The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

I'm enjoying this classic, part of my exploration of French culture prior to our upcoming trip to France.  I'm reading it with the aid of a study guide from LitChart, something that I needed after failing to really understand the first couple of chapters of the book.

My first book by Hugo, I find a lot of similarities to Charles Dickens' novels: Nineteenth century stories that showcase the inequity in society, filled with interesting characters.  

Although Hugo's characters aren't as original as those by Dickens, I appreciate the fact that Hugo only provides enough characters to tell the story.  As I've written in the past, Dickens overloads his books with far too many characters than needed, adding unnecessary volume to his stories.

But Hunchback is doing exactly what I had hoped, adding color to my understanding of French culture and history, and doing so in an enjoyable book that has stood the test of time.