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

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was a bit disappointed by this book. I found it to be very slow and the writing style made it hard to keep up at times. It gets really slow in the middle and then all the action is in the last 50 pages or so. I also think that the approach of writing it almost like an investigative journalist was a detriment to the story; without the perspective of our main characters, I found it a little hard to connect with them. Of course, there are some very unfortunate racial stereotypes in here particularly with the character of the "Persian" who is never named beyond that. And as much as Christine fits into the characterization of a female Gothic heroine, she lacks the agency that would make me feel like this is her story. She is pulled around by everyone else, with just enough of a hint of a real character to make it disappointing that we get so little of it. Not terrible, but not the best. I think Wuthering Heights does a lot of this style and themes better
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