The Phantom of the Opera

Author:
Gaston Leroux
Narrator:
Ralph Cosham

Published in:
1909

Length:
7h35
Blackstone Audio

Genre:
Classics
Horror/Romance

Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS BOOK

I know, this is such a shame to be French and not to know anything really about The Phantom of the Opera, in its print form or in its performing arts versions. So I finally took time to listen to it – that’s one of the great advantages of being part of The Classics Club: you finally take time to visit works still unknown to you. I chose the audiobook format, as it was narrated by the amazing Ralph Cosham (who narrates Louise Penny’s series)

As usual, Cosham does a fantastic job, enhancing the spookiness of the topic and descriptions with his voice and intonations. He is so good! It took me a little while to remind myself I was not listening to Armand Gamache, but thankfully the style was different enough.

You probably all know about the story, so I’m not going to even summarize it here and will only talk about my impressions.

It ended up being quite spooky (wow, these underground descriptions!) , darker and sadder than I first thought it was, and now that I have read it, I’m not sure I really want to watch it. “Poor Erik!”
Even if the story starts rather simply, it becomes more complex as the story develops.

The author often addresses the reader and refers to a metatext, as if quoting real documentation. This is a classic and rather old writing effect, but still, I thoroughly enjoyed it. At least, it added some humor to the story for me.
I enjoyed more the narration and the writing than the content itself. I have heard so much about “the phantom of the opera”, I’m actually a bit disappointed. Now I wonder who really knows the book version; no doubt the Hollywood version is probably quite different, and insisting more on the romance, whereas I thought the romance part was quite nightmarish, for Christine, Raoul, and Erik.

I can only estimate myself lucky not to be able to afford a box at the opera. Who knows, I may end up being sent to Box 5… Lol

If you are considering revisiting this classic, I highly encourage you to choose the audiobook narrated by Ralph Cosham (Blackstone Audio). It is available through Hoopla, if your public library offers you this service.

VERDICT: A rather disappointing classic, but the excellent narrator made it enjoyable enough.

HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK?
How do you compare it with the films/plays/musical?
Should I watch an adaptation? Which one?
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