The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (Epub)

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User’s Reviews

From Publishers Weekly Gaston Leroux’s famous gothic novel of intrigue and romance beneath the Paris Opera House has spawned a number of spinoffs; this storybook adaptation is not among the more felicitous. It tells, of course, of the beautiful opera singer Christine and the choice she must make between the disfigured Phantom, who taught her her craft, and the Viscount she has long loved. Leroux’s is an intricate and complex story; here, it is given a summarized, reductive treatment. Characters and their motivations are scantily developed; the prose has a rushed, breathless quality that is overly melodramatic even for its subject; and, as presented, many specifics of the plot, as well as its eventual resolution and meaning, seem likely to leave children bewildered. The illustrations are stylized and garishly colored; they do not help to explicate the text nor do they make it inviting to the picture-book audience. No ages given. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ This is the REAL Phantom of the Opera story by Gaston Leroux, to which Andrew Lloyd Weber was true. Any version-movie, play, cartoon, etc-previous to Lloyd-Weber’s musical is not the true story, but a very loose adaptation. The REAL story is far more edge-of-your-seat and amazingly thrilling and dramatic than these pretenders. Gaston Leroux’s Phantom is not a pathetic, hunch-backed, limping, weak-willed pervert. Leroux’s Phantom-named ERIK- is part-Batman, part-James Bond, part-Beast (as in Beauty and the Beast), and a “dark twin” -if you will- to the Elephant Man (the true historical figure Joseph Merrick who was severely disfigured by a combination of neurofibromatosis type I and Proteus syndrome). In fact, Erik’s early life story resembles that of the Elephant Man’s in that Erik was born with hideous facial disfigurement and was given his first mask by his mother. He runs away to join a band of Gypsies who put on sideshows for their living and thus employs Erik who gives himself the freakshow name of “Living Dead Man”. Under the Gypsies care and training, he develops into a highly skilled magician, illusionist, and ventriloquist. He gains a sort of underground cult-fame for his eccentric skill to combine singing and ventriloquism which produces a beautiful “other-worldly” voice–so intriguing is his skill that Shah of Persia demands to hear it and commissions a visiting fur trader to bring Erik to Persia. Just as was true with the real-life Joseph Merrick, Erik is a brilliant self-educated man. Leroux amplifies his character by turning Erik into a Leonardo di Vinci renaissance man-artist, poet, scholar, architect, scientist; a man who had mastered several languages, played several instruments–all this in addition to his famous, though elusive speaking and singing voice. And if that’s not enough? He’s a martial artist, too, with a particular talent for the “Punjab Lasso”-his preferred method of assassination. See what I mean about part-James Bond? Under the patronage and auspices of the Shah, Erik is commissioned to design a palace. The plot thickens at this point–so deliciously so that it’s a dizzying, spine-tingling adventure that will not disappoint. In fact, this book is TWO amazing stories in one novel: BEFORE Erik’s escape to the Paris Opera House and AFTER he designs, then builds the most intricately sophisticated secret lair underneath the Opera House, the mastery of which the world would never see again after his death. It is this AFTER that builds up to his infamous abduction of the soprano Christine Daae and the dramatic story that follows. If the AFTER appeals to the romantics out there, it’s the BEFORE story that will thrill adventurers and action-story aficionados. To say more than this would be a spoiler alert. But GET THE BOOK! Definitely!

⭐ I’ve been binging on Phanfic all year and decided it wouldn’t be right to close the year without reading the original again, as it’s been decades.Maybe you’re used to the commonly portrayed Phantom, a reasonably good looking, athletic, fit man with a bad sunburn, fortunately covered by his mask. (Gerard Butler? Lovely, handsome, rock star voice, but not my Phantom of choice.)Or perhaps it’s a musical Phantom, romantic and sweet with a touch of rage and mommy issues. (Andrew Lloyd Weber? I’m looking your way while swooning at Michael Crawford.)Or so many of the Phanfics where he’s truly a sweet, caring, misunderstood man deeply in love with Christine, a musical genius with his first crush, unsure of how to act, while Raoul is a simpering idiot swooning for her affection, or a cruel man not worthy of her. (Phanfic writers? Keep ’em coming, I can’t read them fast enough.)None of these are the Phantom, the Opera Ghost, you’ll find in this book. He’s most often referred to as a monster, an evil cruel demon torturing people for fun, hideously deformed to the point of needing a mask to remotely resemble a person. Christine is surprised to feel pity for him, her daddy issues melding with his mommy issues temporarily until she sees the psycho…***Wait, spoilers.****ahem* Until she sees the psychotic, twisted man ready to blow up the Opera House and everyone in it unless she capitulates to his demands. Sweet, caring romantic? Not this Gothic horror story. Here he’s a homicidal freak living in the cellars that he helped build, a hideaway from the world while he plays on a young dancer’s emotions, teaching her to sing to fulfill his own desires and turning mad with rage when she’s not agreeable to his plan to wed. And yet… There’s still a touch of sweetness, of desperate pleas to just be like other men, to just be happy and accepted. You can see it in his words to Christine, and in the Persian’s interview years after the fact, once the fright of one of the worst evenings of his life has worn off.Some other familiar characters are in this version that may or may not be in other versions. Mme Giry, who helps Erik, much to the consternation of the theatre managers, unaware of what they’ve purchased. The Persian, telling his story of what happened in the cellars, and how they barely escaped. Raoul, sweet boy of Christine’s childhood turned into the man of her dreams while Erik is probably still, decades later, giving her nightmares.The style is of an expose newpaper writer, sharing the scandalous tale while citing references and trying to remain detached. Romance? Hardly, even if only seen from Erik’s view. Elegant story that launched countless remakes and tributes? Absolutely. It will remain one of my favorites because of that.

