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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read! I adored every moment of it! It's the type of a book with which you can take your time and still remain engaged with the story and the characters!
This is one of those books that will stay in my heary all my life and which I will rereas over and over again.
This is one of those books that will stay in my heary all my life and which I will rereas over and over again.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
J'ai failli mettre 2 étoiles, mais Raoul est tellement insupportable que je n'ai pu m'y résoudre. Je dois avouer avoir du mal à comprendre ce qui fait le succès de ce livre. Si Le Fantôme de l'Opéra était de la nourriture, ce serait une tranche de pain de mie. Insipide, à peine rassasiant, et qui colle aux dents de manière désagréable. Au plaisir de ne jamais avoir à le relire.
Edit : j'ai dû me résoudre à mettre 2 étoiles après avoir lu pire.
Edit : j'ai dû me résoudre à mettre 2 étoiles après avoir lu pire.
“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 entire empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must need pity the Opera ghost...
He had a heart that could have held the entire empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar.”
Being a fan of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Gaston Leroux's work had always been high on my list of must-read titles. Finding myself at the tail-end of a binge of Netflix true-crime documentaries and wanting to read something, Phantom seemed like a natural choice. What I think the ultimate tragedy of this story was that Erik's physical appearance led to so much neglect that led to so much unhappiness that what other choice did he feel he had but to conform to what society expected him to be because of that appearance? And to crave for normalcy that whole time once he'd evaded death at the hands of the Shah and the Sultan and made his way to Paris to work on the Opera that he'd eventually come to haunt was such a moving journey of character development that while I rejoice that Christine ended up with who she was supposed to, you can't help but mourn that Erik didn't get a chance to be normal, even if he got a peaceful end he maybe didn't deserve for the crimes he committed. All in all, while I enjoy the musical more because the emotion is more palpable, the book itself was a read I'll treasure for the glimpse into the material Webber drew the musical from.
He had a heart that could have held the entire empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar.”
Being a fan of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Gaston Leroux's work had always been high on my list of must-read titles. Finding myself at the tail-end of a binge of Netflix true-crime documentaries and wanting to read something, Phantom seemed like a natural choice. What I think the ultimate tragedy of this story was that Erik's physical appearance led to so much neglect that led to so much unhappiness that what other choice did he feel he had but to conform to what society expected him to be because of that appearance? And to crave for normalcy that whole time once he'd evaded death at the hands of the Shah and the Sultan and made his way to Paris to work on the Opera that he'd eventually come to haunt was such a moving journey of character development that while I rejoice that Christine ended up with who she was supposed to, you can't help but mourn that Erik didn't get a chance to be normal, even if he got a peaceful end he maybe didn't deserve for the crimes he committed. All in all, while I enjoy the musical more because the emotion is more palpable, the book itself was a read I'll treasure for the glimpse into the material Webber drew the musical from.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Love how the twist on true events make this story seem so real and possible!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🎭 The Phantom of the Opera 🎭
On his deathbed, Christine’s father promises that he will look out for her, and send an Angel of Music to guide her. When a voice reaches her in her little room at the Paris Opera House, she knows it must be the angel. He helps her grow her talent and confidence in exchange for her eternal love. However, when her childhood sweetheart Raul makes a reappearance, the Angel of Music suddenly becomes a murderous ghost intent on keeping Christine for himself.
The Phantom of the Opera is one of my favourite musicals - and yet I had never read the book!! 😱 so I was super excited when I received this as a little gift from my dad (thank you 💚) - and since it coincided with with me finishing another book I picked it up immediately! It is obviously not the same without the wonderful musical numbers - but I loved it nevertheless. It’s such a sad tale, maybe even a tragedy, at its core. A man born with a supposedly hideous face, whose mother would recoil from him instead of hugging and comforting him. A man who society has deemed monstrous simply because of his face - eventually ends up becoming what everyone thinks he is. Murderous, jealous, unhinged. Despite all the terrible things he does - I cannot bring myself to hate him (and he does redeem himself a little at the end) - however can appreciate that what he did to Christine and Raul is not ok.
It’s also sad that whilst he was invisible, just a voice, Christine actually accepted him, but when he became obsessive with his “love” he scared her off - before she’d even seen his face. Which then only reinforced his fears that he is a monster and unworthy of love.
The mystery surrounding the Phantom, the element of crime was very well written. I also loved all the descriptions of the inside of the Opera house and the kind of behind the scenes. I did like that the book does explore more the genius of Erik, even if misguided. Overall - another favourite classic!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love that the book is written like a documentary. You already know from the start (prologue) what will happen, but not how
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder
Minor: Abandonment
I want to hug ,kiss erik so badly MY MAN I’LL DO ANYTHING FOR HIM