Book Review: The Phantom of the Opera

                                          This picture really captures the Phantom of the Opera mood, I think.

Hello all!

So as I said in my Music of the Week #7 I promised to review Phantom of the Opera. Well, here it is, as promised!

The Phantom of the Opera is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. Fun Fact! The novel was inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century and a apocryphal tale, concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in a production of Der Freischutz.

Creepy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Summary:

Deformed since birth, a bitter man known as the Phantom lives in the sewers, underneath the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with the obscure chorus singer Christine, and privately tutors her while terrorizing the rest of the opera house and demanding Christine be given lead roles.

(Sounds like a real charmer there, doesn't he?)

I went into this book expecting to be exactly like the musical. Boy, was I wrong. This book is so terrifying! The Phantom is psychotic and kills left and right basically. NOTHING LIKE THE MUSICAL!!!!!!!!!!! So I was a little disappointed.

Characters:

Erik (or as he's known the Phantom, Opera Ghost, and the Angel of Music) is creepy. I did not like him in this book. He kills so many people! Yeesh!

Christine is sweet and a little ditzy. She doesn't see who the Phantom is really, until it's too late and he's already taken her captive.


Raoul. Where do I begin with Raoul. Ok, he is 21 years old  and I swear. Every. Other. Chapter. He is sobbing like a little boy. He is nothing like musical Raoul and it drives me crazy.


All the other character are pretty much like the musical ones.


This book was very enjoyable (though there was a lot of murder)


There's my review!

Let me know in the comments if you have read Phantom of the Opera and what your thought are.


-Lia