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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I am not a learned opera aficionado. So some (all) of the references to operatic scenes our songs its lost on me. The setting is foreign and the writing is 19th century. But I still enjoyed this book! Of course I have the music of the modern (Weber's) version in my head as I read the narrative and I struggle with the colloquialism and have to look up the meaning of or try to discern the inference intended of many of the references in this book. But the story is gripping, the plot is thick, the characters have depth and that is what its all about -not the hokey pokey.
Bottom line: a good read. 4 stars.
Bottom line: a good read. 4 stars.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not sure why I felt inclined to pick this up. I've never seen the musical, though I do know ow a bit about it. I guess this shortish classic just enticed me. I liked it. It was mysterious and spooky. The main reason why I didn't love it is that I really didn't connect with the narrator as much as I would have liked to.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Empieza algo lento, pero el acto final es una joyita
I really enjoyed listening to this on CD. The changes they made with the musical - most notably the complete erasure of the Persian, were kind of a bummer. Why get rid of the Persian and have Giry do his important bits? It probably didn't save time. Alas. I'll always be a book purist, I guess even when I read the book after!
This has to be the worst "classic" I've read. The story is full of holes and loose ends. The writing is amateurish. The antihero is unlikely and inconsistent. The "hero" is a whiny, immature 20yo. The heroine is all but a flat piece of stage decoration. It mystifies me that the plot and characters fascinate anyone. And, by the way, the plot and characters differ from those of the musical.
This is such a familiar story thanks to the musical, but I still wanted to read the book. I was surprised at how brutal the Opera Ghost really is in the story. He's not exactly an endearing character in the musical, but you still develop some level of sympathy for him. Torturer, murderer, psychopath...all words that would describe the Opera Ghost in the book. I did enjoy reading this book. It was interesting to get more of the background of O.G.'s tricks and his life underground in more detail. I would actually like to see a non-musical movie made of this story, since I think it could be a great thriller if done right.
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes