Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Phantom of the Opera
    The Phantom of the Opera
    The Phantom of the Opera
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Phantom of the Opera

    Written by Gaston Leroux

    Narrated by B.J. Harrison

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    A malicious spectre haunts the Parisian Opera house. This murderous fiend speaks through walls, abducts innocents through mirrors, and holds the opera management in a cruel state of hostage. But when this monster falls for the beautiful Christine Daae, his powers of attractive enticement and malevolent mayhem all come to the surface. Who can put an end to this reign of terror? Discover the wonders of Gaston Leroux's gothic thriller in a way that will tantalize the senses. The actual unabridged novel is by far the best way to experience the story of the haunting yet humanistic Phantom of the Opera.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherB.J. Harrison
    Release dateJan 1, 2011
    ISBN9781937091842
    Author

    Gaston Leroux

    Gaston Leroux (1868–1927) was a French writer best known for his novel The Phantom of the Opera. Born in Paris, Leroux initially worked as a critic and court reporter for the newspapers L’Écho de Paris and Le Matin. In 1918 he formed a film company called the Société des Cinéromans. After quitting journalism to focus on writing fiction, Leroux went on to publish dozens of novels. He died at his home in Nice, France. 

    More audiobooks from Gaston Leroux

    Related to The Phantom of the Opera

    Related audiobooks

    Classics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Mexican Gothic

      Jun 17, 2020

      RELEASED 30 JUNE 299 pages | Hardback/ebook Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia Publisher Del Rey There are shades of Daphne du Maurier in this twisty little gothic novel, which pits a young woman against the horrors of a crumbling ancestral home. Our heroin

      1 min read

    • Article

      Into The Mystic

      Nov 25, 2021

      ATTENTIVE READERS WILL HAVE noticed that this column has spookily become the nerve-centre of the British opera world: like Richard Burton in The Medusa Touch, I merely have to dream up some new batshit hell and it instantly comes to pass. Of course i

      3 min read

    • Article

      Gelding: The Pros

      Jun 27, 2024

      Gelding: The Pros
      3 min read

    • Article

      Music To Die For

      Jul 28, 2022

      ● IT MIGHT SAVE EVERYONE a bit of money and effort to display the following woo-alert before any film, play, TV show, opera etc older than about 20 years: The past happened! Get over it — or piss off. The thought was prompted by exciting news that Co

      3 min read

    • Article

      Light At The End

      Jan 25, 2024

      ● REFLECTING ON MY DECADES-LONG campaign to destroy opera in Britain, I have to admit in all modesty that it seems to be going rather well. And while everyone credits the Arts Council — and Nicholas Serota’s hommage to East Anglian iconoclast “Smashe

      3 min read

    • Article

      Robert Thicknesse on Opera

      Apr 27, 2023

      I WAS AS EXCITED AS everyone else to learn that opera actually exists in New Zealand — two things surely linked before only by their joint gold for the world’s least fashionable phenomena. Not only that, but it turns out that Kiwis have a thriving ne

      3 min read

    • Article

      Robert Thicknesse on Opera

      May 25, 2023

      Robert Thicknesse on Opera
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Grand Tour

      Feb 29, 2024

      OPERA’S VALUE AS A GUIDE TO negotiating the old vale of tears continues to be hotly debated — well, here, anyway; to be fair, it’s got to be a better bet than mime. On the plus side, you can expect loads of hot sex and a richly varied emotional life.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Back Then, When All The Stages Were Bare

      Oct 7, 2024

      Back then, noses had been made illegal. Nor were mouths permitted. Everyone wore a mask. Looking out of a window at those people keeping their distances it was very clear their faces had been censured. As if these were only partial humans that walked

      3 min read

    • Article

      Hot Valks live!

      Oct 28, 2021

      ● WHO SAID CLASSICAL MUSIC IS dead? Well, catch yerself on, because Serj Tankian, lead singer of Armenian-American metalheads System of a Down, is coming to park his love guns on your lawn. The guy who brought you Genocidal Humanoidz (Azerbaijanis? I

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Problematic Opera

      Dec 1, 2024

      A Problematic Opera
      10 min read

    • Article

      Fire Starter

      Mar 22, 2022

      Fire Starter
      3 min read

    • Article

      Robert Thicknesse on Opera

      Apr 25, 2024

      Robert Thicknesse on Opera
      3 min read

    • Article

      Losing The Plot

      Mar 25, 2021

      OF ALL THE HORDES who have a beef with opera, the straight-theatre crowd are by far the sniffiest. Naturally enough, their objections start with the peculiar singing, and pretty soon it’s all Johnson’s “exotic and irrational Entertainment” and the la

