From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

The Phantom of the Opera

Gaston Leroux

Start date: September 1, 2026

Finish date: October 31, 2026

Discussion: The Horror of it All

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The Horror of it All

* 2026 Horror Reading Schedule
By Book Nerd , Purple Book Horse · 4 posts · 30 views

last updated Nov 13, 2025 04:43PM

* 2025 Horror Reading Schedule
By Book Nerd , Purple Book Horse · 4 posts · 122 views

last updated Aug 21, 2025 07:16AM

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What Members Thought

Dec 06, 2008 Chrissie rated it it was ok

Shelves: mystery, arts, fiction, france, magic

Don't look at my star rating to judge this book. I am not your typical mystery reader. Yup, it is amusing. Yup, all the parts weave together perfectly. It is very different from the musical, which I totally loved. I was pulled in and moved by the musical, not by this. This had parts that were quite funny, completely absent from the musical. Still, I was glad when it ended. Yeah, it deserves three stars, but not from me.

P.S. More discussion in the comments below. ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2020 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-20th-century, french-literature, e-books, free-literature, proofreading, fiction, gutenberg, horror, read-2020

Free download available at Project Gutenberg

I made the proofing of this book for Free Literature and Project Gutenberg will publish it.

...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 31, 2009 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: french-literature, audio-books, classics, read-2010

From BBC Radio 4 - Drama:
Adaptation of the classic novel by Gaston Leroux

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00b5p8r ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2021 Barb rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, made-into-movie, favorites, classic, library-audio

I truly enjoyed this book, it's one of those where you wonder why you've never read it in the past! I adore the movie ,.but the book was definitely better in my opinion!! ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2020 Barb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

My favorite!!

I saw the movie about 15 years ago, and I absolutely fell in love, along with the music! I was so excited to read the book, which of course is so much better!!

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2018 Douglas Beagley rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Here are the main reasons you might enjoy a book: A book can be well written (word choice and sentence structure), it can have moving, 3-dimensional characters that you care about, or it can have a plot that is engaging and interesting. There are lots of reasons to read a book, but those are the big three.

For me, the Phantom of the Opera has none of these traits. The language and structure is needlessly convoluted, it doesn't invite me to like or take an interest in any of the characters, and th ...more

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Jan 13, 2016 Charlotte Clementine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Un roman envoûtant qui nous transporte dans l'univers baroque de l'opéra Garnier et dans ses sombres sous-sols à l'ambiance fantastique. ***spoiler*** Le triangle amoureux se révèle surprenant puisqu'il est impossible de ne pas prendre en pitié le "monstre" de l'histoire et de ne pas souffrir devant son destin qui ne lui a laissé aucune chance au bonheur.
Le style n'est pas sans défauts mais on plonge dans cet univers déroutant, à la fois drôle, effrayant et émouvant, avec une force incroyable et ...more

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Jul 12, 2014 Tom Britz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A good read and deservedly a classic. I was surprised at the humor in the beginning, then it took a turn into psychological terror. A few unanswered questions mar it from being a great book.

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