Nice to see this reissued. If you've seen the musical on stage or the movie, you know the story = but not all the details. Leroux has written a classic which actually expands in so many ways your appreciation for the adaptation.. Atmospheric and with, duh, classic characters, it's a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Una entretenida historia de obsesión, arte y misterio. Aunque tiene algunos agujeros en la trama y un desarrollo errático que me molestaron, puedo ver por qué se volvió un clásico, aunque también entiendo el desprecio que se ha ganado de parte de los académicos. Una novela que nos pone a pensar en lo que significa ser "el otro" en una sociedad donde la estética determina el éxito.
Reseña completa por publicarse en mi blog el 23 de Diciembre: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2019/12/review-phantom-of-opera.html

An entertaining story of obsession, art, and mystery. Although it has some plot holes and an erratic development that bothered me, I can see why it became a classic, although I also understand the contempt that has been earned by academics. A novel that makes us think about what it means to be "the other" in a society where aesthetics determines success.
Full review to be published in my blog on Dec 23: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2019/12/review-phantom-of-opera.html

Buddy read with Nana but she DNF'd it lol ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've been wanting to read this book for a while, as the musical is one of my favorites (and I'm annoyingly picky about musicals, so that's saying something) and the movie is definitely what made me the spooky aesthetic trash goblin I am today (and don't give me hate for liking the movie lol)

But I really don't know how to feel about this book. It really wasn't what I expected, and until the last half, I was really enjoying it. But the last half didn't ruin things, nor was it horrible, so I really don't know what's going on. I'm just gonna dump my feelings here and leave it be.

Christine really surprised me. I kinda expected her to be a piece of soggy cardboard, like Esmeralda from Hunchback, but no, she's actually pretty legit. She behaves like a human being (at least as much as the rest of the cast behaves like human beings) and I found myself really liking her and wanting her to succeed. She definitely has her flaws, but she's less of an idiot than her musical and film counterparts and I really appreciated that.

Raoul is just as annoying, if not infinitely more so. This dude reacts like a spoiled brat every time Christine dares do anything whatsoever without his prior approval. And he's constantly--and I mean CONSTANTLY--judging her and assuming she's a slut. Honestly, in the last half, he was giving me some serious Esmeralda vibes because of how whiny he was. And the insta love was only partly acceptable because there was established history behind it, but insta love is still insta love, especially when the two lacked any chemistry whatsoever. It was horrible decision versus even worse decision for poor Christine, honestly.

The Phantom, kind of like Frollo from Hunchback, was a crying mess. He's not very spooky, not very threatening, and not really very, idk, interesting? All the mystery goes out the window, which for what is largely a mystery novel, I didn't appreciate. He was, strangely, kind of a Gary Stu, which I really didn't expect whatsoever. The only thing I did like about him was that he's legitimately ugly af instead of hot on one side of his face and marginally gross on the other.

The plot was generally ok. Like I said earlier, I liked the first half a lot (and since I'm planning on writing a Phantom of the Opera retelling sometime in the future, it gave me a lot of good ideas) but the last half felt strangely rushed and like it dragged at the same time. The humorous interludes with the managers were really funny but they killed the pacing and tension, and I had a hard time imagining some of the set-pieces, especially the torture chamber. Add to that my dislike for most of the main characters, and you've got yourself an iffy book at best. Perhaps if it had been a bit more gothic (not necessarily gothic romance, though that would have been nice, but gothic horror) then I'd have liked it more. It promised me spooks, but it gave me a bunch of losers and a comic book villain instead.

And wtf is up with the rat-catcher??? Can anyone explain this to me??? I'm like??? So confused??????

First of all, I never thought that this book was historical romance, I already knew the inspiration that comes from the Paris Opera but I never imagined the richness of cultural, social and historical details used in a clear and well-described way by the author. Gaston Leroux presents artist names and real moments in such a way that you believe the whole story is real as well. It manages to transport the reader to that mid-nineteenth-century universe and makes all the questions about the ghost and its myth.



Second, I also did not imagine it to be, in a way, a policial book that the writer was influenced by, nothing less than, Arthur Conan Doyle and is narrated exactly by an investigator who unearths a process related to all the mysterious events that plagued the Opera and spawned the legend of the Phantom. Each element is presented at the right time to cause some tension and suspense and impact on the reader's mind.




Thirdly, I've always been an unconditional fan of the Ghost and never had any big empathy for the main couple, but as I read, I was able to understand better all the consequences of the villain's actions, to understand all the purity of the love of the three characters, and come to the conclusion that, as Father Joaozinho would say, it doesn't matter so much how you think about an issue, but what you do concretely with what you think. The Phantom really did a lot of bad things and even though he had redeemed himself and the investigator went deep to explain his behavior, my empathy diminished considerably (a pity), but my love for the story increased exponentially.

Phantom of the Opera is one of those classics that everyone knows whether from the 1920’s silent film starring Lon Chaney, the Universal lavish remake and of course the smash Lloyd-Webber hit with its over the top performances and exciting staging. What none of these portray or even get closed to be the essence of what Phantom of the Opera source material really is.

