A review by kamrynharned
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I went into reading Phantom of the Opera completely blind.  I knew of its legendary beauty and influence, but I knew nothing of the plot.  In retrospect, I shouldn’t have listened to the book but read it instead, as both the dialogue and the plot moved so quickly at times it was hard to follow. Nevertheless, this book made me feel deeply: anxiety, disgust, sympathy and annoyance.  I love how it constantly has you tottering on the edge of fact and fantasy, questioning everything and wondering what is real and what is illusion. Feeling frustration with the lovers who are just children, and finding, with shock and surprise, that you’re rooting for the monstrous Angel of Music.  It takes a masterful writer to develop a villain that you can both laugh at, pity and fear.  The ending was one I will think about for years to come. Even the darkest at heart can be transformed by love. This is exactly the kind of story that I read for - it’s fiction, but it points to the blessed reality that, to quote another literary master, “Not all who wander are lost”.