The Phantom of the Opera

By: Gastón Leroux

Narrated by: Ralph Cosham

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Classic

2005 Audie Award Nominee, Classic

Book better than the movie

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.

Beautiful and tragic

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.

Hauntingly beautiful

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.

So much better than the musicals.

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.

Fantastic

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

Loved It

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

A Good And Different Story Than What I Expected

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…

Best love story

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

A must read.

This is a wonderful story and well told. It will help your understanding of the book to go to Wikipedia first, where you can get a list of the characters involved.

A bit disorganized, but worth it

Those who do not already love the musical may be frustrated with the writing. The story seems to jump around a bit. When Leroux is building suspense, he changes the subject, and comes back a chapter or so later. It's still a very interesting story. The bottom line is clearly expressed, just as it is in the musical So if you just go with the flow, you'll probably like it. The narrator does as good a job as I can expect with a difficult narration. Not outstanding, but fine.