The Phantom of the Opera - Reviewed by Stephanie Best

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Reviewed by Stephanie Best

        The author claims that the “Opera Ghost”, Erik, was a real person. The story follows the real life happenings at the Paris Opera House, the Palais Garnier. Christine Daae, a chorus girl and daughter of a renowned fiddler, is only a chorus girl at the opera house, until one day she is given the opportunity to sing at the house’s managers’ retirement celebration. Under the guidance of the Opera Ghost, whom he tells her he is her Angel of Music, she sings extraordinarily beautifully and is an instant hit. Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny, sees the performance and remembers her from their childhood together, yet, she at first does not remember him. Around this time, strange things are happening at the opera house, including deaths. Seeing Christine with Raoul, Erik becomes jealous and kidnaps Christine multiple times. Can Christine trust her Angel of Music? Who will she chose, her Angel of Music, or Raoul? Even with the help of the mysterious The Persian, can Raoul save Christine?

I rated The Phantom of the Opera three out of five starts because I often found it very hard to follow. I often have trouble reading novels with this kind of writing. Even though I have seen the musical, I did enjoy the plot, because the original story is somewhat different than the musical. I did, however, really enjoy learning more about the characters and their pasts as well as their relatives. If the reader enjoys other classic books, such as Les Miserables, which was also made into a popular musical, then I recommend this book. Personally, I would rather watch the musical version of The Phantom of the Opera than read the book.