The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. Wow! I don't even know where to start. What an amazing book!
I started reading it on Wednesday night and finished it this morning. I seriously didn't get out of bed til after noon because I wanted to finish it so bad. I just couldn't put it down (in between my work shifts and sleep of course). I didn't want to put it down. I actually fell asleep reading last night. I don't even remember falling asleep or turning the light off apparently. But I just remember reading one minute and waking up the next.
It was such a good book. It far exceeded my expectations. I have seen (and absolutely love!) the movie based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's broadway musical. The one starring Gerard Butler. Yup. That one. And I love it. It was one of the first things that got me interested in opera at about the same time that I started taking voice lessons from a girl in my church who sings opera... legitimately. Her degree is in musical performance, focus in opera. She is amazing. ANYWAY. The book is amazing. I was worried that since I love the movie I would hate the book. But in all reality, I may love the book more than the movie now.
Gaston Leroux's characters may not have a lot of definition and come off as being very shallow in every way possible. The one character he did incredible with was the Opera Ghost. He put so much into creating the shady character of Erik (or Opera Ghost or Phantom... whichever you prefer) that it really defined and shaped the book itself. Along with the character of Erik, he put incredible detail in describing the opera house and it very much did become the main stage for everything that happened in the book. Every chapter left something hanging. Whether it was the voice. Or the music. Or just the descriptions of the surroundings which Erik was so familiar with and left others completely lost, scared or confused. There was always something left hanging until the next chapter (or sometimes even a few chapters). Erik was this mysterious person who seemed to be a ghost, yet flesh and blood. He obviously had some mental issues, but at the same time one's heart just aches for him, his humanity and his desire to be loved.
Christine, Raoul and the other characters were sadly very shallow. That is one thing that the movie did much better on. But at the same time if they had had more depth then the story would have changed and shifted drastically. It wouldn't have been about the Opera Ghost nearly as much I think. And since the book is titled The Phantom of the Opera it makes sense that Gaston Leroux wouldn't have put as much depth into the other characters.
I was so pleased with the book. Leroux's writing was definitely entertaining and was good enough to keep me hooked. And that's saying quite a lot since I tend to be very particular with the types of writing styles I like. But nonetheless... The Phantom of the Opera was a fantastic classic read. It wasn't super long. The copy I read was only 280 pages. And it was so worth the time.
I started reading it on Wednesday night and finished it this morning. I seriously didn't get out of bed til after noon because I wanted to finish it so bad. I just couldn't put it down (in between my work shifts and sleep of course). I didn't want to put it down. I actually fell asleep reading last night. I don't even remember falling asleep or turning the light off apparently. But I just remember reading one minute and waking up the next.
It was such a good book. It far exceeded my expectations. I have seen (and absolutely love!) the movie based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's broadway musical. The one starring Gerard Butler. Yup. That one. And I love it. It was one of the first things that got me interested in opera at about the same time that I started taking voice lessons from a girl in my church who sings opera... legitimately. Her degree is in musical performance, focus in opera. She is amazing. ANYWAY. The book is amazing. I was worried that since I love the movie I would hate the book. But in all reality, I may love the book more than the movie now.
Gaston Leroux's characters may not have a lot of definition and come off as being very shallow in every way possible. The one character he did incredible with was the Opera Ghost. He put so much into creating the shady character of Erik (or Opera Ghost or Phantom... whichever you prefer) that it really defined and shaped the book itself. Along with the character of Erik, he put incredible detail in describing the opera house and it very much did become the main stage for everything that happened in the book. Every chapter left something hanging. Whether it was the voice. Or the music. Or just the descriptions of the surroundings which Erik was so familiar with and left others completely lost, scared or confused. There was always something left hanging until the next chapter (or sometimes even a few chapters). Erik was this mysterious person who seemed to be a ghost, yet flesh and blood. He obviously had some mental issues, but at the same time one's heart just aches for him, his humanity and his desire to be loved.
Christine, Raoul and the other characters were sadly very shallow. That is one thing that the movie did much better on. But at the same time if they had had more depth then the story would have changed and shifted drastically. It wouldn't have been about the Opera Ghost nearly as much I think. And since the book is titled The Phantom of the Opera it makes sense that Gaston Leroux wouldn't have put as much depth into the other characters.
I was so pleased with the book. Leroux's writing was definitely entertaining and was good enough to keep me hooked. And that's saying quite a lot since I tend to be very particular with the types of writing styles I like. But nonetheless... The Phantom of the Opera was a fantastic classic read. It wasn't super long. The copy I read was only 280 pages. And it was so worth the time.
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