⭐ It is more than a love story, it is a study in psychology. Leroux makes us search the depths of his creations’ souls. Who is really wearing the masks? Is there a single, universal definition for evil or is it based upon our perspective? And as we search for these answers, we begin to ask questions about ourselves. What would we do for love? How do we define evil? Are we hiding behind a mask so that our true character can’t be seen?Gaston Leroux did the unimaginable, he created the first loveable psychopath. Unlike his contemporaries, whose “bad guys” were really “bad,” The Opera Ghost is relatable. We understand his need to be loved leads to his obsession and his ultimate demise. We pity him. We love him. At times, we love him to the point that we despise Christine for her unwillingness to love him as we do. It is nearly impossible to garner sympathy for Comte de Chagny because he is the antithesis of the Opera Ghost.However, we do not go into the book expecting to side with the Opera Ghost. He is the villain, the bad guy, the one we expect to despise. Yet Leroux’s masterful creation of his character leads us naturally to change our perspective and preconceived notions of who is really the villain.

⭐ How ironic: I am reviewing a novel about a masked man who hides, at a time when wearing masks and staying indoors has become ordinary, even necessary. Gaston Leroux’s _The Phantom of the Opera_ (1910) had been in my mental list of books to read for years. I simplistically placed it in the Great French Novels category, thus setting myself up to compare it with such giants as Alexandre Dumas’ _The Count of Monte Cristo_ (1844) and Victor Hugo’s _Les Misérables_ (1862). It is not surprising, then, that my first reaction to Leroux’s novel was tepid at best. I needed to place myself in the proper context._The Phantom of the Opera_ is an incredibly simple story that focuses on a love triangle. At the center we have the singer Christine Daaé, who is loved by the aristocrat Raoul de Chagny and by a mysterious “ghost” commonly known as Erik who haunts the Paris Opera House. Erik’s motivation is a strong desire to be like everyone else. Because of his hideous appearance he must hide, but he figures he has everything he needs in his complex, labyrinthine dwelling in the underground levels of the Opera House, and all he needs is a wife. Can Christine develop feelings for him?At the most basic level, the novel will remind readers of “Beauty and the Beast,” as it deals with the possibility of love beyond physical appearance. We may, in addition, sympathize with the “villain,” as we understand his purpose even as we disapprove of his method. Under the surface, however, _The Phantom of the Opera_ is a completely different story. Leroux wrote it in three months, and his main narrative device is that of the cliffhanger, which should not come as a surprise when one considers that the novel was originally serialized. He begins by creating a mystery: who is this ghost, and how does he manage to appear and disappear so effectively? The story quickly goes from a mystery to a love story, with the appearance of Christine and Raoul. The next element is that of detective fiction, as crimes are investigated. The end of the story is narrated by a mysterious Persian who provides most of the answers concerning the ghost and his doings. By combining subgenres, Leroux varies the tone and the approach, and keeps us turning the pages.As I pointed out above, my initial reaction to the novel was quite lukewarm. I was not surprised to read that by the time the classic film (Rupert Julian, 1925) came out, the book was out of print. It had gone out of print yet again when, in the mid-eighties, Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to turn the story into a musical. I read Leroux’s novel primarily because I wanted to watch the original film, and I happen to be one of those people who must read the book first. Though not perfect, the film is a cinematic landmark the success of which inspired _Dracula_ (1931), _Frankenstein_ (1931), and countless other monster movies. The filmmakers changed the ending of the story, but the rest of the main elements are there. I have yet to hear the musical, but now that I’ve read the book I feel like that is the next logical step for me. To appreciate the novel, I reminded myself that Leroux was primarily a writer of entertainment fiction. Don’t look for explicit philosophical depth here. On the other hand, the writing is concise and engaging. _Les Misérables_ (please see my review in the appropriate place) is deep, stirring, and unforgettable, but it requires amounts of time and patience that not all readers have.To me, the central symbol here is Erik’s mask. So, what is the point of Erik hiding his face? His mask is simply more obvious than those worn by the other characters. Etymologically, the word “person” is of Etruscan origin and means “mask.” Ingmar Bergman plays with this idea in his masterpiece, _Persona_ (1966). (The great Swedish director, incidentally, once expressed the belief that cinema was primarily about the human face.) We think of a person as an individual, as “one,” but what the etymology of the word suggests is that one person wears different masks depending on the situation. Personality, in this sense, would be a multifaceted thing.We all literally wear masks now, but we wore them before too. Our current masks are frustrating because we cannot see much of the people we