i just finished the phantom of the opera, and it’s now one of my favorite classics. leroux’s writing is terrifying in all the right places and funny in the perfect spots. the translation by lowell bair is incredibly readable, and i appreciated his translator footnotes as well!

i could go on and on about what i love about the book: the narrator's voice, attempting to compile everything he knew about christine daae's mysterious disappearance; everybody having different descriptions of the opera ghost; the labyrinth beneath the opera house! it was so good.