment scheme.  Gluttony – Duroy is a slave to the pleasures of Paris, from food to wine to women.  Pride – He is in credibly sensitive to any perceived slight against him and demands full respect at all times, even when he is clearly in the wrong.  He also allows the women in his social circle to call him “Pretty Boy” in reference to his good looks.  Lastly, Duroy has no sin greater than that of Greed.  He is insatiable in his appetites for money and pleasure.  He is never grateful for his good fortune, rather once fortune is received, he sets his goals higher. 

Somehow, despite all of this, I found myself rooting for him.  I’m not sure why that is.  I guess de Maupassant did a compelling job with showing Duroy’s humble beginnings at the start of the novel and I found myself wanting him to succeed.  It was all very strange.  It did leave me with the feeling that Duroy will never have a happy ending, no matter what good falls on his plate.  Very sad, although just. 

Overall, I give Bel Ami….

Plot – 3 bookmarks

Character Development – 4 bookmarks (He made me care about this total swine.)

Love Story – 3 ½ bookmarks (This is pretty racy stuff for 1885.  I can see why women fall in love with Duroy over and over.  I think the only one that he had any genuine feelings for was Clotilde, who seemed to accept him for the cad that he was.) 

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Many people probably know that the movie for Bel Ami was filmed earlier this year and is due to come out in 2011.  While I think Rob Pattinson is a perfect George Duroy, I had some problems with the female actresses opposite him.  Kristen Scott Thomas will make a good Madame Walter.  Here are who I thought of for the other roles – Kristen Prout (Susan Walter), Adrienne Frantz (Madame Forristier), Scarlett Johanssen (Clotilde).  

Review: “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde

I realize I’ve been reading a lot of fluff lately. I can always tell I’m doing it when my brain starts to feel like its starving. So, I thought I would insert one of my favorite classics of all time in order to break up the paranormal YA stuff. Wilde is one of my favorite writers of all time, and Dorian Gray ranks up there with my favorite books. However, if a reader is looking for the light-hearted humor of The Importance of Being Earnest, they will not find it in this novel.


The Picture of Dorian Gray is a Gothic horror novel which explores the themes of decadence, vanity and unrestrained pleasures. Dorian Gray is an incredibly handsome and frequently-fawned-over young man. Artist, Basil Harwood, paints a stunning portrait of Dorian which draws the admiration of Lord Wotton. As the three men are admiring it, Dorian says he would give anything for the portrait to age instead of him.


It isn’t long before Dorian begins to notice minute changes in the portrait, a cruel twist of the lips, evidence of his debauchery lining the eyes. It becomes apparent that Dorian is getting his wish – the painting is aging instead of him. As the novel progresses, Dorian slowly becomes a monster inside, ruled by vanity and pleasures, but it is the figure in the painting which shows the physical evidence of Dorian’s cruelty.


This novel might have been written in Victorian England, but it still resonates today. It shows obsession with youth and beauty is destructive and dangerous. It affects not only Dorian himself, but also his admirers. Harwood and Lord Wotton compete over Dorian’s attentions and seem to be in love with him. Their obsessions deteriorate their relationships with the women in their lives. There are homosexual undertones throughout the novel, but they are not explored. If I remember correctly, these passages were entered into evidence at Oscar Wilde’s sodomy trial, where he was eventually convicted.


The Picture of Dorian Gray is different from Wilde’s other works; yet, he stays true to himself. Wilde’s comedic plays display is humor and biting wit. He was famous for poking fun at the aristocracy and their frivolities. Dorian Gray is dark and disturbing, yet holds true to Wilde’s social criticisms of the day.




Overall, I give The Picture of Dorian Gray…


Plot – 3 ½ bookmarks (There are a few places where it slows down…)


Compelling Characters – 4 bookmarks


Social Commentary – 5 bookmarks


Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Let me just say, I have not seen the recent movie made of this book. My casting goes purely off my imagination. Robert Pattinson (Dorian. He is the definition of male beauty for me, and he's capable of portraying cruelty brilliantly!), Colin Firth (Basil Harwood), Samuel West (Lord Wotton).