Notre Dame de Paris vs Princesse de Clèves: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: French fiction, Continental european fiction, Romance & Relationships, History, Fiction
Notre Dame de Paris
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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…
Princesse de Clèves
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The Princess of Cleves is a French novel published in 1678 that is regarded as one of the first psychological novels. The plot is set in the royal court of Henry II of France.
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Notre Dame de Paris highest: Notre Dame de Paris 4.0 · Princesse de Clèves 3.7.
- Princesse de Clèves is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for Notre Dame de Paris.
- Notre Dame de Paris has the widest readership — 224399 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Notre Dame de Paris | Princesse de Clèves | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (224399) | 3.8 (43) |
| Hardcover | — | 3.1 (12) |
| Apple Books | — | 3.5 (5) |
Reception
| Notre Dame de Paris | Princesse de Clèves | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 224399 | 43 |
| Editions | 265 | 417 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 272359 | 51 |
| Written reviews | 10083 | 10 |
| Wikipedia attention | 53026 | — |
| Pages | 409 | 198 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Notre Dame de Paris or Princesse de Clèves?
Notre Dame de Paris has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Notre Dame de Paris 4.0/5, Princesse de Clèves 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Notre Dame de Paris or Princesse de Clèves?
Princesse de Clèves is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Princesse de Clèves (198 pages, ≈ 3 h 40 m); Notre Dame de Paris (409 pages, ≈ 7 h 34 m).
Which is harder to read: Notre Dame de Paris or Princesse de Clèves?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Notre Dame de Paris: Challenging; Princesse de Clèves: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Notre Dame de Paris: no film adaptation on record; Princesse de Clèves: 2 film adaptations.