Reviews - O Fantasma da Ópera

5.43k reviews for:

O Fantasma da Ópera

Gaston Leroux

3.77 AVERAGE

jullecomer's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Honestly? The book isn’t that great. I’m a HUGE fan of the musical (it is, in fact, my favorite) and I got this book when I was in elementary school to read. No, I didn’t really grasp a lot of it at 11 years old, so I thought I’d read it again, now that I’m in my 20’s.

I will say that this is one of the more “readable” classics. It was easy to follow, easy to understand, and easy to just pick up and go whenever you have a second to read. Whether that’s because of the version of the book I got or because it’s how Leroux writes, who’s to say.

Is this book GREAT? No, not at all. I see where Andrew Lloyd Webber got the inspiration for the musical and thank goodness the musical is better than the book. However, this was technically released in the newspaper prior to being printed as a book, so I think it makes sense that this wasn’t written as “high brow literature” because it was being published in a newspaper that everyone, theoretically, could have access to. So, it needed to be tweaked for newspaper reading vs a straight up book. Taking that into account helps me, at least, understand why it’s written the way it is.

There were a lot of characters who really seemed unnecessary (the ballet dancer at the beginning, Madame Giry and Meg were both pretty much irrelevant here, Carlotta, etc.). Like another reviewer said, the Persian just showed up when convenient for the plot. Which, fair enough, based on Raoul’s actions throughout the rest of the book, do we honestly think he would have made it out alive?

I’m glad I read it again, and I think it’s a fine book. But it’s not like it’s groundbreaking material. I’ll always have a soft spot for it because it’s my favorite musical, but in this instance, the movie/musical is SO much better than the book.

childofmongreldogs's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

caylajanyl's review against another edition

5.0

“Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be “some one”, like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius or use it to play tricks with, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost.”

Wow. The Phantom of The Opera, hailed as one of the best works in the literary genre of horror and Gothic fiction, was a remarkably fast-paced and highly engrossing book that attests to that claim. I read this with a feverish attitude that is evident whenever one really enjoys what he/she is reading. Not a chapter bore me, for each one was imbued with such mystery and ghastly horror that lasted throughout the climax and which ultimately resulted in a bittersweet finality.

5 stars!