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Title details for The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux - Available

The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux
Barrett Whitener
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera, first published in 1910, remained a perennial favorite throughout the twentieth century and into the millenium. It was adapted to several popular motion pictures and into one of the most successful stage musicals of all time. Its main character, Erik, is a romantic figure and sensitive soul whose appeal reaches across different cultures and times. He is an accomplished composer and musician whose great unfinished work, Don Juan Triumphant, is described as breathtakingly beautiful by the one person he allows to hear it. Erik is an object of pity, whose face has been disfigured from birth, causing him to hide behind a silk mask; and he is hopelessly in love with a young woman. He can never seriously hope she will love him back.

Gaston Leroux was born on May 6, 1868 in Paris, but was brought up in Normandy where he went to the College of Eu. While attending law school in Paris, his short stories and poetry were published in Left Bank magazines. He gave up law after three years to work for a local paper. It was when he was working for the daily newspaper, Le Martin, that he gained fame for interviewing celebrities. From there he travelled to Asia, Europe, Africa and Russia, often in disguise, to get to leads for stories, and soon became a celebrity himself. In 1907, he decided to become a full-time novelist. In 1919, he formed a film company in Nice, where he had settled in 1908. His final home was in Rue Gambetta, where he died unexpectedly of uremia on April 15, 1927.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 1, 2001

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781467610476
      • File size: 270511 KB
      • Duration: 09:23:33

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 870
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Geoffrey Howard reads this early twentieth-century melodrama in a British accent that sounds slightly foreign; it's a bit distracting at first but ultimately gives the story the Continental mood it calls for. He shines at moving the story briskly, effortlessly keeping it involving, even through its pulpy excesses and sillier excursions, such as some comic relief involving the opera's managers. Howard falls short only by holding back in rendering some of the Phantom's more extreme behaviors--mad laughter and other scene-chewing (though he conveys fully his love-sick last extremity). Perhaps his restraint is wise; his ability to make such a wild purple tale not seem ridiculous is an accomplishment. W.M. 2006 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 28, 2019
      The inaugural release in the Horror Writers Association Haunted Library of Horror Classics series will be a revelation to those familiar only with the musical based on the 1910 novel by LeRoux (1868–1927). The tale of a Paris opera house inhabited by a spectral figure with seemingly magical abilities remains genuinely creepy today. Much of the book’s power stems from the author’s presentation of his narrative as the factual product of his own diligent archival research and interviews with survivors of the phenomenon. This understated treatment means that even his spoiler-laden prologue heightens rather than lessens suspense. A turnover in the management of the opera house coincides with sightings of the so-called Opera ghost and the grim discovery of the hanged corpse of Joseph Buquet, the company’s chief scene-shifter. These events are followed by an unexpectedly triumphant performance by Christine Daeé, who previously had an undistinguished singing career, which proves to be linked to the phantom. Fans of literate horror, whatever their opinion of Andrew Lloyd Weber, will be gratified.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Leroux's early-twentieth-century romantic thriller is skillfully adapted for this full-cast production. It's quick, humorous, and stays true to the original. The cast is lively and deft, playing up to Leroux's melodramatic mark but not beyond it. The musical pieces the characters perform are those mentioned in the novel, in the same order, so that listeners, as opposed to readers, can hear what Leroux intended. Original theme music is elegant and haunting, and sound effects are well done. "Making of" interviews are choppy and awkward, and out of place at the end of the first disc, and one character's supposedly Spanish accent is merely peculiar. But overall this production is top-notch--thoughtful, professional, and fun. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Bill Homewood, a Shakespearean actor and narrator of many literary classics, turns his vast performing experience to Gaston Leroux's well-known horror story, originally published in 1910. While listeners may recognize the story from its Broadway musical adaptation or from films, Homewood's deep, melodious voice and flawless French accent offer a fresh perspective on the tale of the mysterious ghost that is haunting the Paris Opera House. Despite Homewood's talent for differentiating characters and voicing men and women of all ages and backgrounds, his slow pace may challenge listeners who are grappling with the formal language, the large cast, and the story's time shifts. That being said, patient listeners will appreciate this truly scary story and its historical context. E.Q. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:870
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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