a gothic classic

a beautifully gothic mystery novel narrated by someone who knows how to pronounce all the French names correctly

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Masterful novel, perfect narration

"𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘬! 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮?"

𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢 is one of those books famous for its many adaptations on film and stage, but remaining iconic due to its strong source material. As a lifelong Phantom fan who has only now sought to finally read the book, this has only made me a bigger fan. The novel broods with an atmosphere of tension and terror throughout. Far darker than any of the adaptations out there, the book takes the time to develop each main player thoroughly whilst ensuring the main narrative is engaging. Almost every chapter closes with a cliffhanger leaving you desperate to read the next. The level of nail-biting suspense throughout is superb and always leaves you guessing as to what will happen next. There are plenty of shocks and surprises as well as the satisfying familiarity of the book's most iconic moments. The chandelier crash, the unmasking, the masquerade - all iconic scenes instantly recognisable from all adaptations but none as captivating as they are in the book.

There are marked differences between book and adaptation - notably with Christine's very eventual falling in love with Raoul as she seems disinterested in him for the majority of the novel. Especially as the musical is so driven by romance, it's markedly absent from many of the scenes one might expect it to be in. Raoul is also a far more pathetic character - that is not to say unlikable, but far weaker than his swash-buckling portrayal in many of the adaptations. Other side characters such as Mme Giry and the Persian are also well established and I found myself instantly warm to them and want to know more about their lives. But the biggest enigma of them all is the Phantom's characterisation. Whilst appearing only as The Ghost in the Opera House, he is a cool and mysterious figure you just want to discover more about. But as he becomes the Angel of Music, things become far more sinister and tinged with dark romance. As the story progresses, you find yourself battling with whether to like the Phantom or hate him before ultimately settling on the latter during the final act. His anger and horrifying persona make him so fearful, yet is all stripped away in the book's final moments to reveal a very sympathetic and pitiful character. By the end of the book, a rollercoaster of emotions has been completed whereby you have found yourself admire, fear, hate, and sympathise with not just the Phantom, but Erik himself.

A masterful, perfect work of early 20th century gothic fiction.

I read the book along with listening to this audiobook and was very impressed. The narrator's voice was perfect and pronounced the French names beautifully. With distinguishing voices for varying characters, it was always abundantly clear who was speaking and how they were feeling. It was clear the narrator enjoyed the book, and that only enhanced my experience to enjoy it too.

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The Phantom of the Opera

I have been hoping an audiobook of this particular translation would be made, since most translations that have come before have been slightly shoddy and careless and I am all the happier that it has finally happened. I am a huge Phantom fan and the original story has a certain charm to it. Rather than being the sensuous, erotically charged storyline that the musical favours, it is a dark, Gothic, pseudo-supernatural, suspenseful, thrilling horror-based mystery narrative that made Gaston Leroux famous.

The story is insane! But it is a story that does not fail to thrill or hold the attention of the reader/listener all the way through. The epistolary way the novel is written is wonderful, like a literary investigation presenting to us the notion that the story is as real as can be. Leroux has been very clever to merge his intensive knowledge of the Opéra Garniér in Paris to give his audience an authentic look into what it is like to wander such a place as the opera house in which the story takes place.

The book is a masterpiece. Much better than is given credit and remains an intensely thrilling and readable and at times frightening read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the show, so they can see what their beloved Phantom comes from; and I would recommend this to fans of opera and theatre life, to musicians and actors and fellow writers. It is definitely a book that should be enjoyed by everyone. It is also a testament that there are worse things than shattered chandeliers.

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1 person found this helpful

A perfect social commentary on society's attitudes to beauty.

Gaston Leroux's history in journalism really came into play during the creation of this novel. So many of the happenings at the Palais Garnier were incorporated and presented as though they were all the work of a different monster who had lived in the cavernous underbelly of the opera house. This is very much a work of historical fiction that blurs the lines of fantasy and reality.

The Phantom of the Opera, to me, is a social commentary on how society holds beauty in a high regard and forces those deemed ugly to fight for scraps of human decency at the table. It shows how thos with physical differences or disabilities are demonised and abused because the able-bodied and beautiful simply need the ego boost or the entertainment.

In his 1987 musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber, I believe, gave Raoul and Christine a brand new lease of life, and even brand new personalities. Raoul was the most insufferable man I have ever had the misfortune of reading about. His crimes include, but are not limited to: harassing elderly women in their sick bed, invading christine's privacy on numerous occasions, gaslighting, infantalising, disregarding consent, petulance, immaturity, possessiveness, nosiness, eavesdropping being a general asshole/man baby. Even Leroux himself referred to Raoul as childish multiple times. And Christine wasn't great either. Both she and Raoul were adult versions of their childhood selfves and honestly, it was so annoying to read at times. Not a single person in this novel knew how to have proper adult conversations.

Christine's treatment of Erik, I believe, was nothing short of cruel. While Eric's methods were "unconventional", you also have to remember that he spent the first decade of his life in a cage at a freak show. So of course, he's going to navigate the world in a different way to the rest of society. At one point, Christine would acknowledge the fact that Erik respected her and would allow her to come and go as she pleased, but she still treated him poorly as did the rest of the world. The only time he ever showed mistreatment towards her was when she disrespected his boundaries, and then as a preventative measure to stop her from killing herself. Even Raoul questioned her treatment of him asking if she would have loved Erik if he were beautiful. Which we all know the answer to.

This novel was equal parts, fantasy and realism, which is a part of historical fiction I absolutely adore and is often something I look for when I pick up a historical piece. Leroux truly is an exception of the rule that men can't write.

There is still so much more I could say but I'm rapidly running out of space and my pasta is getting cold. But I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I can't wait to read it again. But also, what was the shadow in the mezzanine levels that was worse than Erik? I can't stand the fact that we never got a proper answer. Damn you, Leroux!

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Missing chapters

Unfortunately my experience with this book wasn’t the best. The audiobook didn’t download past mid 1st chapter

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