The Phantom of the Opera

There are terrible stories written by great authors, and great stories written by terrible authors. The Phantom of the Opera suffers from the latter. While it contains an interesting premise with a promising title character, the book suffers from a lack of order, weak side characters, and terrible buildup.

The book begins with great progress. It introduces the reader to the opera house, the people who run it, and the mysterious ghost. Along the way it becomes sidetracked with the viscount de Chaney and his infatuation with Christine Daae, a promising young singer. Rather than trying to help his beloved, the Viscount (Raul) acts like a child. He bursts out crying at a show, and is constantly throwing himself into hysterics. I pictured him as a modern stereotype of a gay man.

The only positive to this book is the character of the phantom and the summary of the story. By the halfway mark I was cringing. I just wanted the book to be finished. Even now, I'm having a difficult time composing my thoughts. The writing style is jumpy and sloppy. There is no central narrator, and the scenes are constantly shifting. The premise of the Phantom of the Opera is a classic story, but the book Gaston Leroux wrote was a mess. This is definitely a case where the movie and stage adaptations did it better.

I would honestly prefer another author rewrite this book to be the masterpiece it should be.