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Il fantasma dell'Opera by Gaston Leroux

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ester_ku's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

dazed_and_distracted's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense 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

3.75

elle_nari's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

What started off as the beginning of a gothic mystery with a very interesting premise, ended in the most wild, imaginative, yet confusing plotline I have read in a while. Okay, maybe the plot was quite simple: genius in architecture and music living under an opera house because he's got a facial defect which makes him ghastly to look at, loves a woman, turns into an absolute fucking psychopath, some more stuff happens and he dies.

But...what I don't understand is the whole...lake under the Opera thing. When the author said Lake, I imagine...well...a lake! A HUGE body of water, which makes sense with the explanation given...but...a house? In a lake? Under an Opera House? What?? I just can't for the LIFE of me visualise what that means! Also, I'm STILL confused on just WHAT Erik actually is? He said he has a...siren companion that kills those that try to cross this lake? Was that ever explained?

Please don't think this as criticism, I found the absolute madness of it part of its charm, for at the end of each chapter I had to take a minute to wonder just what I just read. This was NOT what I was expecting at all.

The humour that's in the text is, frankly, hilarious. The two managers walking backwards and bowing to no one just to entice the "ghost" to steal their money is so funny to me. But there's a LOT that went unexplained...if he isn't a ghost, how did he achieve half of what he did? I know the main parts were explained, but a few little nitpicks confuse me still.

Not sure Raoul deserved Christine at the start...he was a bit..."nice-guys finish last"- type which annoyed me. But he very much grew on me when he proved himself in being mentally tortured for his love!

The author's sympathy to Erik annoyed me a bit too...why did he deserve our pity?? Because he was ugly? He killed people! Normal people like Erik do NOT go round killing people and kidnapping women (taking advantage of her dead father by the way!) just because they're lonely. Every single person in this book was a fucking psychopath (apart from the Persian and Count Chagny, they were the only level headed people there).

Just...a lot of emotion, not a lot of critical thinking I can give other than...the lake under the Opera relates to the Cocytus lake in hell perhaps? Also the constant mention of Faust makes me think Erik has similarities to Faust in his arrogance. Just how Faust brought Helena of Troy, Erik forced Christine to love him...perhaps?

zuomiriam's review against another edition

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4.0

Glad I finally got around to reading this novel. The text holds enormous stature, especially on Broadway, though it's actually a pretty quick read. The writing grabs you from the start and demands your uninterrupted attention, even if you already have a sense of the narrative arc. Leroux blends some facts into his story (e.g. the discovery of a skeleton below the Opera House actually happened), which adds a touch of plausibility that makes it all the more poignant. Erik, the Opera Ghost, reminds me of Frankenstein in that his physical ugliness bars him from living a normal life, particularly when it comes to finding love; although a genius with a beautiful voice, Erik is also cruel and vengeful at times (akin to Shelley's Frankenstein, as well as in later film adaptations of that character). I think the depth and complexity of Erik's character contributes in large part to the lasting power of this story. Definitely worth reading at least once.