I'm not sure why I decided to pick up a book and read. The stack called out to me and I grabbed the top book which happened to be this one. I'm trying to come up with a way to describe it, for those of you who don't know Terry Pratchett and Discworld. Perhaps a good summation would be "The Golden Girls take on Opera".
You don't have to know a thing about opera to enjoy this book. You also probably don't need to know anything about Discworld to enjoy this book. Some of the books in the Discworld series are better if you've read a companion volume. This one can stand alone.
But, if you know anything about opera and about The Phantom of the Opera; the movies and the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical; this will be quite funny. There is Christine. There is the 'fat lady'. There is murder and embezzlement. There are witches. There is a ghost. There are underground caverns and secret stairwells and trapdoors and a cat. I really enjoyed trying to figure out 'who done it' and realizing, at the same time as the protagonist, that I was wrong.
I can devour Pratchett's Discworld books. They are so funny, pointed and satirical. This one is less of a topical examination as some are, and more of a humorous look sideways, at opera. I'd rank it with Moving Pictures, another Discworld book you should read. I started reading this on Monday and finished it last night. If you are looking for a smart, witty, funny, entertaining read, you can't go wrong.
Beverage: tea
Deb
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