What we have is a ghost tale with LaRoux claiming that this is based on true events and then delves you into the basic plot whilst building the tension slowly. Christine has always been a bit of a haunted creature and you don’t realised how touched she is you find her slowly falling apart whilst at the same time the Phantom stability is becoming more demented. Raoul is a rather lacklustre young man who certainly gets by with a little help from his friends but is the Persian who really saves the day.

The book switches narratives throughout the book giving you different versions of the action that is taking place. Using this format does combine a literary link to Bram Stoker’s Dracula but does provide a clear picture through the third person narrative. There is a tongue in cheek style to some of the narrative which adds a further depth. This does come across as a lost footage type of book which adds a deeper level to the overall presentation.

The characters are interesting and being used to the very many interpretations from Universal to Italian Horror, from the great to the very blah versions, I noticed that they all had one thing in common; the characterisations were slightly off from the book. The book gives you a cast of torture characters who become more tortured and broken whilst the film counterparts tries to make heroes, damsel in distress and sympathetic villain. The book is more than these parts and although you can probably portray this in a written style where an exact film version probably would give you not much to root for.

Overall, Phantom is a literary classic because it lives up to the hype. Providing a full realised world based in ghostly facts and mystery, the book feels more modern with an 1800’s gothic narrative. LaRoux doesn’t give us long winded narrative passages of description as we find with other works of this era. The Phantom of the Opera is an easier read for fans of modern fiction. If you think you know the story, you only know half of it and urge everyone who loves the various incarnations of the story to read the novel and feel fully satisfied.

The first Broadway show I saw was Andrew Lloyd Weber's The Phantom of the Opera. I've gotten tickets numerous times since, and love seeing new actors in the roles. For someone slightly obsessed with this show, you would think I'd have read the book. Alas, that was not the case until now, but having rectified that issue, I thoroughly enjoyed the differences and similarities between the show and the book.
Spending some quality reading time with the Phantom, Christine, Raoul, and all the supporting characters was time well spent. I look forward to purchasing a hard copy on publication day, as I imagine the book will be beautiful. If you've seen the show or movie, you should enjoy this book and if not, it is a great introduction to The Phantom of the Opera!
I received a DRC from Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley.

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A classic. 5 out of 5 stars. So glad to have read this novel again!! Loved every minute!!

Many may think of the silent film classic or the Broadway musical when they hear this book’s title, which can conjure up nightmarish images of a ghoulish man terrifying the object of his affection. However, the literary version of this tale brings home the true moral. For this is a story about self-fulfilling prophecies and allowing the physical deformities of the skin to seep into the heart and mind.

The titular character is beyond creepy at times, but that’s in more of a ‘guy obsesses way too much about a woman’ way. If he’d allowed the better aspects of his true nature to flourish rather than feeding his own shattered ego, he just might have gotten the girl.

This new edition of The Phantom of the Opera is presented by the Horror Writers Association. The physical copy will clearly be a gorgeous item that all lovers of classic horror will want to add to their collection.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

I tried very hard to get through this book and was very relieved to get to the last page. I didn't enjoy this at all and thought the melodramatic "Phantom" was awful and the love triangle between him, his love Christine and Christine's love Raoul was a bit much for me. I have to say the main reason why I gave this 2 stars was that Leroux definitely captures the best parts of the Gothic genre. We have a dark and haunted opera house and within it hidden catacombs. We have a dark mysterious stranger. We have the heroine who is in fear for her life. Other than that though I found myself bored while reading. I now know why I always was hesitant to go and see this musical with friends.

"The Phantom of the Opera" has Leroux writing this book as if this was a real story. From there we have the first tales of something sinister watching the young women who are performing at the opera house. A man is found hung and the opera ghost (as he is known) is blamed. And while this is going on the story also focused on (in the same paragraphs) that a relatively unknown singer Christine, has suddenly shown that she is a formidable singer and everyone is wondering where she was hiding her talent. Leroux mentions some performances that I am completely blanking on here, but suffice it to say Christine is now being heralded as one of the best singers ever. And then Leroux throws in another character, Raoul who watches Christine perform and is all, hey I used to play with her as a kid. Yeah this is just a long and winding way to say that we now have the opera ghost who we find out is a man named Erik, Christine, and Raoul all introduced. From there the story jumps into tales of love and obsession and how Erik came to be there.

I don't like love triangles since that always seems to me to be an easy way to write a romance. Oh there's a young woman who is seemingly perfect and now she must choose between two uber perfect men.

Well in this case, one man who is obsessed with Christine to the point he's cool with murdering others and then forcing her to stay with him.

And then we have Raoul, who honestly didn't do a thing for me.

I found Christine to be beyond naive though and her flip flopping about Erik just got to be too much for me. The man is threatening to keep her with him always and force her to marry him. That's not even a little bit of love. And how dumb was she that she didn't know who her "angel" was and who the phantom was? I could not get over that.

There are other characters in this one, actually a lot, but no one really stands out to me. I found myself going through the motions to just finish this to get done.

