The Phantom of the Opera: Erik vs. Raoul My Opinion

So, this is basically a defending post like the one of Cosette and Eponine, but this time it's about if you ship Christine and Erik, or Raoul and Christine. And bonus, to get me in the mood of writing this, I'm listening to the 25th Anniversary at The Royal Albert Hall, at this very moment. I am going to tell you about my opinion. But first, let's look over the characters. 

Hadley Fraser as Raoul in
The Phantom of the Opera
25th Anniversary at
The Royal Albert Hall
*I Do Not Own Picture

So I'll start with the Vicomte Raoul de Chagny. He's known Christine Daae since they were little, rushing into the ocean to rescue young Christine's scarf, and more. They evidently lost contact, and now, Christine at this time is sixteen, they meet again. In the book The Phantom of the Opera, he hears Christine speak, but is shocked to hear a male voice reply to her "The Angels wept tonight." He truly loves Christine, but Christine seems the opposite. She's more tied up in listening to her Angel of Music. That should cover Raoul's story. I'm trying to make this short and to the point. And I have read the book. 

Ramin Karimloo as Erik in
The Phantom of the Opera
25th Anniversary at
The Royal Albert Hall
*I Do Not Own Picture

Now we move to Erik, otherwise known to newest fans (like me, which I call him both) the Phantom. He is a musical genius with a deformed face, described by Gaston Leroux, as "a rotting corpse". (Correct me if I'm wrong, because right now I'm feeling rather brain-dead). He lives way under the Paris Opera House, alone, and secluded hiding from the world. He hears Christine, but does not reveal himself to her, as he helps her with her vocals, basically becoming her vocal coach, as we would call it nowadays. He also, and has been swindling money from the old managers of the opera house, and the new managers, Monsieur Firmin and Andre. He breaks a chandelier, kills many people, takes away Carlotta's voice, basically to say he's a murdering psycho. And another thing: IT'S ALL FOR CHRISTINE!!!!! Just Christine!!!!!

Sierra Boggess as Christine Daae in
The Phantom of the Opera
25th Anniversary at
The Royal Albert Hall
*I Do Not Own Picture

Now that we know about the two of them, I'll get to my opinion. I ship Erik/Christine. I know, right now people are thinking "This girl is crazy!" "She wants Christine to marry a murderer over a handsome rich Vicomte!" "This girl must have not read the book!" And many more, I'm sure. But the thing is, to answer some of the statements up there, I have read the book, and yeah I might be crazy for saying that. But here's my reason: 

The Phantom of the Opera
Book cover
Written by Gaston Leroux
*I Do Not Own Picture

