Happy Birthday, Gaston Leroux, Author of The Phantom of the Opera

-

Happy Birthday, Gaston Leroux!

Many people know The Phantom of the Opera as the longest running show on Broadway. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical opened in 1988 and recently celebrated its 30th anniversary on January 26, 2018. The musical is a winner of more than 70 major theater awards and has been seen by more than 140 million people. The Phantom of the Opera continued its popularity with the 2004 movie starring Gerard Butler, Emmy Ross, and Patrick Wilson. Prior to that it appeared as a silent film, starring Lon Chaney in 1925.

But did you know the book Le Fantôme de l’opéra, written by French author Gaston Leroux, was actually published over a century ago in 1910? The story about a recluse living the in underworld of the Paris Opera House who is obsessed with and kidnaps one of the singers is well-known now, but accolades of Leroux’s accomplishment weren’t rolling in—at first.  Sales of The Phantom of the Opera were mediocre, and the reviews weren’t all that stellar. It wasn’t until his story hit the big screen in 1925 that his book started gaining recognition. Two years after the movie release, Leroux died at the age of 59 in 1927. Although he had written over 60 novels, he will most be remembered for The Phantom of the Opera.

Read the book and mark it off your classic reading list!

Happy Reading,
Annette



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

-
Image
 Remains of the Day This book immediately struck me as a character study. I didn’t expect much action, and predictably, didn’t get much.  Mostly it was about getting inside a stuffy, dignified butler’s head, listening to his internal dialogue, his thought process, and his many recollections of a thirty-year career, annnnnnnnnnd—I LOVED IT!!  ðŸ’— It had such depth and insight that I couldn’t wait to return each day to see what Mr. Stevens would reveal and what the outcome of his quest would be.  I was not disappointed.  In fact, the book stirred me more than I expected.  Yes, those tears fell freely when I wasn’t looking.  It snuck up on me—all of it, all of Mr. Stevens’ days that he shared moved me in some way.   I’m not sure this book is for everyone.  "Boring" is how one friend described it as he politely set it aside. BUT I truly believe if my friend got into his Zen mode and picked it up again, he might—if not quite LOVE it—at least appreciate it.  In my opinion this book
Read more

Liebster Award

-
Image
Ich Liebe the Liebster Award!   In July Marianne from Let’s Read blog nominated me for the Liebster Award , an award given to smaller blogs.   I was extremely honored, especially coming from Marianne, whose book review blog I just love.   My beautiful mother passed away at the time Marianne nominated me, and although I already had posts scheduled in advanced, I wasn’t in the mood to do much, even the simple rules of the award below…until now.   Rules for the award: 1.    Thank the amazing blogger who nominated you.  (check) 2.    Answer the 11 questions the nominator provided (answer on your blog.) (check, see below) 3.    Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 4.    Post 11 different questions for your nominees to answer on their blogs. (check, see below) 5.    Contact your nominees to let them know that you've nominated them.  (check) Unfortunately, I really got hung up on #3 (Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 fol
Read more

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

-
Image
  You Go, Girl! Pure love—that’s what I felt about this book!  It’s smart, witty, and emboldening! I don’t know how many countless times I cheered or chuckled.   A female chemist struggles to rise above the chauvinistic male domination of the 1960s and live life on her terms despite ingrained oppression of women.  Hooray for this feminist heroine who points out that just because women’s bodies are smaller than men's doesn’t mean their brains are!   I fell in love with brilliant Elizabeth and her support system:  her impressively  smart daughter Mad; her straightforward neighbor Harriet; her kind-hearted producer Walter, the irreverent Reverend Wakely; and her obstetrician/rower Dr. Mason. Oh, and let’s not forget Six-Thirty, her beloved dog!   I would definitely be one of Elizabeth’s devoted fans of her show,  Supper at Six !  If my kids were still at home, I’d mimic Elizabeth and tell them, “Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.” (Even though I’m not the
Read more