Notre Dame de Paris vs Paul et Virginie: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: French fiction, French literature, French language, History, Fiction
Notre Dame de Paris
More
In fifteenth-century Paris, a disfigured man named Quasimodo, who was abandoned as an infant in the cathedral of Notre-Dame and now lives in its bell tower, must come to the aid of a beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda…
Paul et Virginie
More
Paul and Virginia, two fatherless children are brought up in poverty and innocence, amid the tropical scenery of the island of Mauritius. Virginia is recalled to France by a harsh and wealthy aunt. There she is…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Notre Dame de Paris highest: Notre Dame de Paris 4.0 · Paul et Virginie 3.7.
- Notre Dame de Paris has the widest readership — 224399 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Notre Dame de Paris | Paul et Virginie | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (224399) | 3.7 (8649) |
| Hardcover | — | 4.3 (3) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (6) |
Reception
| Notre Dame de Paris | Paul et Virginie | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 224399 | 8649 |
| Editions | 265 | 142 |
| Citations | — | 40 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 272359 | 42 |
| Written reviews | 10083 | 4 |
| Wikipedia attention | 53026 | 1776 |
| Pages | 409 | 311 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Notre Dame de Paris or Paul et Virginie?
Notre Dame de Paris has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Notre Dame de Paris 4.0/5, Paul et Virginie 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Notre Dame de Paris or Paul et Virginie?
Paul et Virginie is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Paul et Virginie (311 pages, ≈ 5 h 46 m); Notre Dame de Paris (409 pages, ≈ 7 h 34 m).
Which is harder to read: Notre Dame de Paris or Paul et Virginie?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Notre Dame de Paris: Challenging; Paul et Virginie: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Notre Dame de Paris: no film adaptation on record; Paul et Virginie: 1 film adaptation.