In the Eye of the Beholder: A Novel of the Phantom of the Opera
Sharon E. Cathcart
Historical Romance
[rating: 5/5]
Available in…
• HTML/TXT/RTF
• PDF
• Mobi/Kindle
• ePub/iPad
• LRF
• PDB
… from…
• Smashwords
• Barnes & Noble
Also in paperback
In the Eye of the Beholder stars Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, and is set some time within the epilogue of the famous story by Gaston Leroux. But the real story of In the Eye of the Beholder revolves around the heroine, Claire, an educated but simple woman, who had lost her fiancé, the only man she loved, in a disaster just before they were to be married. Even though she is intelligent and capable, because of the way the law is written, her cousin has been given complete control over her estate, unless and until she marries, leaving her with no possessions and little spending money. She gently tends and performs with the horses at the opera house, a job that embodies her passion… until someone tries to murder her and make it look like an accident.
My first impression: If 90% of everything is crap, then this definitely falls within the remaining 10%. And in the end, I retained that impression, even though along the way, I had a number of complaints:
- For those of us (like me) who had never read the original Phantom of the Opera, I would have appreciated just enough background to understand Erik’s predicament.
- Just under half through the story, the story really slowed down, so much so that I felt no reason to read on.
- The plot structure turned out to be a series of tales strung together by boring bits, reminiscent of (my worst memories of) The Pickwick Papers.
- I never understood why Claire feared Erik might possibly, could ever conceivably, leave her. Either I missed that part, or else it simply wasn’t there.
- I didn’t like the ending. In fact, I skipped the epilogue after reading its first sentence, preferring instead to imagine my own ending.
Yet for all those complaints, I still ended up rating it 5 stars. Yes, I teetered on the edge between 4 and 5, but I finally came down on the higher side. Why?
If you think it’s because Sharon gave me a free copy of her e-book, think again: she didn’t. I actually paid for this one out of my own, limited funds. Actually, I got it at a discount during read-an-e-book week, as did I hope many other readers.
So then, you might think that my rating is because I’ve had Sharon for an interview over on my personal blog, and since then, we’ve kept in touch. All buddy-buddy, eh? At least that explanation is plausible. But Sharon has promised to love me no matter what I say here, “Pickwickian references aside.” (Grin.) And frankly, I’m glad about that, because it gives me the emotional freedom to say what I really think, as I want to, as I feel obligated to you to, as I did above.
After all that, I ended up giving In the Eye of the Beholder 5 stars, simply because if the next book I read has all the characteristics of this one, that would make me very happy, because of all the things this story did right. The characters captivated me. I ended up thinking of Claire as an actual person, inconsistencies and all. The story dealt with a real issue, and one close to my heart, the human need to love and be loved. A theme that (whether Sharon intended it or not) strikes more deeply than the title implies: Not just that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That everyone needs some sympathy with others, in order to survive.
At one point in the story, Claire and Erik even get to meet Joseph Merrick, a delightful surprise that made my day. I usually don’t get worked up over gimmicks, but that was très kewl.
-TimK
|
In the Eye of the Beholder: A Novel of the Phantom of the Opera |
Available in… |
… from… |
BorderMeds Express: BorderMeds Express – mexican pharmacy for americans
BharatMeds Direct: cheapest online pharmacy india – indianpharmacy com
viagra pharmacy coupon: MapleMeds Direct – MapleMeds Direct
BorderMeds Express buy viagra from mexican pharmacy BorderMeds Express
top 10 online pharmacy in india: BharatMeds Direct – BharatMeds Direct
best pharmacy store: MapleMeds Direct – methotrexate pharmacy mistake
MapleMeds Direct: chloramphenicol eye drops tesco pharmacy – MapleMeds Direct
MapleMeds Direct MapleMeds Direct MapleMeds Direct
pharmacy website india: BharatMeds Direct – BharatMeds Direct
https://bordermedsexpress.com/# п»їbest mexican online pharmacies
concerta online pharmacy: Eskalith – MapleMeds Direct
best online pharmacy reddit: Myambutol – MapleMeds Direct
risperidone online pharmacy generic cialis online pharmacy reviews differin online pharmacy
inhouse pharmacy dutasteride: MapleMeds Direct – viagra australian pharmacy
preman69 login tanpa ribet: 1win69 – slot gacor hari ini preman69
giocare da mobile a Starburst: giocare da mobile a Starburst – Starburst giri gratis senza deposito
1win888indonesia: garuda888 game slot RTP tinggi – garuda888 live casino Indonesia
http://1wstarburst.com/# migliori casino online con Starburst
garuda888 slot online terpercaya garuda888 slot online terpercaya permainan slot gacor hari ini
Starburst slot online Italia: migliori casino online con Starburst – Starburst slot online Italia
bonaslot link resmi mudah diakses: 1wbona – bonaslot login
promosi dan bonus harian preman69: preman69 login – promosi dan bonus harian preman69
bonus di benvenuto per Starburst starburst jackpot e vincite su Starburst Italia
preman69 situs judi online 24 jam: slot gacor hari ini preman69 – preman69
bonaslot situs bonus terbesar Indonesia: bonaslot login – bonaslot kasino online terpercaya
http://1wbona.com/# bonaslot login
starburst Starburst giri gratis senza deposito Starburst slot online Italia
Starburst slot online Italia: giocare a Starburst gratis senza registrazione – migliori casino online con Starburst
recensioni Book of Ra Deluxe slot: Book of Ra Deluxe soldi veri – recensioni Book of Ra Deluxe slot
bonaslot situs bonus terbesar Indonesia: bonaslot – bonaslot login
preman69 login tanpa ribet preman69 preman69
preman69 slot: slot gacor hari ini preman69 – preman69 slot
garuda888 live casino Indonesia: daftar garuda888 mudah dan cepat – 1win888indonesia
preman69 slot: 1win69 – preman69 situs judi online 24 jam
https://1win888indonesia.com/# agen garuda888 bonus new member
preman69 situs judi online 24 jam slot gacor hari ini preman69 preman69 situs judi online 24 jam
preman69 login tanpa ribet: promosi dan bonus harian preman69 – preman69 situs judi online 24 jam
preman69: preman69 login – slot gacor hari ini preman69
1win69: preman69 slot – preman69
agen garuda888 bonus new member garuda888 live casino Indonesia daftar garuda888 mudah dan cepat
preman69 slot: promosi dan bonus harian preman69 – preman69 situs judi online 24 jam
https://1win69.com/# 1win69
Book of Ra Deluxe slot online Italia: recensioni Book of Ra Deluxe slot – recensioni Book of Ra Deluxe slot
agen garuda888 bonus new member: garuda888 login resmi tanpa ribet – garuda888 slot online terpercaya
starburst jackpot e vincite su Starburst Italia Starburst slot online Italia
ed pills: ed pills – ed pills
TrueMeds Pharmacy: online pharmacy prescription – TrueMeds Pharmacy
http://clearmedspharm.com/# buy antibiotics online safely
legit non prescription pharmacies TrueMeds Pharmacy TrueMeds Pharmacy
http://clearmedspharm.com/# buy antibiotics online safely