The Phantom of the Opera Audiobook By Gastón Leroux cover art

The Phantom of the Opera

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The Phantom of the Opera

By: Gastón Leroux
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
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The story begins with an investigation into some strange reports of an "opera ghost", legendary for making the great Paris opera performers ill-at-ease when they sit alone in their dressing rooms. Some allege to have seen the ghost in evening clothes moving about in the shadows. Nothing is done, however, until the disappearance of Christine during her triumphant performance. With an increasing pattern of fear and violence, The Phantom of the Opera begins to strike, but always with a beautiful young performer at the center of his deadly desires.(P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Gothic Horror Literary Fiction Haunted Scary Ghost Opera Funny Emotionally Gripping

Critic reviews

  • 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Classic
2005 Audie Award Nominee, Classic

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Haunting Tale • Complex Characters • Beautiful Deep Voice • Atmospheric Elements • Gothic Classic • Tragic Romance
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I'm usually a purist and read the book before I watch the movie. However, my children persuaded me to watch Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Phantom" and I found the story to be haunting and unsettling, so much so that I decided to get the book.

This audio book was fantastic! The reader did an outstanding job infusing emotion into the reading. Leroux develops the characters so much more than a movie is able to. I understood so much more of the emotions, character backgrounds, and even the plot than I had with the movie. I ached for Christine Daae with the decisions she had to make and the final outcome of the story.

If your only exposure to Phantom of the Opera has been either Weber's Phantom or any of the other movies made based on this story, you must read (or listen to) this book. If you've never been exposed to any version of the Phantom, you must read this book. It is Beauty and the Beast set in an opera house. In the end, the only thing that can defeat evil is love.

Book better than the movie

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I loved every second of this!! I enjoyed the story the musical hadn't covered quite a bit and the Persian is so cool! I sympathize with Erik and I'm glad the story consistently paints him as tragic and lacking empathy in many ways rather than full on evil. Amazing and I definitely recommend to those who love the musical or just a good old fashioned mystery.

Beautiful and tragic

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The phantom of the opera is a hauntingly beautiful tale of true and unrequited love. A timeless classic in which I’ll always take pleasure in reminiscing and revisiting its origins of beauty.

Hauntingly beautiful

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I have Always been a HUGE fan of the Phantom of the Opera. I remember seeing the old movie and the Broadway Musical of it as a kid. But reading and listening to the actual story was so much better. The story of the love triangle made so much more sense. I really enjoyed the narrator. He was very good with the voices though the men's parts all sounded the same even the Persian sounded French. But it was still good. Definitely recommend for any Phantom fan.

So much better than the musicals.

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Helped me understand the phantom at a deeper level. Excellent work of fiction. Recommend to all readers.

Fantastic

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I loved this book. It was mysterious and intriguing. The lack of swearing and sexual scenes made it even better!

Loved It

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I really liked this story. For me it did seem to start somewhat slowly. However the longer I listened and read, the more I liked the story. T was more of a mystery story than a ghost story.

There were times I felt the story was a little bit convoluted and therefore I needed to read along. Therefore for me it was not a pure listening experience. It was a reading listening experience. Thank You…

A Good And Different Story Than What I Expected

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This is my favorite book ever. The mystery, the romance, the horror. Phantoms character is so enticing.

Best love story

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I was quite impressed by this book. I did not know that this was a book and was eager to listen to the full unabriged story. The story was quite fascinating and I was eager to listen straight through without stopping. The narrator Ralph Cosham did a good job narrating the story. He has a nice clear voice and was able to make the different characters stand out from each other. I really enjoyed this title and would recommend it to others.

Phantom of the Opera

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Of the tidal wave of sensational gothic fiction written since Horace Walpole published his Castle of Otranto in 1764, a few, like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, have attained the status of industries. Others, like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, have degenerated into seasonal clichés. Both fates tend to separate us from the original, riveting stories that gave them birth. Gaston Leroux’s Phantom is, of course, an industry now—and no exception to this general rule.

Like Stoker and Shelley, Leroux makes an utterly implausible character in an utterly implausible situation utterly real. Keats talked about the “willing suspension of disbelief”; in this case, the suspension goes almost unnoticed. Like most of the characters, you start out skeptical of the Ghost’s existence. Then, somehow, you’re in the bowels of the Opera, hoping our heroes get out alive.

It’s that skepticism, of course, freely voiced by the new managers of the Opera, the police, and the general public, that does the trick. Some, indeed most, characters never lose it. The truth becomes a secret between you, the listener, and a select few. Now that I’m one of them, I don’t want to see the musical. It might ruin the novel for me.

I always enjoy listening to Ralph Cosham, but here, while his tone and tempo were perfect, I had some trouble distinguishing characters. This book presents challenges in that regard, only two of the main characters being female. And in a galaxy of male voices, Leroux sometimes fails to insert a helpful “so-and-so said” between lines of dialogue.

My only other quibble is with the organization of this recording. Some “chapters” run 30 to 40 minutes, others run over an hour. But they all contain several actual chapters, making the finding of one’s place (if one has been so unfortunate as to hit the wrong button) a little difficult.

Meanwhile, Leroux’s Mystery of the Yellow Room (his only other novel that has withstood the last century) is now on my wish list.

The Original, Riveting Story

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