Raoul, I love the guy to pieces, but I love Erik more. Raoul hasn't had to suffer through hideousness, rejection by his own parents, and by anyone who sees his face and/or meets him. He's got wealth, a bit of fame (Come on he's a VICOMTE, how could he not?), good looks, and for some bonus points, he's known Christine Daae way longer than Erik. He is very courteous to her, doesn't kill anyone, and basically a good man. But Erik, way different story. Hideousness from the day he was born and rejected by his parents. I mean, Gaston never says Raoul's parents were afraid and rejected by his parents, does it? He's lived a terrible life, running way from home at a young age, becoming a live freakshow, almost getting killed, himself, and yeah. Not such a sweet life. Raoul could give Christine a perfect life. Full of wealth, fame, and anything she wanted, including love. Erik, on the other hand, could give her a beautiful life, as well. Maybe he doesn't have everything that Raoul could give her, but he loves her very deeply. He KILLED for her. I'm not justifying that that is all right. It is wrong, even if it is for the person you love. But the thing is, she was never in danger, so it shouldn't be justified just because he's in love. Raoul showed how much he love Christine, by going after her with the Persian and suffering through Erik's torture chamber. He went through all that for her. Christine shows love to both, saving Raoul's life, and agreeing to be Erik's "living wife", after she had once tried to commit suicide.  But what gets me, is Erik could have not kept the end of the bargain and let the Vicomte and the Persian die, but he didn't. He saved them. But that's only one. I've got another reason up my sleeve. I'm going to put this in bold letters so, hopefully, people will get my point. HE LET HER GO!!!!!!!! That proves how much he loved her. "Go marry the boy whenever you wish. I know you love him." Erik's quote as he let her go. Sure, Raoul tried saving her, but Erik proved his true love by letting her go. "But Raoul tried to save her! That's more heroic than letting her go!" You may say. I understand, we all have different opinions. But this is mine. The thing is, Erik knew if he was ever going to be loved by a woman, it had to be forced. No woman would fall for a deformed creep, just sayin'. He couldn't just stroll up to a woman, and say, "Hey, you're very pretty and I love your voice. I love you, now marry me, and we will live a beautiful life, 'kay?" Even if the woman would have said yes, what would she do when she saw Erik's face? His heart would be shattered once again. Christine was the woman he loved, and he wanted her for himself. This is was Erik always wanted. "I want to have a nice, quiet flat, with ordinary doors and windows and a wife inside it, like anybody else! A wife whom I could love and take out on Sundays and keep amused on week-days." How could that happen with no woman? If Christine would have said yes, and agreed, A. He wouldn't have to kill anyone anymore. He would get the woman he loved and that would be it. B. He would finally be happy for once in his life. He wouldn't have to hide because he was rejected by the world. And C. He wouldn't be as psycho as he was before he capture Christine. He foolishly killed for her, not knowing it would all go to waste (No, I am not justifying the killing part, because it is still wrong). Maybe it's because I pity Erik for his terrible life, maybe that's why like him more. Even from the beginning of finding out about this beautifully written book and the shows, I've always wanted Christine to go with Erik. That's just me. Whenever I watch the ending of the 25th Anniversary at The Royal Albert Hall, I always wish for a different ending that says Christine would stay with Erik. The only reason I only ship Raoul 1/16th of a percent is that in the novel they both seemed severely childish. (After all, Christine is only sixteen in the book) If only Christine wouldn't think of Erik as a psycho genus. I ship Erik and Christine, plain and simple. This article is my reason, and I will stick to it for the rest of my life. 



What Do You Think About This Article, Which Pair Do You Ship, And Why? Both Couples Are Accepted! 

Les Misérables: My Top Three Fan Videos

So, there are many, many fan videos up on the internet and on Pinterest, and I've watched quite a few of them. Here are my favorite top three videos. I'll post links and why I love them so much.

1. Marchin' On by Onerepublic
This one is about all of the characters, and is put so greatly together. The scenes are clear, and I love the song period. The song fits it almost perfectly. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=QBKtjwzofkc

2. Sing A Rebel Song
So, this one is nearly all about the Barricade Boys. Maybe that's why I love it. In my opinion, the Barricade Boys don't get enough attention. They're just as important as Jean Valjean, Fantine, and Eponine (and the rest of the major characters)
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=nEXStCVhnOk

3. This is it Boys
Totally love this video. It's a all about the Barricade Boys video, so that should shorten my reason of loving this so much. That's about it. Great quality scene wise, and good song choice.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=XqQ5MJ3PTuE

So, these here are my top three fan videos for Let Misérables. Hope You Enjoy Them!


Which Fan-Video Do You Like The Most? Comment Even If It Is Not On This List, I Just Might Check It Out!

Les Misérables: 10th, 25th, or Movie Cast

Well, I've been pondering this for quite a long time. Between the 10th, 25th, and Movie cast of Les Misérables, I was wondering about all the other Les Miz fan opinions about this. So here are my answers and reason, some ties will be on here, as well. 

Jean Valjean: Tie: 10th Anniversary and Movie

Colm Wilkinson as Valjean in
Les Misérables 10th Anniversary
*I Do Not Own Picture

