Book Title: The Phantom of the Opera
Author: Gaston Leroux
****.5 (4 and a half stars out of 5)
The Phantom of the Opera is a mystery set in 19th-century France, at the Paris Opera House. It tells the story of Christine Daeé, a beautiful dancer in the Opera that is discovered to have an incredible voice...taught by her unknown teacher, the "Angel of Music". Meanwhile, new managers of the Opera House are dealing with letters, messages, murders, missing stars, and falling chandeliers, all courtesy of the "Opera Ghost". When Christine's childhood sweetheart Raoul coincidentally discovers Christine, they fall back in love and the "Angel of Music" becomes very jealous...more and more connections between this "Angel" and the "Ghost" become apparent until we discover they are one and the same. The Opera Ghost becomes angry...and soon...Christine must make the choice: Marry the Phantom, or secure the death of thousands, including herself. Raoul is all the while attempting a daring rescue...who will succeed? Which of the two lovers, the Phantom or Raoul, will win Christine and save or destroy the residents of the Opera House?
You have probably seen the movie, a musical adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber from the novel. It is an incredible movie, which prompted me to read the book. It is a very good book, but, like many 19th century novels, takes some time to actually start. Leroux has a tendency to go on random tangents at the beginning of the novel, but as the story goes on it becomes more and more engrossing. The writing style, despite being very old-fashioned and wordy, moves at a fair clip that keeps you reading. The descriptions tend to be over-the-top, with the number of glass panels being continually noted as well as other equally trivial details. The novel requires some patience, but, despite these drawbacks, is a fairly fun read. I recommend it on the whole to well-read adults who don't mind heavy prose and a less-than-gripping story line.
Buy it here for $7 new or $0.98 and up used.
Best of luck,
Lizzy :-)
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