      3 min read

    • Article

      Robert Thicknesse on Opera

      Sep 26, 2024

      AMONG OPERA’S MANY FAILURES, one of the feeblest is surely the way it wilfully ignores the most rewarding of all areas of aesthetic endeavour: I refer of course to its inexplicable neglect of vampires, while fannying about with all manner of half-ars

      3 min read

    • Article

      Paris Was Yesterday

      Mar 10, 2021

      THE lane between the farm and the village was still half underwater, so my husband, jabbed weeks ago, insisted on driving me to the village hall in his pickup truck. We loaded up like an old couple going on a day trip to the seaside, me with a Thermo

      4 min read

    • Article

      No Words

      Apr 16, 2019

      No Words
      4 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Nov 4, 2021

      CONTACT US BY POST: PO BOX 1200, WHITSTABLE CT1 9RH, OR E-MAIL [email protected] PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS The correspondence about the Whispering Corner in Lytchett Maltravers, Dorset [FT410:73] brings to mind the experienc

      6 min read

    • Article

      Spring To Life

      Mar 30, 2023

      ● EVEN BY THE OLYMPIAN standards of the Covent Garden stalls, it was a top effort: the old dude beside me was snoring happily within five minutes of curtain-up on Rusalka. Actually at 200 quid a pop it’s not such a bad deal: for a start, you miss the

      3 min read

    • Article

      Diamonds, Decadence & Debauchery

      Aug 6, 2020

      Diamonds, Decadence & Debauchery
      7 min read

    • Article

      Missing The Point

      Oct 26, 2023

      ● REALLY, YOU’D THINK THEY MIGHT have learned the lesson by now, the opera apparat: don’t show off, keep your head down, everything will probably be fine. Alternatively, make like the late unlamented chief exec of ENO, wave your arms around and shout

      3 min read

    • Article

      Booze Or Muse?

      Oct 31, 2024

      IN MOMENTS OF LETHARGY, thoughts turn to those hot muse babes gallivanting on the slopes of Mount Helicon, splashing about in the river Permessos, jiving round Jove’s altar — killing time till the SOS comes in from some poor blocked poet or painter,

      3 min read

    • Article

      In Search Of Lost Paris

      Oct 19, 2022

      I sympathise with Oscar Wilde, ill in his room at the Hotel d’Alsace in Paris, when he complained that he was fighting a duel to the death with his wallpaper. ‘One of us has to go,’ he decided. Left Bank wallpapers have not improved, as I discovered

      4 min read

    • Article

      The New Normal

      Oct 4, 2023

      The New Normal
      6 min read

    • Article

      Do Not Go Gently

      Nov 26, 2020

      WHO SAYS OPERA has no socially useful purpose? Why, it is only a few years since a Miami judge decimated crime simply by promising to make felons sit through Rigoletto with him in his chambers. And piping Mozart into bus shelters here has proved mass

      3 min read

    • Article

      La Otra Historia

      Jun 30, 2022

      La Otra Historia
      14 min read

    • Article

      The Trouble Gene

      Jul 1, 2020

      One clear thing about trouble—it can set you back to zero, a personal cone of silence. And reading, writing, listening allow entry into that troubled solitude; you disappear into it regardless t of the time or place you really are in, be it bed, kitc

      12 min read

    • Article

      Hello, Grim Reaper

      Dec 15, 2021

      She was a babe. A fully paid-up, card-carrying babe. There was absolutely no doubt about it, and she was heading straight for me. She was almost sprinting towards me across the recently reimagined lobby of Claridge’s. She looked up, her scarlet-anoin

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Phantom of the Opera

    4/5

    2,402 ratings100 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a classic that is okay, but not one of their favorites. Some readers prefer the movie/musical adaptation over the book, finding the characters less annoying and more developed. However, there are also positive reviews, with readers describing it as a great, light, and short read. Overall, it is loved by some and considered one of their favorites."