Hugh Jackman as Valjean in
2012 Movie
*I Do Not Own Picture

Valjean is a great character, plain and simple. Turns from being a broken-down prisoner, to a man who puts his trust in the Lord and becomes a better honest man. Now, the reason I liked the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast Valjean, Colm Wilkinson better, than the 25th Anniversary Valjean, Alfie Boe, was because of his voice (a given), but even more his acting. I know he's not in a film, but even on stage it's important to feel the role, and I thought that Wilkinson did. I watched the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast before the movie version came out on DVD, and I was rather shocked. The performance was beautifully done. Hugh Jackman stars as Valjean in the movie role. I don't think they could have made a better choice. I mean, I can't THINK of a better Valjean. Hugh Jackman first of all is an incredible actor, but add singing, passion, and tears: WOW! As I said about Wilkinson, you can just watch and see that he felt the role. Not to mention that he was there to encourage him a bit! But I was so impressed. In the song "Valjean Soliloquy", the way he truly looks broken as he sings and cries at the same time, unbelievable. It's unbelievable how believable he looks and sounds. So all in all, this is why I loved Wilkinson and Jackman, as my favorite Valjean. 


Javert: Movie 

Russell Crowe as Javert in
2012 Movie
*I Do Not Own Picture

Well, we come to Javert a commonly known false-villain. First, I want to set it straight that I DO NOT think of Javert as a villain. I think people want to believe it, but honestly, if you have read the Brick, he was just trying to do his duty to the law. It states in the Brick, that he had been from the gutters, also. That's his reason. Anyways, Russell Crowe was AMAZING!!!! Like, I've never been so wowed in my life. I watched the 10th Anniversary before the movie, and the 25th after the movie, but I was mostly impressed with the movie. Some people love his voice, some people hate it. Me, I love it. I don't know, it sounds so serious, and something else that I can't define. I love the way he always yells "Valjean!", and refers to himself in third person, aka, "Let him speak to Javert." and so on. I love watching behind the scenes and I feel bad for him. In the scene of "The Confrontation", Hugh Jackman accidentally beat Russell Crowe twice with the metal rod he was holding. Hugh Jackman stated, that when Russell took off his shirt, you could see the welts of where Hugh hit him! (Ouch) But all in all, you can see in Russell's face the way he struggles with the law and the man who could have set justice to him, but chose to spare him, in the song "Javert's Suicide". So, this is why I love Russell Crowe as my favorite Javert. 


Fantine: Movie

Anne Hathaway as Fantine in
2012 Movie
*I Do Not Own Picture

Fantine, such a sad character, honestly! I used to think she was overrated, but a comment either on Youtube or somewhere totally changed my mind. If Fantine wasn't a character, Valjean would never had learned to love, because Cosette wouldn't have been born, Marius wouldn't have been so ditzy in love (no offense :)), and yeah, the story would be a complete wreck. If you would have taken any main character out, it just wouldn't have made any sense at all, so shout out to Victor Hugo! My favorite Fantine is Anne Hathaway. Ruthie Henshall played Fantine in the 10th Anniversary, but at first I loved the way she sung "I Dreamed A Dream", but when Hathaway sang it, I realised that Henshall had no emotion! She was just singing, there was no sadness, remorse, anger, you name it, it was not there! Lea Salonga was good, but not the greatest. She had more emotion than Ruthie, but way less than Anne. So very big shout-out to Anne Hathaway, who won "Best Supporting Actress" at the Oscars. 


Cosette: Movie

Amanda Seyfried as Cosette in
2012 Movie
*I Do Not Own Picture

Oh, where do I start with the actresses who have played Cosette. Judy Kuhn played Cosette in the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast, and while she was good, once again, no emotion, whatsoever. Katie Hall, I, kind a way didn't really like her voice. I don't know why. She's just not the Cosette I imagined. I admire her small emotion she did in the 25th Anniversary Concert, but my winner is Amanda Seyfried's Cosette. In the Brick, she's described as a lark. "More like a lark than a dove", it says. Amanda's voice is the perfect description for that. She's so high with her beautiful coloratura soprano voice. Her vibrato is amazing, and her emotion is on a high level. Some of the emotions you'll see are loneliness, longing, sadness, panic-stricken, happy, devastated, and a lot more. I love her when it comes to the "Epilogue". As I said in my "Let The Music Move You", she was so emotional, crying while she's singing. This is why Amanda Seyfried is my favorite Cosette. 


