The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

I finished The Phantom of the Opera yesterday, and I can honestly say it was one of the best books I have ever read. It was a translation of the french book, which is kind of depressing, because I feel like I should read it in its native language. Unfortunately, I am not quite fluent in French.
I would probably recommend this book to most people. Well, depending on what they like. As long as they aren't afraid of books that were written more than a few years ago. The book was written in the early 1900s, so the writing is a bit different than books that are written today. But if you aren't afraid of a bit of a challenge, I totally think you should read it. It's too bad the author's dead, or they could see all of these lovely things I'm saying and make me famous. Except for that issue I mentioned earlier, with the author speaking French and all that.
I don't want to summarize the book, because that would give away all the fun surprises, but I'll say what I can about it. The book is about, not surprisingly, the Opera Ghost that people believed to live in the Paris Opera House. The story has everything that a good story should have: romance, action, suspense, mystery, humor and interesting characters. It's beautifully written and the author clearly put a lot of thought and care into it.
It's difficult to say anything about the plot without giving anything away, but I suppose people might like to know a bit about the story. The book takes place almost entirely inside the Paris Opera House. The people who spend their time there- singers, dancers, workers- are all suspicious of a ghost that haunts the building. When the opera house changes managers, the new partners are skeptical when the ghost demands a regular payment from them as well as his own reserved area to sit in during the shows. Meanwhile, Raoul de Chagny comes into the story, in love with one of the opera singers who has been his friend since childhood. When he tries to approach her, he quickly realizes there is something strange going on, and the mystery behind the Opera Ghost is slowly unraveled. The story is extremely powerful and emotional, and has really left me thinking. I think it is definitely worth reading to anyone who is interested.