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      [4.5] i already knew i loved the musical version of this, but i was not expecting to form such an attachment to the book, and its characters as i did!! way more of an emotional read than i anticipated but i just love this story.
    • 4/5
      [ Phantom of the Opera] by [Gaston Leroux] was a Gothic tale centering around the ghost of the Paris Opera House, Eric (as they call him). I have seen the musical twice and much prefer it over the book not because of the scenery, the costumes, or the music, but because of the tale, or the lack of it The book is very very detailed and we have a nice little wrapped up package in the end, where everybody ends up "happy", even Eric; who finds another opera house. I much prefer the "unknown" of the musical. The book also seemed to drag for about 4-5 chapters when telling about the dungeon. I read this and listened to it on audio while driving. The audio was very well done. A good read; not a great read.
    • 4/5
      Such a Great great great light short read .rip Eric ???
    • 4/5
      This is a book that inspired a whole trope - that is mystery ghost, killing people, demanding things, associated with basement of whatever venue he or she was haunting. And, like any book that inspires a trope, it has been adapted many times, from movies, stage plays, and a small Broadway musical that you might have heard of....Of course, this is the original. And it is well written. At the time, I suspect this was suppose to be a scary story. Because of how well known this story is, its hard to be scared when you know the story.As for the characters, Erik (the phantom) is a deeply trouble person. His deformity has led him to be rejected by humanity, which leads him to be a monster. The author is very clear on why Eric is the way he is. This makes the book weighty than it is on first glance. Its the monster versus the Angel.In most adaptations, Erik is written as a musical genius, but in the original book, Erik is a genius of traps - able to make tortuous clock work that slowly kills his enemies. The traps are bit over the top - I can't imagine a man building these trap doors and secret passages without someone knowing - This is a theater with thousands of personnel who know this building front and back. Christine is also interesting - she isn't just a damsel in distress whom the Phantom took an interest to. She is also smart - smart enough to know how to make Erik happy. She fears him, but also pities him. She knows what he is capable of. Christine's compassion of the Erik softens his image of the monster.The other characters are mostly generic stereotypes, although the Persian is described as having ebony skin, which is interesting. He is the "Daroga" , or police chief in a major city in Persia, given the task of killing Eric after he completed the Sultana's torture chamber. The Viscount is fairly standard - a perfect gentleman, who is living for love, and will do anything for the love of his life, Christine.The setting of this book, the Paris Opera House - is really well described. Leroux manages to show just how big this building is, how many people it employs - it is another major character. The book wouldn't be the same without it.This book isn't perfect - some things go on too long, others not enough. The ending is rather anti-climatic, to easy, to unexpected. But, it is well written - with interesting characters. And, it is the start of a whole type of mystery books.
    • 3/5
      I found this hilariously over the top, for the most part, helped by the fact that in one of the versions I read, all emphasis was done by capitalisation. It just made me think of Erik as a troll on the internet, honestly...

      It's interesting how much more popular I'm told the musical is, than the book. And the book did badly originally, if I remember that rightly. There is something very dramatic about the book that might be best dealt with on the stage. And, of course, you can't hear the enchantment of Erik's singing, in the book.

      It's also interesting how devoid of a hero this book is, at least from my perspective. Christine is central, in that it's her that Erik fixates on, and who Raoul loves. Erik is central, in that he's probably the most fascinating figure of the book, but he's also self-centered and murderous and more like a villain. Raoul is important, but doesn't take much action. The Persian, with his ideas of saving Christine, is perhaps the most heroic, but rather in the background for most of the book. There's not much to hang onto and care about, in terms of characters.
    • 3/5
      Book on CD narrated by Alexander AdamsIs there anyone left on the planet who doesn’t know this storyline? Christine Daaé is elevated from the ranks of the chorus to opera star, thanks to the private lessons by and the patronage of The Opera Ghost. “OG” (as he signs his notes to management) also sees to it that anyone standing in the way of his protégé meets with an accident or is otherwise persuaded to stand aside. But when Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny, sees Christine at the Paris Opera House, he remembers the little girl whose scarf he rescued. Now he wants nothing more than to rekindle their relationship. Christine is drawn to Raoul, but still tightly in the grasp of the phantom she believes is the Angel of Music her father promised to send her when he was on his death bed.The passion of the story, as well as the horror, mystery and danger, have kept it a favorite for over a century. It’s been adapted to film several times, and of course made into the hit musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber, but the novel does much more to explain The Phantom’s underlying psychology and twisted motivations.I enjoyed the story, but it’s not really to my taste, and I found it hard to believe the characters. I think this may be partly due to Adams’s reading; he has a voice with an annoying tone. (Remember hearing those OLD news reels circa 1930s or 1940s? He sounds like those announcers.) At times I felt he was just reading words, without any feeling behind it. Other times I felt the emotion was just forced.
    • 4/5
      [ Phantom of the Opera] by [Gaston Leroux] was a Gothic tale centering around the ghost of the Paris Opera House, Eric (as they call him). I have seen the musical twice and much prefer it over the book not because of the scenery, the costumes, or the music, but because of the tale, or the lack of it The book is very very detailed and we have a nice little wrapped up package in the end, where everybody ends up "happy", even Eric; who finds another opera house. I much prefer the "unknown" of the musical. The book also seemed to drag for about 4-5 chapters when telling about the dungeon. I read this and listened to it on audio while driving. The audio was very well done. A good read; not a great read.
    • 5/5
      Love the book and Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. One of my favorites!
    • 3/5
      This classic was okay. Not one of my favorites. This is one of the rare instance where I prefer the movie/musical over the book. The characters were less annoying and had more depth.
    • 3/5
      I saw the opera-musical and had to read the book so I would know what was going on. It was certainly different. Raoul, Christine's childhood friend and lover, is a viscount (brother of a count), and Eric (the Phantom) is a trap-door wizard, besides being a master at torture, a ventriloquist, and determined by any means to have Christine.

