A Room with a View

A Room with a View
By E.M. Forster
0394743180

Good. A bit bizarre, but I liked most of it. I really wanted to smack the main girl across the back of the head a few times though, she was so dense. I'll admit that I also didn't understand some of the things that happened, like why she was so scared of the native talking about her. Once she was away from the city, she was still obsessing over a cab driver! I thought the idea of the boy and the father giving up their room was sweet, with the added amusement that the girl couldn't take the room the boy had been in, for propriety's sake. Very quaint! The girl's "long suffering" companion amused me to no end. Poor dear, always forced to take the best of everything, just for the girl's sake. Very funny!

7/10

Phantom of the Opera

Phantom of the Opera
By Gaston Leroux
0880299053

Of course, one of the classics! It's been on my shelf to read for quite awhile, glad I finally got around to it. I feel strange critiquing this story, because it's such a classic. I loved the beginning, the entire set-up section. The story pulled you in very quickly. The shadowy mentor, disappearing when anyone besides his beautiful protégé is around, is intriguing. I love the idea of the voice coming out of nowhere, behind walls and from closets. I didn't like the end, however. It got too science fiction-esque for me. And I love science fiction! But after the historical set-up of the story and all that, it suddenly veered into a crazy and deadly fun-house.

8/10