The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux
The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux , takes place at the Paris Opera House. The situation: the Opera Ghost has taken the singer Christine Daae! Our hero is Viscount Raoul de Chagny, the childhood friend of our missing singer and, now, her lover. Petrified at the disappearance of his love, he starts what will be an arduous adventure in order to find her, but little does he know what terrible things he will face as he enters the depths of the Opera, where few men go.This is a fantastic book, subject of many plays and several movies; it is a true classic by all definitions of the word. It is full to the brim with Action, Drama, Romance, and Terror. This is what would be a soap opera in book form, but better for this writer wastes no time in turning love into dismay, happiness into horror, and he does it all very well. I would highly recommend this book if you find the above fascinating and I would say a good trifle of vocabulary (or a good dictionary) may be needed to fully enjoy this book. So if you would like a classic love story or an action-packed thriller or even a book to engage your mind in thought, you need not look any further than this.
-Reviewed by Ashot C., grade 9.
Comments
Before reading this book, I watched Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway version performed live, and I was surprised at how different the novel was. There are major characters and important scenes that were in the book but left out of the musical. I think the book version is more horrifying and less romantic than the musical adaptation, which made it scarier and more suspenseful.
I think The Phantom of the Opera was excellent and the plot was better than the musical. The writing is very theatrical and it made me feel like I was watching a movie inside my head. The whole thing was pretty good but the climax was simply amazing. It felt like a roller coaster ride and I just couldn't take my eyes off the page.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed any of the adaptions of the Phantom of the Opera as well as anyone looking for a slightly scary and psychological book. I also think people hoping to prepare themselves for advanced English classes could benefit by reading it as well, as it is a little bit difficult to read.
Reviewed by S.V., Grade 12
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