Marius Pontmercy: Tie: 10th and Movie

Eddie Redmayne as Marius Pontmercy in
2012 Movie
*I Do Not Own Picture

Michael Ball as Marius Pontmercy in
Les Misérables 10th Anniversary
*I Do Not Own Picture

Well, I think I'll start with my least favorite one who's played Marius Pontmercy. Nick Jonas, in the 25th Anniversary Concert. He, he, was just the wrong person to play such a character. I'll stop here; that should tell enough. Michael Ball, from the 10th Anniversary Concert, he was AWESOME!!!!!! I love when he says, "My world if she's not there". He actually has quite some emotion. Especially when he sings "A Little Fall of Rain" with the dying Eponine. Now, we come to Eddie Redmayne. Geez, he's handsome, great singer, and as ditzy as Marius is in the novel. The way he sings "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables", just beautiful. I'm really going to have to say a tie here. I can't say who I like better. I just can't. 


Eponine Thenardier: Movie

Samantha Barks as Eponine Thenardier in
2012 Movie
*I Do Not Own Picture

Lea Salonga was good, but Samantha Barks was magnificent. She did well in the 25th Anniversary Concert, but in the move she was even better. "On My Own" is such a beautiful piece of music, and to add Samantha's voice to it, it's just beautiful. The way she sings the last line of "On My Own" is so heartbreaking. "I love him, I love him, I love him, but only on my own." The first "I love him" when she's looking down, it sounds so heart-breaking. It makes you feel so bad for her. At the end of the day, Samantha Barks, you are my winner, as my favorite Eponine. 


Thenardier: Tie: 10th, 25th, and Movie

Sacha Baron Cohen as Thenardier in
2012 Movie

*I Do Not Own Picture

Matt Lucas as Thenardier in
Les Misérables 25th Anniversary
*I Do Not Own Picture

Alun Armstrong as Thenardier in
Les Misérables 10th Anniversary
*I Do Not Own Picture

I'll start with the movie Thenardier, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, was good. It took me quite a while to get into the version of "Master of the House", but he was very good with his acting. After many tries of listening to this song, I warmed up to it, and now I love it. The 10th Anniversary Concert, Thenardier was played my Alun Armstrong. His version was my absolute favorite of "Master of the House". I absolutely loved that version the most. He was incredibly funny, which is probably why I loved him so much. The 25th Anniversary Thenardier played by Matt Lucas was also great. My favorite line he sings is, "In the absence of a victim, please Inspector, may I go?" He says "May I go?", he says it as a question, not singing it. The crowd laughed, as did I. So all three tied as my favorite Thenardier, all with good qualities about them. 

Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thenardier in
2012 Movie
*I Do Not Own Picture

Madame Thenardier: Movie
The 10th and 25th Anniversary Madame Thenardiers were excellent, but 
Helena Bonham Carter took my breath away with her stunning performance. The way she treats Cosette and Thenardier, is mean and spiteful. Beautiful! Beautifully done! 








Enjolras: Movie 
So, I wasn't all too impresses with Michael Maguire's version of Enjolras. It was a little like, "Eh." Ramin Karimloo from the 25th Anniverasry was excellent. The way he acted as if Marius was an annoying pesky little brother was brilliant. They act closer in the movie than in the Brick. But Aaron Tveit's performance blew me away. He seems more like a leader, fighting for Liberty. Sooo, that is why I love Aaron Tveit as my favorite Enjolras, but Ramin, you most certainly are not far behind! 


So these are my lovely reason why I love the people I picked. Hope You Enjoyed! 


Who Is Your Favorite Valjean, Javert, Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Eponine, Thenardier, Madame Thenardier, and Enjolras? Post Your Answers If You Like In The Comments Box. 

Sippin' Sweet Tea

So, this is my first Sippin' Sweet Tea, and I'm really excited. As I said in my "What You'll Find Post", this is just a little peek inside my life and my mind.

Such A Cute Hedgehog!
*I Do Not Own Picture

Lately, I've been having a slight obsession with hedgehogs. Honestly, I was looking on Google Images showing my little sisters pictures of random animals, and I typed in hedgehog. I found the cutest picture of a tiny one, he or she looked like he was smiling. It is honestly so cute!

