Reading Notre-Dame caused me to think of all the art we have lost down through the ages from natural and accidental disasters, iconoclasm, and vengeful destruction. A brief firefight broke out around Notre-Dame on his arrival, and as one observer noted of the congregation, most of whom were on the floor to avoid the gunfire as De Gaulle slowly marched down the nave, “One could see more bottoms than faces.” De Gaulle was under fire as he rode in a French-made luxury car to the church. Here, too, Follett recounts the dramatic entry of French leader Charles De Gaulle into Notre-Dame to attend Mass when Germans were still offering sporadic resistance to Allied troops. He also gives us thumbnail sketches of other authors entranced by these ancient places of worship, like Victor Hugo whose Hunchback of Notre-Dame was not only a best selling novel but also “has been made into at least thirteen films, five television series, five plays, fifteen stage musicals, five ballets, two BBC radio series, and a video game.” Into this slim volume Follett jams an enormous amount of information about this great cathedral, its decades-long construction, periods of repair, particularly the damage done by radicals in the French Revolution, and its place as a symbol of freedom when the Allies occupied Paris in 1944. Follett replied, “I’ll start tomorrow,” and by April 26 he had finished his tribute to Notre-Dame. Just before returning to England, he also met with his French publisher, who asked if he would write a book about Notre-Dame, with the profits going to the rebuilding fund.

April is the season when Chaucer’s pilgrims gathered before setting off to Canterbury and…Īlmost immediately, Follett flew to Paris, where he spoke on a French television show of his love for these churches and the place they held in his heart.

Ken follett notre dame book