interact with, but also comfortable in the sense that they allow us to hide from others. I teach English at a local college, and under the current circumstances my classes meet in person only once a week. Students keep social distance and wear masks. I have never seen my students’ faces unless they have chosen to include a picture of themselves in our online platform. My classes used to be 100% interactive and collaborative; now students sit in the classroom looking straight ahead, and the vast majority of them do not participate. It has become very difficult to “read” them. On the positive side, the situation has forced me to do something I rarely did before, viz. to look people in the eyes when I talk to them. The eyes, they say, are the windows of the soul. Maybe by staring into them we can reveal the mystery. We have become, at least at the social level, “eyes without a face” (another highly recommended film). Where am I going with this? The moment in the 1925 film when Erik takes off his mask comes as a revelation and a shock. I believe the mask itself, any mask, is more terrifying than what is behind it. We are identified primarily by our facial features, and most of those are now hidden. We are now better prepared to understand Erik and see things from his perspective. Speaking of perspective, I cannot help but recall the “Eye of the Beholder” episode of The Twilight Zone, another excellent exploration of the importance of the human face.Had it not been for the film and the musical, _The Phantom of the Opera_ might well have disappeared from the shelves by now. There are many novels from the same time period that are more memorable and satisfying. This is, nevertheless, a quick, entertaining read that leaves you thinking about ever-relevant concepts such as beauty, individuality, shame, and the need for human connection. Bottom line: give it a try.Next on my list: _The Joy Luck Club_, by Amy Tan.Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!

⭐ Curious to understand why Christine sees OG as such an irredeemable vile creature in the ALW version and looking for answers not provided in the musical I wanted to read the original… Wow! The characters are almost unrecognizable from the original LeRoux! Though a bit slow at first as the foundations are layed in seemingly slightly random fashion LeRoux unraveled a tale with true depth and running the gambit of emotions ! This ‘ Phantom’ (Erik) is not the Phantom of the ALW musical that leaves one wishing they could redeem with love but the true genius and monster as he was created, Christine, Raoul, Giry, all so completely irreconcilable to their ALW counterparts and The Persian… well, trying not to spoiler but I can say that while I can not reconcile one version to another I didn’t have to choose, I love each of them in separate places in my heart! I am so glad I read the LeRoux!

⭐ The fist time I heard about The Phantom of the Opera it was about the 2004 film. I know that some people might argue and say the the play is much better than the film but there wasn’t any play near my area so I had to content myself with the film. And quite frankly, this is the type of The Phantom of the Opera that I grew up with and would always be my favorite. Forward a few years, I find myself again quite obsessed with this play that I listen to the movie soundtrack, watch videos of the play, interviews of Andrew Lloyd Webber up to the point where I figured to read the book. I wanted to read the original version in French but that’ll be for sometime until I can find a copy so it’s this copy instead.The play is popular and there are a lot of people who already know the story. When I read the book, it was the same for me. I didn’t make any expectations because I already know the story – I thought I know the story. I wasn’t scared of how the Phantom looked as I’ve read that Lachney’s version of the phantom in the 1925 silent movie is similar to the book. But here are a few thoughts I have while reading.- I have never thought Christine to be quite so …. theathrical. Well, she is a ballet dancer and then a singer so I know it is to be expected but she sound so wishy-washy. She likes Raoul but she stays with the Phantom. Although as I come to the end of the book, I sort of understand her.- Raoul is young and irrational. Whenever Christine refuses to acknowledge him, he weeps or cries. It isn’t a very manly thing to do.- Erik, now I am petrified of him. With the movie and with movie, his voice is so beguiling that I want to listen to him sing forever. But in the book, there are no songs and the things he did are explained in detail up to the flying death’s head. Reading this book at night, I glanced every minute around me just to make that there are no flying death’s head lurking.- Then there’s a character known as the Persian that I wish was included in the play but that’s okay if he isn’t. He is similar to Mme. Giry in the play where he explain the story of the phantom.Was I disappointed? No, this is a classic book and the words written on its pages still lives and adored by people. It might be a bit upsetting at the first to me because I got used to the play but this is a nice insight on where the play was inspired. This came first before the play and for this story to be turned into a play then Mr. Lloyd Webber must have found some sort of magic on this book. The play is undoubtedly good but if you want you to know the origins of the play, then read this book.