Hugh Skinner as Joly
Les Misérables 2012 Movie
*I Do Not Own Picture

Alistair Brammer as Jehan Prouvaire
Les Misérables 2012 Movie
*I Do Not Own Picture

My boys. No, not One Direction, my Barricade Boys. I love them so much. My favorites are Jean Prouvaire and Joly. Then Coufeyrac. I don't know, there's just something about Jehan (he's commonly know as that) that just makes me love
him. And Joly, well, he's just Joly.










I'm working on my novel, called "The Last Dance", I've got over 32,000 words written on my laptop, which adds up to over 120 pages. I know, that's probably not a lot, but, I'm not done yet! I'm thinking of posting some of my novel on here. Comment if you want some parts on here! But first, I should probably tell you the plot. It's about a 16 year old dancer named Amanda Robinson, who is struggling with her life. Her dad is a drunk, which gets arrested a little later, she is kicked out of a dance studio, and now lives with her best friend. Life for her doesn't sound too great, huh? Then she, and readers will meet 17 year old David Gearhart, a extremely talented dancer and choreographer, battling cancer. They meet and a beautiful story evolves from there. So, if you want to read some, post a comment, and/or I will post some parts on my "Writings on the White Fence".

Right now, I've been rereading The Colorado Runaway series, I'm done with all three books, once again. I love them so much. They're gripping with fear, danger, Wild West livin', and of course, the romance. I'm really into romance, not sure why, so don't ask me!

The Voice Season 4
*I Do Not Own Picture

Season 4 of "The Voice" wrapped up, and, sadly, my favorite did not win. Danielle Bradberry, 16 years old and the youngest contestant won this year. In a way, I was and was not surprised. I thought Michelle Chamuel was going to win. My favorite, whom I saw her blind audition, was Amber Carrington. I absolutely love her voice. Her versions of "Skyfall", by Adele, and "Crazy" by Patsy Cline were the best. After hearing Amber's version of "Skyfall", I listened to Adele's. Amber beats her by far. She has such a sophisticated voice. I love how Adam made her jump out of the box. She sang country and more. She took chances, and I loved her. But I think the mistake came when Adam picked "Firework", by Katy Perry. I don't listen to Katy Perry, but even Amber didn't do too well on this song. She was sent home when it came down to the top three. She was so close! Oh well, congratulations to Danielle, but I'll always love Amber a little more! Listen to her versions of "Skyfall" and "Crazy"!

Amber Carrington Performs
A Stunning Version of
Patsy Cline's "Crazy"
*I Do Not Own Picture

Summer has hit us! Being home schooled, my sisters and I got out earlier than public schools, so our summer started early. (Whoo-hoo!) My plans are swimming, reading, writing, listening to music, and picking A LOT of weeds! You would be surprised how many can sprout up in one day.

That's about it, and this is Sippin' Sweet Tea.






If You Want To Read Some Parts Of "The Last Dance", Comment And Hopefully I Will Have a Post Out Soon!

Let The Music Move You: Til I Hear You Sing (Love Never Dies)

From my Pinterest account and this blog, (if you have seen either), you can probably see I'm a big "The Phantom of the Opera" Phan. But this song, is from the musical "Love Never Dies", the sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera".

Ramin Karimloo
Played Erik in The Phantom of the Opera
25th Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall
Played Erik in Love Never Dies

The song is "Til I hear You Sing", which Erik, the Phantom sings. It's basically a beautiful song about him longing for Christine Daae, his lover whom he has let go to marry the Viscount Raoul, to come and sing for him once more. The piano in the beginning is beautiful, as is the music video. Ramin Karimloo is Erik in this version, my personal favorite Phantom. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dUc4iMAvQ.

Amazingly, this is one of the VERY few songs and/or music videos strong enough to make me weep. I'm a Christine/Erik shipper (Long Story), so, that's probably why. Since I love musicals, and ones which such strong songs and lyrics, I always love finding raw emotion. Some people call it terrible, but maybe they just don't understand acting, and that's totally okay. I didn't get it until I saw Les Misérables, or I probably would have called Anne Hathaway's version of "I Dreamed A Dream" terrible, but I think it is beautiful. Ramin's voice fits Erik wonderfully. Andrew Lloyd Webber did one spectacular job on this song, and the whole musical of "Love Never Dies".

