The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, by Victor Hugo

Ayn Rand suggested reading this book for an example of great plot construction, and I can see why.  It integrated the actions of the major and minor characters beautifully with all of them coming together at the climax.  Hugo also has a beautiful style that gives wonderful details.  I especially liked the metaphor of the fly getting caught in the web.

 Hugo states at the end when justifying the addition of some chapters which were left out of the first edition that all the chapters are necessary and none are included without purpose.  This is a requirement of a first-class plot.  Hugo also wrapped up all the conflicts nicely during the climax which is very satisfying for the reader.  It reminded me of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiam.  Is Larry David our Victor Hugo?

Don't Stop the Carnival, by Herman Wouk

This book is about a New Yorker who buys a hotel in the Caribbean and runs it as sort of a mid-life crisis. I kept waiting for this book to have an interesting conflict. When it finally came in the middle of the book, it was over after about fifty pages, and then it went right back to pointlessness. The character development wasn't very deep, even for the main character. And the dialog of the natives was tough to read because it was mis-spelled the same way they mis-speak.

I guess I didn't like this book at all.