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challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A classic which, in my opinion, deserves to be considered timeless; the Phantom of the Opera raises the question on how we should treat the truly low members of society.
The novel introduces the story of the Opera Ghost, which stalks the shadows of the Paris Opera House and hunts for mischief and mystery. Strange events emerge and connect as the singer Christine Daaé slowly begins her rise in fame with her heavenly vocals, supposedly learning to sing from the Angel of Music. The reader navigates through this episodic novel and slowly gathers the truths to the unfolding story.
The Phantom of the Opera places a great emphasis on concepts of love, obsession, desire, and pity. How can we learn to, not love, but accept someone who is supposedly heartless? How can we take pity on people who are seemingly monstrous? How does unrecieved love mould into an overpowering obsession built upon desires we are unable to satisfy? The novel feels like it is truly a love letter to these themes as both pain and pleasure are combined into the flowing story.
I have loved this ever since watching the musical, and the original story that brought it to life is absolutely incredible.
I can't get over how beautifully tragic the ending for this novel is. It ends in Erik's death for his own overflowing love of Christine, one which he had never experienced with another woman in his life. It just serves to show how much Erik wished for nothing but a normal life but was cursed from the endeavour ever since he was first born just for his horrific features, leading him down a path of using his wits and intellect for his own disturbing gains as a way to not acknowledge his pain.
The novel introduces the story of the Opera Ghost, which stalks the shadows of the Paris Opera House and hunts for mischief and mystery. Strange events emerge and connect as the singer Christine Daaé slowly begins her rise in fame with her heavenly vocals, supposedly learning to sing from the Angel of Music. The reader navigates through this episodic novel and slowly gathers the truths to the unfolding story.
The Phantom of the Opera places a great emphasis on concepts of love, obsession, desire, and pity. How can we learn to, not love, but accept someone who is supposedly heartless? How can we take pity on people who are seemingly monstrous? How does unrecieved love mould into an overpowering obsession built upon desires we are unable to satisfy? The novel feels like it is truly a love letter to these themes as both pain and pleasure are combined into the flowing story.
I have loved this ever since watching the musical, and the original story that brought it to life is absolutely incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Classism
Minor: Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Blood, Stalking, Classism
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely loved this book. I decided to finally read it, because I was named after Christine Daae. This book was so much better than the movie. This book is full of so much detail that it really ties the book together and makes it enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Violence, Kidnapping, Murder
They do mention the deaths, kidnapping, and violence, however, they do not go into to much detail. Near the end of the book, they go into a bit more detail revolving around the ,
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
My first classic! I was intrigued by the first chapter alone and knew I was going to love this book. The penguin classics edition was also super easy to read and the notes gave me so much insight into the world this book takes place in. I was very invested throughout the book and it was so intense at times. Some parts did feel very long and at times I felt like the pacing was slightly odd, but in the end, it was fine. The epilogue tied everything together for me and it just felt perfect. Erik as a character was written so well and even the descriptions of him gave me chills. Overall, this is the perfect book if you want to start reading classics or if you just want to read a whimsical story of The Paris Opera in the 1800s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Suicide attempt
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Classism
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Murder
Moderate: Death, Torture
Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m obsessed with the musical and there are very few times where the adaption deserves to outshine the source material and this was one of those times. While I did really enjoy it, specifically the middle part, the end dragged out for a long time and some aspects (ie the Persian), though probably on par for the time are bordering on problematic. I was just really confused by the inclusion of this character if not just to have a mystical foreigner swoop in full in the background gaps and save the white characters lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had heard that the original Phantom of the Opera novel is far more horror-based and intense than the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical I am familiar with, so I was curious to see for myself just how different the two stories are from each other.
Mostly, I wanted to see what Erik's deal was because he has so much more going on than what the adaptations of the character that I'm familiar with touch on. Now that I have listened to the entire book and its epilogue, I'd say that the best way to describe Leroux's Phantom is "the character whose OP backstory was created after the main story was written in order to explain how the mystery worked and prove that it was just a man the entire time!" but it honestly leaves me with more questions than answers. I also really wasn't fond of the sentiment about birth deformities being a sign of inherent inner evil to be pitied by the "beautiful" people of the world, so I don't really know what to make of that regarding Erik's character development at the end.
That being said, the novel was rather boring in how it mostly consisted of uneventful exposition dumps until the story picks up about halfway through when the Phantom and the Persian take more prominent roles. Their part of the story is still mostly large exposition dumps, but at least those dumps were entertaining in how absolutely buck wild they are. My main complaint is that having to follow a whiny, self-entitled Raoul around through the eyes of the narrator was so draining because he is a prime example of the Nice Guy trope and I can't really say I was rooting for him like we're so clearly supposed to.
It was fun to spot all of the story/character notes that the musical plucked out when reworking the plot into more of a dark romance. Having experienced Leroux's original work, I now have a greater appreciation for adaptations that play around with the fun and interesting concepts that are laid out in the novel.
Mostly, I wanted to see what Erik's deal was because he has so much more going on than what the adaptations of the character that I'm familiar with touch on. Now that I have listened to the entire book and its epilogue, I'd say that the best way to describe Leroux's Phantom is "the character whose OP backstory was created after the main story was written in order to explain how the mystery worked and prove that it was just a man the entire time!" but it honestly leaves me with more questions than answers. I also really wasn't fond of the sentiment about birth deformities being a sign of inherent inner evil to be pitied by the "beautiful" people of the world, so I don't really know what to make of that regarding Erik's character development at the end.
That being said, the novel was rather boring in how it mostly consisted of uneventful exposition dumps until the story picks up about halfway through when the Phantom and the Persian take more prominent roles. Their part of the story is still mostly large exposition dumps, but at least those dumps were entertaining in how absolutely buck wild they are. My main complaint is that having to follow a whiny, self-entitled Raoul around through the eyes of the narrator was so draining because he is a prime example of the Nice Guy trope and I can't really say I was rooting for him like we're so clearly supposed to.
It was fun to spot all of the story/character notes that the musical plucked out when reworking the plot into more of a dark romance. Having experienced Leroux's original work, I now have a greater appreciation for adaptations that play around with the fun and interesting concepts that are laid out in the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racial slurs, Suicide, Death of parent