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So much potential, so much of it wasted. I don't know if Fanu couldn't figure out what story he wanted to tell, but that's how it read. There were somSo much potential, so much of it wasted. I don't know if Fanu couldn't figure out what story he wanted to tell, but that's how it read. There were some gems that would have been delightful to explore, but instead all I got out of this was a hot mess. I'll stick to Carmilla....more
Welcome to the Paris Opera, friends. Take a seat, enjoy the sights and sounds, but do be careful not to anger the gho"The Opera Ghost really existed."
Welcome to the Paris Opera, friends. Take a seat, enjoy the sights and sounds, but do be careful not to anger the ghost.
The Phantom of the Opera is known throughout the world due the copious amounts of adaptations in movies, but of course is most well-know for its Broadway smash hit. Phantom is a gothic tale full of ghosts, curses, doomed love and murder; everything I love.
Christine Daae, up and coming opera star, is tangled with a mysterious individual thought to be the Angel of Music. Raoul, a viscount, is reunited with his childhood love, only to discover he cannot so easily possess her now. And the Opera Ghost? He just wants his allowance, his box seat, and Christine.
Now to fully enjoy The Phantom of the Opera you have to be okay with melodrama, for never was there a tale of more woe. If you are not all about dramatic speeches and proclamations of love and hate, this won't be for you. Raoul can go on for pages about his conflicted feels and while I loved it, I can see how others can't.
The Phantom of the Opera is rife with toxic relationships, with poor Christine stuck in the middle of them. This is an unfortunate commonality with all Gothic literature. Erik, manipulates Christine both mentally and emotionally. Raoul, in my opinion though, is the worse offender. Erik's motivations are understandable, albeit not exactly forgivable, but you understand and sympathize with his plight. No one has truly loved him his entire life because of his hideousness. His own mother presented him with a mask so she didn't have to look at his face! Raoul, on the other hand, is presented to us a beautiful man, body and soul. But this "beautiful" man can easily proclaim his love for Christine as he can curse her in the same breath for speaking privately to another man. This sense of ownership he has over her, does little to make me form a positive opinion of our protagonist. As a reminder, they were only recently reunited in the beginning of the book, and their societal class keeps them apart, but oh, Raoul sees her once after reuniting and gets possessive of her immediately. Erik, for all of his faults, does not constantly throw declarations of love followed by insults in the same breath.
The last problem I want to address is that of "The Persian." Racism is another problem prevalent in the Gothic genre, which tells so much about the time period in which the stories were written. I hated how important the Persian was to the story, yet Leroux did not think him worth naming. We get his role and title through all his accounts, but this man who tells us Erik's backstory gets no name! Without his perspective in all this, we would have absolutely no clarity as a reader whatsoever. He was written intelligently and was honestly my favorite character in all this (as I always considered Raoul to be as dumb as bricks), so for me, this slight was a real shame.
Now, I acknowledge that The Phantom of the Opera is problematic as all hell, but I still enjoyed it. The famous chandelier was amazing! The story gripped me, and was an amazing page turner. The characters were dynamic, though tropey as hell, but hey, that's what you should expect in Gothic literature. Despite its flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this source material of the musical, and now am beyond excited to watch all the adaptations. ...more
Oh this was a struggle to get through. I'm all for a good Jane Austen, but goodness, watching Fanny get dragged by everyone was painful to read and heOh this was a struggle to get through. I'm all for a good Jane Austen, but goodness, watching Fanny get dragged by everyone was painful to read and her lack of a spine made it even more painful. Like this was not enjoyable or that interesting. Sorry not sorry....more
Huh! I really enjoyed this book when I was a teenager, but this reread disappointed me. I think I may have shrouded Northanger Abbey in nostalgia when Huh! I really enjoyed this book when I was a teenager, but this reread disappointed me. I think I may have shrouded Northanger Abbey in nostalgia when I went in, remembering fondly my liking of it. Or maybe my mentality is no longer that of a seventeen year old Catherine Morland. Still a solid read though. Give it a shot if you're an Austen fan (which I actually am not). ...more
Huh. I went in this thinking The Haunting of Hill House would be a more classic take on a ghost story, which in a sense it is, but came out of it haviHuh. I went in this thinking The Haunting of Hill House would be a more classic take on a ghost story, which in a sense it is, but came out of it having realized this was not some campy story, but something far more cerebral. Eleanor is an unreliable narrator that gets even more unreliable as the story goes on. It was actually rather interesting watching a mind unravel over the course of a week. Was Hill House as haunted as our narrator? I can't recommend this to someone looking for cheap scares. But if you're looking for something that slowly seeps into your bones and makes you feel uncomfortable, The Haunting of Hill House is the way to go. ...more
Wow, was that an emotional roller coaster ride! I have never been so engaged in a piece of Victorian literature, as I usually find them so rich that iWow, was that an emotional roller coaster ride! I have never been so engaged in a piece of Victorian literature, as I usually find them so rich that it takes a long time to read them. Not the case with the Woman in White. I was engaged by the get go, and found myself internally screaming several times throughout the book. Yes, it's cliche and long winded at times, but that is a product of it's time. And let's be honest, we wouldn't have those cliches without the likes of sensational fiction like what Collins created in this story. If you love thrillers and a good old fashion mystery, this book is for you! ...more
Carmilla is certainly something unique. A female protagonist? Hinted lesbian eroticism? Gothic horror? The inspiration for Dracula? Score! Now, to a mCarmilla is certainly something unique. A female protagonist? Hinted lesbian eroticism? Gothic horror? The inspiration for Dracula? Score! Now, to a modern audience, this novella is certainly something tame... But try to think of it in the scope it was written in. This book is chilling! The only critique I have is, I want to know who the woman who leaves Carmilla us... Of how a vampire is capable of acquiring all the accoutrement of a noble house, considering how hers has fallen. Are they also vampires? Ah well....more
Don't kid yourself, there are no heroes or people to admire in this book. Love in the Time of Cholera is full to the brim of examples as to how all thDon't kid yourself, there are no heroes or people to admire in this book. Love in the Time of Cholera is full to the brim of examples as to how all these characters are the most miserable people on the planet, and you know what? It makes them human. These people, all of them, are so inundated with flaws, quite frankly I could write a book about it. I understand, it's a feminist's nightmare, but that didn't take away my enjoyment of it. It just made me annoyed with the reviewers on this site more than I already am. The story takes place in Columbia between the late 1800s and into the twentieth century, so forgive me, but no matter what way you look at it, this story was going to be full of misogyny and machismo that is prevalent in Latino culture. Also, guess what, it was written in the early 1980s. Context is important, so take a deep breath and keep that deep seething rage you have in check. Guess what, times were crappy back then for women. This book is painting a portrait of the past in a form that while it's still difficult to swallow, is manageable. Despite the trauma and abuses that are abundant in the pages of this book, it's still a story worth reading. The prose is phenomenal and quite frankly, beautiful. Yes, the people in this book do ugly and terrible things, but let's be realistic, the world we live in is just as ugly. Do we stop telling stories that makes us uncomfortable or do we learn from the lessons they teach us? Love in the Time of Cholera functions as a glimpse into the lives of people. It shows us that people can be bad, woefully so, that we don't know what others hide behind their public personas, and that too much love in any one person can be as fatal as a bout with Cholera. Even love is better in moderation. ...more
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