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bailed

I found this book very hard to understand. It felt like a lot of time was spent describing things that ended up having absolutely nothing to do with the plot. I thought it was my translation, but found others having the same issue with other translations. I ended up having to read the sparknotes for this book to even have a clue what was going on. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

GingerAntics I feel like this book could be cut in half by just sticking to the long, beautiful descriptions of things that actually pertain to the story line of each book. I have finally given up. I wanted to keep going for the group, but I just can‘t do it anymore. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 5y

GingerAntics Real life currently has a lot of things going on and when I thought of things that could be taken off my plate to make things a little easier for the next month or so, this book was the first thing that popped into my head. I‘m just not enjoying this book at all and I‘m finding that I‘m getting absolutely nothing out of it.
#VictorHugo #NotreDameDeParis #HunchbackofNotreDame #hugonuts 5y

BookwormAHN I sympathize. I had to switch to audio to get anything out of it. I admit that I've skipped over long lectures on architecture and geography. The story itself is okay. Presently I only have about 4 1/2 hrs left then I'm heading back to Stephen King. 5y

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Texreader He does the same thing in Les Miserable so I bailed on it too. After spending hundreds of pages on meaningless details (for example he covers all Napolean‘s battles to explain one character‘s petty thievery), I bailed. The movie on the other hand? Loved it!!! (edited) 5y

Lcsmcat I‘m sorry life is rough right now. Sometimes it‘s not the right time for you to read a particular book; sometimes the book isn‘t ever going to be a good fit for you. But it‘ll still be there if later is the right time. 5y

Lcsmcat @Texreader I read Les Mis when my kids were small. I think I took a six month break from it at one point ! But I loved it in the end. I‘m that kind of reader, though. I read Dickens and and Trollope and Hardy and Dostoyevsky for fun. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 5y

tournevis Hugo was paid by the word. So he made as many words as he could! 5y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat it‘s rough but good all at once. I think that‘s why it‘s so complicated. (edited) 5y

GingerAntics @BookwormAHN I‘m in the waiting list for the audiobook. What was supposed to be 4 weeks has turned into lord knows when, no idea how. I may try that when it comes in. (edited) 5y

GingerAntics @Texreader that‘s exactly how I feel about this book. Why did I need all of those details about the Louvre in book one when people were just passing it? It wasn‘t even part of the story line! I‘ve seen one version, but not the newest, on video of Les Mis and enjoyed it. Would love to see the latest at some point. From the sounds of it, Hugo just isn‘t for me. 5y

Daisey I completely understand! I struggled with the same thing in Les Mis (In fact, I always use the same example @Texreader mentioned!) but found it worthwhile in the end, so I‘m trying to do the same with this one although I find it frustrating. 5y

GingerAntics @Daisey I'm still on the wait list for the audiobook, so hopefully it holds off on coming in until life calms down a bit so I can give it a go that way. 5y

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This is my cover, featuring some of the lovely architecture of the building itself. It‘s the Liu translation.
#VictorHugo #NotreDameDeParis #HunchbackofNotreDame #hugonuts

Lcsmcat Love it! Is that the Modern Library edition? 6y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat yes it is 6y

TheBookHippie Oh I like this cover too!! 6y

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GingerAntics @TheBookHippie now, if I could just get into this book. I still seem to have no clue what‘s going on around here until I read the sparknotes summary after reading each section. 6y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I reread, do research read again🤣. I want to master it. Ha. 6y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie honestly, I haven‘t found anything in this book to make me want to put this much effort into it. It may be the translation and I chose a bad one, but it honestly has the highest ratings of all the translations I have access to. I don‘t know. I‘m a firm believer in not reading classics just because their classics. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I don‘t know. I‘m kind of torn. If it wasn‘t for the group and not wanting to let anyone else down, I would DNF. 6y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I DNF Middlemarch Last year!!! And I read classical literature all the time. I have a high schooler reading this with me or I would have bailed 🤣🤣🤣 so I‘m putting my effort in. Oye. 6y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I DNF Middlemarch as well. I did not get the hype with that one at all. 6y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics 🎉🎉 kindred spirits. 6y

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I forget who posted this earlier in the week, but I does jump out at you. In our day and age, this is kind of amusing. It will be interesting to see what people think of this in another few hundred years after ebooks and physical books have stopped warring with each other and people have stopped stereotyping people who read one or the other. Hopefully. If all that is still happening, I seriously feel bad for future people.

GingerAntics #VictorHugo #NotreDameDeParis #HunchbackofNotreDame 6y

readordierachel Very interesting! 6y

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Not going to lie. I‘ve read Book I and I‘m not entirely sure what‘s happening here. I never saw the Disney movie and I am still completely confused by what‘s happening here. Quasimodo was just voted Pope of Fools and men, women, and children run to the windows because La Esmeralda is coming? What? Hopefully this thing clears itself up in the next book.
#VictorHugo #NotreDameDeParis #HunchbackofNotreDame

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Need to get started on this bad boy. I‘ve got this buddy read and the Shakespeare read along, plus all the other books on my list before we get to July‘s Camp NaNoWriMo session. Here goes nothing.
#VictorHugo #NotreDameDeParis #HunchbackofNotreDame

Lcsmcat Bon! Enjoy. 6y

TheBookHippie I need to start too 6y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie it was actually a nice sized chunk. It took maybe a half hour to read? It wasn‘t bad. I‘m totally lost, though. 6y

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TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I will be too!!! Zero prior knowledge!!! 6y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie it wasn‘t even that. It just seemed to go from one thing to another and I have no clue how any of them are connected. I may have to resort to sparknotes if things don‘t start to clear up in the next section. 6y

TheBookHippie OYE!!!! Oh no!! Well I do love a challenge! 6y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I‘m hoping it clears up the more of it I read. I‘m trying to hold off on the sparknotes as long as possible. 6y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I know that feeling 🤣🤣 6y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie even if I could find a brief summary of what happened in each chapter or each book. I find that solidifies my understanding when we read Shakespeare. I may need that for Hugo, too. 6y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie the editions I read of Shakespeare have a scene-by-scene synopsis in the back. I haven‘t found a copy of this that has that. Too bad the royal Shakespeare company doesn‘t do classics as a side project. 🤷🏼‍♀️😏 (edited) 6y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics ohhhh they should!!!!! Just think of the possibilities !! 6y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie right? The royal Shakespeare company does wonderful scholarship. It could be great!!! 6y

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