These are some the lyrics that get me every time, AKA, the whole thing (This is the video version lyrics that I have posted from the link above):

The day starts, the day ends, time crawls by,
Night steals in pacing the floor
The moments creep, yet I can't bear to sleep, til I hear you sing.

Sierra Boggess
Played Christine Daae in the
The Phantom of the Opera
25th Anniversary
At the Royal Albert Hall
Played Christine Daae in
Love Never Dies

And weeks pass and months pass, seasons fly
Still you don't walk through the door.
And in a haze I count the silent days
Til I hear you sing, once more.

And sometimes at nighttime
I dream that you are there
But wake holding nothing but the empty air

And years come
And years go
Time runs dry

Still I ache down to the core
My broken soul can't be alive and whole
Til I hear you sing, once more

And music, your music
It teases in my ear
I turn and it fades away
And you're not here

Let hopes pass
Let dreams pass
Let them die
Without you, what are they for

I'll always feel no more than halfway real
Til I hear you sing, once more


It's such a sweet sad song. I remember the first time I heard it, and I was blinking back tears. I'm really emotional, but when it comes to normal songs, I'm like just, listening to it. Now, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, and Christian songs with such good meanings, WHOLE different story. I sob my eyes out. I would probably recommend you read or watch a version of "The Phantom of the Opera" so you get the entire plot. Maybe you can figure it out without either suggestions.

So this is my lovely reason why I love this song so much.

Let The Music Move You: Epilogue (Les Misérables 2012 Movie Soundtrack)

So, lately, I've been having this big obsession with the "Epilogue" of the 2012 movie version of Les Misérables. Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, and Colm Wilkinson, and the rest of the cast were so great.

Now, the official store-bought soundtrack starts with Anne's beautiful voice. In a way, if you know what I mean, she sounds so happy in this song. I mean compared to "I Dreamed a Dream ", she is SO happy. I love the part where she says "You raised my child in love, and you will be with God." Also, I do want to point out the way the stringed instruments sound after this, AMAZING job. Amanda Seyfried's voice comes in, and of course it sounds so beautiful. Eddie, well, Eddie is Eddie in his wonderful way. Hugh Jackman's voice, is raw emotion and so powerful. You really think he's dying. I mean, you can hear the struggle in his voice to sing. I love when Amanda persists, "You will live, Papa you're going to live, it's too soon, too soon to say," and here she takes a small pause, "good-bye." You can hear in Hugh's voice a little humor, when he sings, "Yes, Cosette, forbid me now to die. I'll obey, I will try."

Now, this is the part where I start tearing up.
"On this page, I write my last confession, read it well, when I at last am sleeping. It's the story, of a man who turned from hating. A man who only learned to love when you were in his keeping." Oh Hugh, your acting is remarkable, as well as your voice.

And here's where I start balling my eyes out.
Right after Hugh says these lines, you can hear Amanda crying and saying, "I know." Anne starts singing, Colm, and Hugh joining in, PURE AWESOMNESS!!!!! And then after the line, "And remember, the truth at once was spoken, to love another person is to see the face of God.",  When "Do You Hear The People Sing" starts up, then I keep on crying, but smiling along with my tears.

"Do you hear the people sing, lost in the valley of the night, it is the music of a people who are climbing to the light, for the wretched of the earth, there is a flame that never dies, even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise! They will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord, they will walk behind the bloodshed, we will put away the sword, the chain will be broken and all men will have their reward! Will you join in our crusade, who will be strong and stand with me, somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see, do you hear the people sing, say do you hear the distant drums, it is a future that begins when tomorrow comes! Will you join in our crusade who will be strong and stand with me, somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see, do you hear the people sing say do you hear the distant drums it is a future that begins when tomorrow comes! Ohhhhhhh, ohhhhhhh, ohhhhhhh, ohhhhhhh, tomorrow comes!"

(By the fantastic way, I did all of these lyrics by memory, except I had to look up one lyric, and that was "bloodshed", because I didn't known. I may have some mistakes in there. (My bad, if I do.) Pretty cool, huh? But this is my reason of liking this song. Such raw emotion, and great singing, you just can't beat that!



