Resident of Aotearoa New Zealand, and a lover of cats, theatre, and history. Chronically fatigued and trying to rebuild my reading habits so I can inhale massive tomes on the regular again. They/them.
Also @jojoinabox on mastodon.nz, BlueSky, and The StoryGraph.
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15% complete! Jojo has read 3 of 20 books.
I'm pretty intrigued from the get-go. There's quite a lot of exposition in these early chapters, but I don't know much about Machiavelli going in so it's not unwelcome. I was expecting something not unlike Wolf Hall; it doesn't go into quite the same level of interiority, though, which makes it less dense of a read. Definitely getting the sense of Machiavelli as a complex character with a lot going on in his head that doesn't get let out.
In fifteenth-century Paris, a disfigured man named Quasimodo, who was abandoned as an infant in …
Well, that went about as tragically as I expected. Hugo is a true master of his craft, for sure, and the final act is one of great drama and equal catharsis. Not a book to read for its optimism, though I would still recommend it for its architectural snark
In fifteenth-century Paris, a disfigured man named Quasimodo, who was abandoned as an infant in …
I feel like Hugo is a bit more focused on his plot in this book, compared to Les Misérables at least. He has some good tangents in there nonetheless, and very entertainingly sarcastic ones at that!
As with the beloved Brick, Hugo shows himself in The Hunchback of Notre Dame to be an expert at crafting tragedies that feel unearned yet entirely inevitable. The catharsis is strong!
In fifteenth-century Paris, a disfigured man named Quasimodo, who was abandoned as an infant in …
Not to give spoilers or anything, but Phoebus is so much more of a fuckboi than the Disney film led me to believe. (Frollo is proving to be exactly as much of a creep as I expected, however.)
On a different note, there has been surprisingly little focus on the titular character so far in the book. Quasimodo is around, but only for short bursts usually.
In fifteenth-century Paris, a disfigured man named Quasimodo, who was abandoned as an infant in …
So book III is where Hugo gets really caught up in architectural history, and BOY HOWDY is he salty about it! As far as he's concerned nothing worthwhile has been built since 1500. I love it.
I also realise now that I've picked entirely the wrong publication of this book. It's hard when the copy I'm reading is mid-20th-century-ish and has no publishing info listed.
In fifteenth-century Paris, a disfigured man named Quasimodo, who was abandoned as an infant in …
It is certain that if Ravaillac had not assassinated Henry IV, there would have been no documents of his trial deposited in the Rolls Office of the Palace of Justice, and no accomplices interested in the destruction of those documents; consequently, no incindiaries obliged, for want of better means, to burn the Palace of Justice in order to burn the Rolls Office; of course there would have been no fire in 1618. The old palace would still be standing with its old great hall, and I might then say to the reader, "Go, look at it," and thus we would both be spared trouble—myself the trouble of writingm and him that of perusing, an indifferent description. This demonstrates the novel truth that great events have incalculable consequenses.
— The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Illustrated Classics) by Victor Hugo (Page 8)
A typically wry tangent from Victor Hugo, or part of one. To further the entertainment, he goes on in the next paragraph to admit that Ravaillac's accomplices may very well had nothing to do with the fire in the first place, but that it might have been caused by a meteor, or perhaps the frivolity of Justice herself.
In fifteenth-century Paris, a disfigured man named Quasimodo, who was abandoned as an infant in …
I'm very tired today and didn't get terribly far in, but I've made a start, and hopefully I'll have more reading brain for my next stint.
It's good to be reminded of how much I enjoy Hugo's style of writing, including his meanderings. Also, top marks to the uncredited translator who used (or retained?) the description of the Palace of Justice as a "prodigious parallelogram"!
Listen. A god is speaking. My voice echoes through the stone of your master's castle. …
I particularly enjoyed how the Hamlet elements were woven in well enough for me to recognise what they were, while still keeping the story decidedly not-Hamlet, and not relying on the familiar features despite leaning into them.
The "past" storyline of the narrator is also incredibly intriguing, and plays out very effectively. The use of second person, unusual for novels, is also very effective
Overall, it may not have sucked me in completely, but it was certainly an enjoyable read and very well crafted.
Listen. A god is speaking. My voice echoes through the stone of your master's castle. …
Finished! Very well written, and definitely not an ordinary sort of tale.
I particularly enjoyed how the Hamlet elements were woven in well enough for me to recognise what they were, while still keeping the story decidedly not-Hamlet, and not relying on the familiar features despite leaning into them.
The "past" storyline of the narrator is also incredibly intriguing, and plays out very effectively.
Overall, it may not have sucked me in completely, but it was certainly an enjoyable read and very well crafted.
Listen. A god is speaking. My voice echoes through the stone of your master's castle. …
My wife really enjoyed this, so she's passed it along to me before it goes back to the library. One of the plotlines is very Hamlet, but the setting changes it enough that it's still interesting. The other plotline about the narrator is very interesting indeed!
Good use of effective second person; you don't see that much.
Another Christmas gift, and one that I'd been eyeing up ever since it was announced, as I've been following Polyphonic online for a while now.
I've decided that while I read about each of the songs picked to reprent the associated year, I'm going to listen to those songs, as there are quite a few that I'm not already very familiar with.
So far, it looks like the Smol Cat likes jazz as much as I do!
Two small-town booksellers (and their cowardly dog) solve a decades-old murder-mystery in this witty debut …
A very light murder mystery with a high cose-factor. The writing style is very casual (more than my general preference and bordering on unpolished), but the plot is well paced and the reveals are surprising without being too unexpected. It definitely feels like a self-indulgent project for the authors, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It's a cute, comfy Kiwi mystery, and fits that brief very well.
Two small-town booksellers (and their cowardly dog) solve a decades-old murder-mystery in this witty debut …
Very quick read, had it done in a single 3-hour sitting.
Two small-town booksellers (and their cowardly dog) solve a decades-old murder-mystery in this witty debut …
Been eyeing this series up for a few months, and got the first book for Xmas!