The writing was pretty stilted and I think that was probably due to the translations though. I always end up feeling confused if I read a novel that has been translated, and this one definitely had me wondering if that is the word or dialogue that Leroux originally met. Also I have to wonder if Leroux wanted readers to loathe Erik or what. I know I did.

The flow was bad in this one. There just needed to be some tighter editing. This is over 300 pages and I literally felt each page. Usually I can fly through a read like this, but this whole book took ages (Thursday through last night) for me to finish. I ended up reading other books to just break this one up.

The ending was a foregone conclusion and I was just glad to be done.

A wonderful tale that never grows old. I was first introduced to opera through The Phantom of the Opera and when it was time to teach my children, and later my grandchildren, the wonders of performance arts, the Phantom was my choice. Classic love story with doomed characters may not be every fan's idea of art, but it's still as alive today as when it was first written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this novel in return for my honest opinion.

The Phantom of the Opera is a classic and timeless tale that explores obsession, unrequited love, revenge and the social hierarchy of the time.

The setting for the book is the magnificent Palais Garnier also known as the Paris Opera House. The major protagonists are Erik better known as the Angel of Music or the Opera Ghost (O.G.), Christine Daae, and Raoul (M. le Vicomte de Chagny). Minor protagonists are Mme Giry, the "Persian", M. Armand Moncharmin, M. Firmin Richard and Joseph Buquet who although only plays a minor role in the beginning - he's a major thread throughout the book.

Christine who sings like an angel after being tutored by Erik is torn between her love for Raoul and the unrequited attention of Erik. His interest in Christine borders on the obsession.

The story is told through several voices and entirely woven through with the rich descriptions of the Opera House. From beginning to the tragic end, this enduring tale tells of how love can save a person. What happens to O.G. is still up for debate. Worthy of more than 5 stars.

Interesting book to learn how the famous Phantom of the Opera was derived. I had a little trouble following it and understanding the flow but probably because I had to stop and do things so much. So if you'd like to read how the whole Opera came about it's worth reading. That is my all time favorite Opera. I didn't know the original story so I enjoyed it. Was the Phantom a ghost or a real person? If he was real who was the ghost? The new owners do not believe the Opera theater is haunted by a ghost thinking that they are being made fun of by the previous owners. They soon discover the ghost has powers that can't easily be explained. Christine is being led in her singing by someone she hears but doesn't see at first. Someone who wants her all to himself. He teaches her to sing better than ever before. Her heart belongs to someone else but the Phantom will not easily give her up. Same theme of course as the opera however so much more to the story and a surprising ending. Thank you NetGalley and Gaston Leroux and Soursebooks for the opportunity to read and review this book.

You can't go wrong with Phantom of the Opera and this newly translated version did not let me down. It's a timeless gothic tale that will never go out of style.

Excellent new edition of a classic (I deeply appreciate the project that the WRA is undertaking with The Haunted Library of Horror Classics in reissuing/reintroducing classics of the genre).

I knew the story pretty well through movies and other books' references, even so it is well worth the read as it's so beautifully done. I wish I had not waited so long to read this and I'm not sure why I did.

I received a copy of this classic book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story. I have seen the movie several times, and even saw the operative version of the story once. The book they were based on was excellent. I love and felt sorry for the heroine Christine Daiee, and her childhood friend Raoul. And unexpectedly, Erik the Opera Ghost aka Phantom of the Opera.

Such a classic novel!

i've read this novel before many years ago and it still holds up. I love the broadway show and when i learned this was based on a novel i had to give it a try.

The Phantom of the Opera is the classic beauty and the beast story but with more depth.

I give this story a 4 star review.

This is one of my all-time favorite musicals. Yet, it is the first time I actually read the story in print. What a marvelous story that (always) leaves me spellbound!

What more can I say except that this read was thoroughly enjoyable. I devoured the book in one day!

Many Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press / Sourcebooks and NetGalley for a wonderful day of reading!

Best ebook version of Phantom. Any true fan will call the book Phantom and the musical entertaining trash. I've tried many times to find an ebook version of my favorite novel. But with the errors and scanned document versions of the past I haven't enjoyed them. This is the best version and worth whatever price they ask for it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook and letting me review it.

A wonderful new edition of a classic tale.

Despite the fact that this is a reissue, I was excited to read it. While I am familiar with the story and have seen Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musician adaptation of Phantom, I had never actually read the book until I received this copy,

I now feel comfortable saying that the play, while not without its merits, does not do justice to the text. Of course, when does a stage/screen adaptation *ever* truly compare to the book? Still, I found the contrast to be particularly glaring in this instance.

The character development, both of Christine and the Phantom, is so much more nuanced in the book and makes them both more interesting, the Phantom in particular. The stage version also lacks the delicious gothic buIld of horror and tension that Leroux conveys so masterfully in the text.

As a huge fan of gothic horror, this story was an easy sell for me, but I couldn’t help but be impressed by the quality of writing and atmosphere displayed.

A timeless classic and one I’ll most definitely read again in the future.