I was a 90s kid and was 7/8 years old when Disney released their version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. I even had a birthday cake with a figure of Quasimodo in the King of Fools cape and crown. A few years later I caught the black and white version on TV. I have never EVER read the book- I haven’t read many classics outside of school.
I could see a few parallels or close comparisons to the Disney movie- can’t recall much about the old version since I’m not a connoisseur of black and white films, but the book was so much more than that. I recognized most of the characters included in the Disney film and learned things about 15th century Paris I didn’t know. I should have expected it to be chock full of details they altered/left out (like many movies adapted from books), but I was caught off guard.
It was an easy read seeing as I had seen the movie, but the ending caught me so off guard. I don’t regret reading it at all, would read it again if I felt like it and am inspired to read more classics that I’ve not had the desire to read as a kid or young adult.
The best thing of all…I know exactly what the Notre Dame bells sound like. It was the #1 thing I wanted to see in Paris when I got the chance to go years before it caught fire. I hope every day that it looks just as gorgeous when it’s done being repaired and I’m glad it’s making steady progress.
by Extrovert_89