To love another person is to see the face of God.

Vive La France! Vive La France!

What You'll Find

On this blog, when I have nothing to post about at the current moment, I'll have little posts, just small ones. Sometimes, like right now, I have an empty brain and can't think of anything to post about that is interesting enough. These will be their names with the definition of the post:

Pass The Popcorn: A post on a movie for teenagers, and some children's movies for you to bring along with you if you babysit. It will contain a summary, my rating, and some links where you can find out more about the movies and other ratings.

Sippin' Sweet Tea: A post about what's been going on in my life, my head, my crazy new obsessions and so on. A little bit of ramblings about my life.

Writings On The White Fence: I might start doing this, I'm thinking about posting little parts of my story on here and seeing what y'all think. Asking for ideas for titles and character names and so on. A lot of times I need some inspiration and I'm willing to hear new ideas.

Bring In The Books: This will be a book review on a series, a novel, trilogy and so on. It will have a summary and my review. I'll be anxious to hear what you think of it if you decide to read it!

Let The Music Move You: A small post on an album or song that's been stuck in my head like crazy and why I love it so much.

Words Of Wisdom: I'll try to post a Bible verse once a week, let's hope I can remember all this! Hopefully you'll find one that just encourages you with whatever you're going through. Maybe it'll be one that totally relates to you, how you feel at the moment, and yeah.

So, I might even create some more of these, but for now, this is it. Happy Readings!

The Battle Between Cosette and Eponine; My Opinion

Okay, I've heard so much about the battle between Cosette and Eponine. How Eponine is so much better than Cosette, how everyone hates Cosette and loves Eponine, and yada yada yada. To be truthful, I'm kinda fed up with it. I love Cosette and Eponine both equally. Let's take a look at Cosette's story:





We first hear about Cosette in The Brick (which I have read the full unabridged version) when her mother, Fantine drops her off at the Thenardiers house. She is put to work, getting water from the well, sweeping floors, and basically living the life of Cinderella, while Eponine and Azelma are basically living the dream life of the Stepsisters........ for now. Later in the book, Cosette is rescued by Jean Valjean, and goes to live and learn at a convent school, and grows to be a beautiful young woman. Just like Cinderella. Now, let's stay at a stand-still here.











Okay, fast forward to Eponine.

Eponine Thenardiers had a great childhood, that's about it; Now fast forward to several years later. The Thenardiers have went out of business and are now living in poverty. Eponine is also poor, living in a tiny apartment, or on the streets, anywhere where she has something over her head. She wears rags, goes without food, and helps her father with his band of thieves. But as we remember what the Brick says "Her life was cold and dark and yet she was unafraid". How true.



Now we get to both.
Marius Pontmercy meets Cosette and a year later when he sees her again, falls in love with her. I don't believe in love at first sight, but that's just me. Eponine then meets Marius to see if she can get some money. Basically from that point she falls in love with him, while Marius is blind to it, and is in love with Cosette. That sums it up completely. But I'll give Eponine some points; Even though she didn't want to do this, she did show Marius where Cosette lived. That proved how much she loved him. Even though she probably knew Marius could never be hers. And let's give some more points, she did stop the robbery at Cosette and Valjean's house. But now let's go forward to some downers. When Cosette and Valjean fled, she took the note and hid it from Marius. And the only reason she went to the barricade was to die with Marius. She wanted to DIE with him. It was basically for herself, even if she did save Marius' life. Yes it's heroic, sad, sweet, whatever you want to call it, (I call it all of those) but all for the wrong reasons. Another thing I can't stand, is how Eponine has her own song, and Cosette doesn't. I, personally, don't count "Castle On A Cloud", because young Cosette sings it, not grown Cosette. Come on, even Javert and the Thenardiers have their own songs, for goodness sake!



All in all, as much as I love Eponine, please, people, let's stop shoving Cosette under a rug and raising Eponine up like a golden goddess. They are both equal to me, even if Cosette's life seems more fairly-talish than Eponine. I love Cosette and Eponine. But people, before we speak, please let's know our facts and think about both their whole stories. You can love Cosette even if you absolutely love the song "On My Own" over "Castle On A Cloud", and you can certainly love both! I know I do; I love both songs, and characters! I would love to play either if I got the chance.