⭐ Of the six translations of Leroux’s classic pulp mystery/gothic horror novel (de Mattos, Bair, Wolf, Lofficier, Ribiére, and now Coward), Coward’s may be the one to beat. All have their qualities, but Coward works from the most complete of the French editions and manages to capture a very colorful, readable tone in his work. Coward clearly has a strong command of French (of which he is a professor at Leeds) and good, literary English. This translation of the book has an unmistakably British voice, which lends to its place alongside Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories of the same period. Meanwhile, the introduction, appendix, and notes work well in helping the reader understand the context and cultural references of the story.Leroux’s novel itself is as masterful and as muddled as ever. It is a page turner from front to back while concurrently making the reader wonder what genre of book he or she is actually reading: mystery, horror, romance, or even (quite frequently) comedy. Whatever it is, The Phantom of the Opera is pure fun, and this new edition should preserve that fun for readers for many years to come.

⭐ Even if you’ve never read this book or seen one of the movie versions or watched a Phantom stage production, you probably know the basic story: A ghost terrorizes opera singer Christine and her love, Raoul.PROS:Leroux uses actual places and things, and that makes the book more fun to read. The statue L’Harmonie on top of the opera house is a real statue. The opera house itself is real. It’s the Palais Garnier in Paris. Even the dark, underground lake beneath the opera house is real. What a spooky setting for a ghost story!I enjoyed the way Leroux describes a plausible slight-of-hand regarding the phantom’s theft of opera house funds. Leroux also explains how a magic mirror works. These are the sorts of intriguing story bits that kept me wondering if the opera ghost is a supernatural being or a human villain.Leroux wrote some imaginative scenes that made me cringe, like the floating, flaming head with only a swarm of rodent-like noise to support it. Eek!CONS:The book is a jarring read. (In contrast, the 1943 movie version that I saw was very easy to follow and held my attention.) The story could have been smoother if it weren’t structured like a journalist piecing together the events.The protagonist, Raoul, is a drama queen. It was hard to cheer for him. (Again, the movie was better.)The beauty of the language is lost in translation. The resulting English prose is awkward.I pushed through some multi-page paragraphs in which a character’s name never comes up. It’s he this and he that. By the time I got to the end of one of those paragraphs, I had forgotten who the “he” is. Still, the book is worth reading past awkward sections like that.OVERALL:I gave the book a combination of three stars for the jarring, head-hopping ride and five stars for the awesome plot, so four stars overall.

⭐ Covered by mystery and uncertainty regarding his origin, the story of the ugly man who haunts the Opera house startles the reader and confronts it with the source of all the mischief happening there: the ingenous mind of a man. His desperate search for love leads him to the dwarfed talent of the Swedish girl “Christine Daae”; the loss of her father and the contempt of the public have made her stay in the shadows. After, being trained by the ghost, she recovers the light her voice does possess. However, she won’t be able to reciprocate the ghost’s love for her heart belongs to somebody else. Beyond the plot of the story, is it possible to read it through the light of the clash of classes?

⭐ Nearly everyone knows the story of The Phantom of the Opera. They’ve seen a play or a movie, and have been taken by the story. I would dare to say that it IS an amazingly good story, but Gaston Leroux’s book is not so amazing. Some of that is due to translation issues. Some of it is due to the writing style of the time. Readers have become accustomed to a story unfolding for us. This book, written in an unfortunate style of the turn of the 20th century, tells the story in chapter titles/headlines, then back tracks to give details. (Example: This Chapter tells how the floor master died.) Even in the prologue, Leroux spells out the entire storyline beginning to end. The book, which becomes tedious and lengthy, then just sets out to give details for how those ends were achieved. If you’re interested in this story, go to the play/musical instead.

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