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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Having seen many versions of Phantom including the Broadway musical, the 1925 silent film, the Gerard Butler film, and the live 25th anniversary adaption at the Royal Albert Hall, I thought it was more than time to finally read the book that started it all. Of all the adaptions, the silent film is the closest story wise to Gaston Leroux's book, but I do have some issues with the book that mainly have to do with the characters. My God, Christine is an idiot, Raul is a wimp that won't stop crying, and The Persian is the unsung hero of the whole thing. Why did Christine want Raul? Look no further, The Persian is your man! I can understand why in later adaptations Raul's brother and The Persian were omitted completely and that was because Raul needed to usurp their roles in order to not be a useless moron. This guy literally just lies down in the torture chamber and accepts his fate to die instead of helping to find a way out. That is not the Raul I know. He might get caught in a floating lasso in the musical, but he doesn't give up fighting like a chump. Christine's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box either. Here's a tip she could have used: when you just get released from being tied up, don't automatically try to grab the key to the torture chamber in front of your captor. Waiting until he leaves would probably be better. That was infuriating! Not to be outdone, Raul couldn't keep his trap shut and gave himself away in the torture chamber, which is definitely not the place you want to be trapped in, hence the name. These two imbeciles were actually a match made in heaven in this book. I much prefer all the characters and the character development in the musical. This was not a bad book, but the musical and other adaptions still reign supreme for me.
Not included in the musical: Eric’s torture chamber and Raoul’s continuous fits of crying. Still my fave
2.5 stars- for such a melancholy musical, I didn’t expect this book to be so… ridiculous. Half of the novel was completely unnecessary and the Phantom was written so “cartoonish evil” that I couldn’t take it seriously. Also, how was The Persian, who was arguably the best character in the whole novel, not make it into the musical at all?
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book. A bit creepy but very good! Poor Erik- Phantom!
3,6 estrelas foi mais divertido q esperava mas foi se perdendo pro fim
Okay, hear me out: Es ist sehr melodramatisch und zum Teil etwas dämlich, besonders im deutlich schwächeren ersten Teil (was soll der Rattentöter? Was für ein Fiebertraum war das Zimmer der Qualen? Ich check es nicht 😂), aber ich finde es einfach so kurzweilig und einfach einer der angenehmst zu lesenden Bücher der Zeit, daher ist die Bewertung weniger Qualität und mehr Lesespaß, außerdem empfehle ich das Musical dabei zu hören. Vielleicht gehe ich später mit der Bewertung nochmal runter, mal gucken.
Mehr dazu im Februar.
Mehr dazu im Februar.
After watching multiple film/stage versions of The Phantom of the Opera and being absolutely taken with it, I decided it's about time I read the novel (or collection of serials) where it all started. It did not disappoint! I will gladly re-read this as many times as I've watched the films, and that would be no small task.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“In Paris, our lives are one masked ball