I love them both! What do you think, who do you like better, and if you could play either which would it be? Ties and opinions are accepted!

The Colorado Runaway Series

I love reading. I'm basically a bookworm, but right now, I'm on a little stand-still of reading. But I do love Christian romance. I'm a person who usually stays in a little box of one author, but I've been working to branch out a bit. So, I'm going to introduce you to a remarkable author, Janelle Mowery. I love her books, filled with gripping plots, set in the Wild West, and of course, the romance. She has written some books and series, so I will give a summary of one series, called the The Colorado Runaway series.

The first book in this series of three, is called "When All My Dreams Come True".

Set in 1872, in the Colorado Territory, Jace Kincaid is a rancher, who runs his father's ranch, the Double K. Struggling with anonymous thieves stealing his and many other ranchers cattle, he stumbles upon another problem. Bobbie McIntyre, a young woman has been sent to work for Jace at the Double K, after the death of her father. She is not the kind of woman anyone would expect. Not even a cold-hearted rancer like Jace Kincaid. She wears trousers, something not many women wear in that time period. In a struggle with her lost faith and getting over the death of her father, Bobbie has a lot on her mind, but not more than finding a job at Jace's ranch. This is a problem for Jace. He was expecting a man, not a girl who was barely even 19! What would he do now? He hires her, not at all with a good feeling of this. But Bobbie has a way of getting under his rough skin, and his feelings grow for her. Jace is soon needed to protect Bobbie, when she is pinned for a string of robberies going around in the town, not to mention the trouble she attracts everywhere she goes. As they both struggle with their faith and their growing feelings for each other, they learn to see things in a new light.

                                                                                                                                                                     

The next book in this three book series is called "When Love Gets in the Way".

Set in 1873, Cade Ramsey a man who is set on traveling his way back to his hometown in Rockdale to see his mother who has broken her hip, when he finds a stowaway in the back of his wagon, Grace Bradley. Having just come from her mother's funeral, Grace is trying to escape from Frank Easton, a rich cruel man, who Grace's father has chosen to marry her. Even in his anger, Cade agrees to give Grace a ride. The only problem is that Grace attracts every kind of trouble, whether it be a pack of wolves, or a man who will not stop until he has found her. Cade then decides to take Grace to Jace and Bobbie Kincaid's ranch, the Double K to work as a housekeeper and cook. Grace feels at home with them, but she fears what will happen if Frank finds her. While Cade struggles to get over the woman who his heart was set on marrying, he now struggles with his feelings for Grace. Even with all that she fears, Grace also has feelings for Cade, but cannot reveal them to him. But how long can Grace run before Frank tracks her down? And what will Cade do, to keep Grace from marrying the man who could tears both of them apart?

The last book in this series is called "When Two Hearts Meet". Set in 1874, Luke Mason is a cold-hearted deputy set on tracking down the man who murdered his father. His heart has turned to stone with a force around it. Not understanding the reason that God could allow someone to kill his beloved father, he deliberately turns his back on God. Just having moved into town, Rachel Garret is a fine nurse with her passionate faith, but is somehow always put into continuous peril. When she has to rely on the town's cold deputy, Luke Mason, she feels she is out of luck. For Luke, it is pure torture. Rachel is always reminding him of his lost faith, and somehow his cold feelings for Rachel turn to feelings of love. But as he senses the true peril Rachel is in, he is at a loss. He does not want to lose another loved one, but he know she cannot be saved just by him. In his heart, Luke knows he will have to depend on God, but will he chose to run from each instead?

As much as I love these books, Janelle Mowery does use quite a bit of the words "she" and "he" in these books. I chose to ignored these, and overall I give them a great review; 4 1/2 stars out of five for each book. If you like Western Christian romance, I advise these books for you to add to your reading list. I hope if you choose to read these, you will enjoy them, like I have!

Hello

Hello to everyone! My name is Anna and this is a blog about musicals, books, movies, and little things. I'll make this a small post, but I hope to post more soon! Welcome to A Cowgirl And A Dream!

Longshot Sign-out,

Anna