''THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA''

      

 It is important that all the readers should be informed that personally I rarely go for books of mediocre quality. Therefore, I find it merely impossible to enjoy a book, unless it is a classic. For this reason, two months ago I picked the Phantom of the Opera and decided to give it a try... I was intrigued.

      The book itself belongs to the category of romance, that is to say books involving deep, in most cases unrequited love enumerating its consequences. The main heroes are of course the Phantom of the Opera, an odd, mischievous personality, who resides inside the several basements of the Opera, Christine Daae, an Opera vocalist and the sub- count Raul.

       It is undoubtedly a novel, in which the ingenuity of the plot is vast. The Phantom of the Opera endeavors to both charm and scare Christine by singing to her in her dressing room with his magical voice and simultaneously doing some tricks with the mirrors. The woman seems convinced and determined to give in to the Phantom's will, until the point when she meets an old friend, sub- count Raul. Hanging in balance, the woman finally deduces that her love for Raul is stronger and accordingly they draw up a plan to escape from the Phantom, who unfortunately realizes the situation, kidnapps, Daae and traps Raul and his friend, the Persian inside the torture room in his mansion... Needless to say, each chapter ends in a cliff hanger, which tempts you to read on( I finished the book, almost 500 pages, in six days ).

      From where I stand, the sign you need to enroll a novel in the group of the classics is first and foremost its age. Furthermore, the phase that any potential identifications with the characters, regardless of the time the plot took place, can be made. I assume the Phantom of the Opera manages to meet these two demands marvelously and consequently it deserves a place in the ''classics'' group.

      The author, Gaston Leroux laid the foundation of the book on the fact that love is the strongest emotion, able to cause great emotional excitement. And he achieved his goal. I would have no hesitation in recommending this novel to everyone seeking for a good, classic book...