The Hunchback of Notre-Dame question

I don't know how old Rachel is but the history of Paris and styles of its architecture are part and parcel of being an literate person, hardly rubbish. I read Hugo's Hunchback when I was about 10 or 11 and enjoyed it, but it's not anything like the Disney bastardization. BTW: Dark is not such a bad thing. Everything in life is not Disneyesque.

I would say give it a go but don't expect it to be as captivating as the Walt Disney version. I tried reading it when I was your age but the long descriptions and slow pace of the story were not what I was looking for at the time. I re-read it recently (I'm 27) and it was a different story to the one I'd read as a teenager. The protagonists' emotional state, the history of France, even the long-winded depictions of the cathedral's architecture were no longer incomprehensible and pointless.
Go for it and don't be afraid to put it aside for later if you think it's going over your head.

I read it when I was 14 or 15. I got so emotional at the end that my mother told my father that I shouldn't read books like that. Of course, I continued to read books like that.

Yes, it's very different from Disney.

Ashley, just wondering if you decided to go ahead and read it. If so what did you think. It's a great book but does have one of the most depressing endings I have ever read and I'm 43.

The history of Paris and the style of architecture are key elements of this story.

I think a 13 year old will certainly be able to read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (the unabridged version) and understand the plot. But I doubt the ability of the 13 year old to grasp the depth of the emotions portrayed by the characters in the story. The beauty of the story might be lost on the kid.

My opinion; read it. It has almost nothing to do with the disney movie. It is indeed a bleak book but it is the best book I've ever read. It had several pages of architectural analysis that may seem to you boring but don't pass these pages.I was 14 when I read it and it was unputdownable.

I read it this year and absolutely loved it. I'm 14.I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style and the plot -just everything. It IS a lot different from the movie. The movie sugar coats quite a bit. I think you should give it a go and if you end up not liking it, stop reading it.

You may be 13 now, but you won't be by the time you are through with this book, because it will rip the innocence from you. If you have any kind of heart, it will be broken by the realization of just how unkind and unfair and downright evil the world can be. It is a good book, a great book, but it is not an easy book. As Rachel said, the description of Parisian architecture is a definite sticking point, but it is not without literary merit. So should you read it? Someday, certainly.

Ashley wrote: "I am 13 and recently I watched Disney's Hunchback of Notre-Dame, and I decided that I want to read the book, but I don't know I it will be over my head."

It all depends on the kind of reader you are. I read classics at your age for the same reasons; I saw/heard of the movies or generally knew of the titles. Read it now, and maybe you'll end up re-reading it again and picking up things you did before. I just re-read the LOTR & The Hobbit. Read them when I was 13 and found it dull, re-read them now at 26, and can't believe how imaginative they are to me now versus a teen!

Conclusion: Just go for it and see what you think of it.

Parts of it may be over your head, and some of Hugo's lengthy asides may bore you, but you can skip where necessary. Books often serve as a guidepost as you grow and change. Rereading years later a book you first read as a child may give you a vivid memory of how you thought and felt about something then, and how you've changed.

I don't think it will be over your head. The story line is not that complex. If you want to read it, then you should just dive right in. Just know that although it is considered a classic, it is not the best literature out there.

Why on earth not?

Books are never really good or bad. The lives and stories presented in books are there for you, and I, to live a life, to experience life's many differences, romance, life decisions, death, birth, and everything in between.

I read this book around your age, as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy - none of it really went over my head, and I would encourage you to read it.

Good luck with your efforts to live life.

I read it at younger than 13, and I'm sure a lot did go over my head. Its not that big a deal.

Give it a shot. If you don't like it, you can always stop reading.

I read it when I was about your age, but it's far darker than the Disney movie.

The story is really about lust and such, so there's mature themes, but I'm 15 and almost done with it. I LOVE this book, and you can't find out if you don't like it if you don't try. There's always abridged versions and if you think you can handle the harder vocabulary and themes, then go ahead. It's a lot different than Disney, though.

I think you can handle--though Disney took quite a few liberties. Just a warning--the main character is demon-possessed so...it isn't light reading. It is very interesting though. Hugo is an incredible writer.

Nope, I don't suggest you read this. It's a very boring book - Victor Hugo is very happy to write forty or fifty pages of rubbish about the history of Paris, or styles of architecture, for no reason whatsoever, instead of getting on with the story. 'Les Miserables' is quite good though, but I'm not sure a 13 year old would like it. :)