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

I am glad I took the time to listen to this book.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Phantom of the Opera to be better than the print version?

Yes. I don't think I could of read the book but b/c I spend so much time in a car, I found it interesting to listen to.

Inconsistent audio

The story was wonderful but the audio production was not my favorite. Narrator voice and volume fluctuate from chapter to chapter and it was quite distracting.

I don’t pretend to read again

Something didn’t click with me about this book. It took me a abnormal long time to finish it and I have to keep forcing myself to listen to it. It was a dreadful experience.
The narrator is not bad I guess. Maybe the book is too Frenchish.. well, I don’t recommend it. The end of the book is fine and almost left me thinking that the book was not that bad. But it really was...

A MUST for any Phantom fan!

This will help you understand the Opera like you never have before. You will truly feel the Phantom’s struggle along with the fear he instilled in others.

All Time Favorite!

Gaston Leroux wrote an amazing novel with complex characters and a mystery to solve to boot. The story swept you away to another time and place where you root for the love between Christine and Raoul while hurting for Eric at the same time. The author broke down his novel to feature specific characters and what they were thinking or doing throughout the book, but you never found yourself confused or lost within the story line of what was going on. There really is nothing to critique this novel on other than the repetitive nature when a character addresses a person - the names were repeated each time a statement was made instead of letting the reader follow the dialogue without the repetitive names. I am sure the author wrote as the people spoke in that age, but it did become annoying at times.

excellent story & well read

I loved this book! I've always loved the opera based on the book & decided to to see what the book was like. the opera follows it very well but the book has so many great details to fill in for us. Ralph Cosham read it so well, too. It came alive. I highly recommend this title.

Surprisingly good

As a fan of the theater, I've seen Phantom of the Opera and have listened to the music countless times--but I never knew the book was so different! Written as kind of a journal/detective novel, we follow the MC as he searches for proof of the Opera Ghost. The maze of danger the characters go through is far superior to anything hinted in the play. It's worth listening to.

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.

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.

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.