This not only fulfills my classic requirement, but it is a Modern Mrs. Darcy 2016 Reading Challenge book! "A book published before you were born". I mean, most good books were.
So I have Phantom on the brain right now. I and some girls around here are going to Miami to see it in a few weeks, and for some reason I hadn't thought of reading the book! So now between that, seeing the play, and listening to the music I am obsessed.
The author of the book writes it as if he is investigating the incidents of the Opera House, especially the time the chandelier came down. This made me wonder if it was based on myth so much that I asked Austin (our European official in the family), but he quickly squashed that.
But anyway, there is ONE glaring difference between this and the play. In the play, it is more of a romantic and exciting story (albeit the romance is lopsided) between the Phantom and Christine. Raoul seems to be a secondary character. And the Phantom seems to be a mysteriously handsome character beyond the mask. That's why I was explaining to Brandon that they didn't pick Gerard Butler for his operatic singing voice:
In the book, he looks like the living corpse. Even around his mask, he is terrifying. He has golden eyes that glow like fire in the dark, and he is only seen when he wants to be seen. He seems to be somewhere between the living and the dead. I think if they did that, it would lose a lot of the audience that is not as into the musical aspect.
But in the book, there is no budding romance between Christine and the Phantom. She seems to love him when she can only hear his voice, but as soon as she sees him she is terrified of him. She does not find his interest in her fascinating or mysterious. She does it because she pities him, and she is afraid of what will happen if she turns him down.
So I have Phantom on the brain right now. I and some girls around here are going to Miami to see it in a few weeks, and for some reason I hadn't thought of reading the book! So now between that, seeing the play, and listening to the music I am obsessed.
The author of the book writes it as if he is investigating the incidents of the Opera House, especially the time the chandelier came down. This made me wonder if it was based on myth so much that I asked Austin (our European official in the family), but he quickly squashed that.
But anyway, there is ONE glaring difference between this and the play. In the play, it is more of a romantic and exciting story (albeit the romance is lopsided) between the Phantom and Christine. Raoul seems to be a secondary character. And the Phantom seems to be a mysteriously handsome character beyond the mask. That's why I was explaining to Brandon that they didn't pick Gerard Butler for his operatic singing voice:
But in the book, there is no budding romance between Christine and the Phantom. She seems to love him when she can only hear his voice, but as soon as she sees him she is terrified of him. She does not find his interest in her fascinating or mysterious. She does it because she pities him, and she is afraid of what will happen if she turns him down.
Erik (because that's the Phantom's name? They have never mentioned it) is a mastermind of trap doors and torture, and he is a ventriloquist. Which explains many of his tricks. He also sang angelically, which drew people to his voice. He was shunned from society because of his looks, and so he eventually retreated into the cellars beneath the Opera House.
By the end of the book I felt badly for Erik. Yes, he is a psychopath and a murderer, but it makes you wonder what he would have been like if he hadn't been on the run all his life. He just wanted to love and to be loved, because not even his parents loved him.
One mystery is the mysterious figure in the book. He pops up a few times and the author makes a bigger deal out of it than it needed to be by saying the government said he couldn't discuss the figure. Who was it?!
I REALLY liked this book. I think they should do a version of the movie that is exactly like the book. It would make an excellent thriller. There was a scene I read where he follows Raoul home that gave me the chills. Raoul kept turning off his lamp and seeing these two golden eyes watching him. About 3 times he tried to scare off the eyes, but it didn't work. Why was that scene not in the play?! That is just great acting waiting to happen.
By the end of the book I felt badly for Erik. Yes, he is a psychopath and a murderer, but it makes you wonder what he would have been like if he hadn't been on the run all his life. He just wanted to love and to be loved, because not even his parents loved him.
One mystery is the mysterious figure in the book. He pops up a few times and the author makes a bigger deal out of it than it needed to be by saying the government said he couldn't discuss the figure. Who was it?!
I REALLY liked this book. I think they should do a version of the movie that is exactly like the book. It would make an excellent thriller. There was a scene I read where he follows Raoul home that gave me the chills. Raoul kept turning off his lamp and seeing these two golden eyes watching him. About 3 times he tried to scare off the eyes, but it didn't work. Why was that scene not in the play?! That is just great acting waiting to happen.
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