      I liked the description of the Opera House, with its many levels above and below ground. I doubt it could be the way the book described, in real life.
    • 5/5
      Great Classic. I enjoyed it very much.
    • 4/5
      An monster living beneath Paris wants to be loved.3.5/4 (Very good).There's some delightful, iconic spooky stuff. The adventure/suspense stuff usually works. It even has a sense of humor. The first half is slow, though, spending a lot of time with a "hero" character who is completely insufferable.(Feb. 2022)
    • 4/5
      Gaston Leroux’s 1910 gothic horror tale The Phantom of the Opera is a twisted tale of obsessive love. The characterization of Erik is the most notable aspect of this classic melodrama. Simultaneously abhorrent and sympathetic, his loveless, tortured soul is reflected in his torture chamber; his monstrous disfigurement condemns him to winning his love Christine only by force. His halting, emotional soliloquy at the end is simply heartbreaking. The fantastic settings are also quite memorable: the grand Paris Opera House, the torture chamber, and the fantastic subterranean waterway. I found Leroux’s narrative in the middle third quite dense, and a bit of a slog to get through. Overall, an interesting read, if only to compare the original to the screen and stage adaptations.
    • 4/5
      This ends much differently then the musical. I rather liked having much more background on the opera ghost. I missed the beautiful music though. I didn't give it 5 stars because the language felt funny as I read it. That slowed down the flow
    • 4/5
      The fascinating “true” story behind Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s classic musical and later 1994 film, this is a fascinating historical novel that is itself historical fiction. Originally written in 1911, Leroux based the now famous tale of a legendary figure haunting the cellars of the Paris Opera House. An investigative journalist by trade, Leroux was inspired to research this literal ghost story, which inspired The Phantom of the Opera, which Leroux laid down with excellent research as a true account.

      A must-read for lovers of the film (and perhaps the musical, which, alas I have sadly never seen), you’ll be fascinated by the research and purported events that inspired this well-known tale.
    • 5/5
      Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

      1880 Paris, the famed Palais Garnier Opera House is rumored to be haunted. With the death of a stage hand and other mysterious events, people begin to wonder. Then rising Opera Star Christine is set to replace Carlotta, the lead Soprano after a mysterious illness.

      When Raoul overhears Christine talking to a mysterious man in her dressing room, he begins to suspect it the the infamous "ghost". Raoul is in love with Christine and will do what ever it takes to protect her, at any cost.

      Told with raw emotions, Gaston Leroux brings out the depth of feeling among his characters, breathing life into each one. Phantom of the Opera is a classic (tragic) love story to be cherished for all time. (A) must read for those all.
    • 5/5
      An excellent story, written as a reporter searching for the truth. Quite different from the movies and the operetta.
    • 5/5
      The Phantom of the Opera is so well known that I don't think I need to put a synopsis of the plot here. There have been so many movie adaptations, book sequels/prequels by various authors... and who can ever forget the sucessful stage production (which I am guilty of seeing twice)?
      The strength in this editon of The Phantom of the Opera lies in the introduction, the afterword, and especially the added information concerning the Paris Opera House itself. I read the novel years ago and it was just a simple translation. This edition provides much needed background information on Gaston Leroux and his motivation for writing The Phantom of the Opera that enriches the reading of the novel. The Afterword also shines a light on the founding of horror fiction itself including The Phantom of the Opera's place in it. The "Haunted Library" has undertaken a welcome exploration of the history of the horror genre itself. I am looking forward to reading more in this series.
    • 3/5
      I read this book for the "A Book Written Before 1920" part of my 2018 reading challenge. I enjoyed it, it was much like the musical but also provided a lot more back story. It made it much more "real" and less fantasy.
    • 4/5
      I find it impossible to separate the audiobook from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. The novel, naturally, has more detail than the musical, but Webber did such a fantastic job of staying close to the original source material that even if I got busy and only half paid attention to the audiobook, I was never lost. If you are a fan of the musical, you will definitely enjoy this.
    • 4/5
      An iconic love/ghost story... a deformed man haunts the Paris Opera House and mentors/ensnares a gifted, beautiful soprano. Tough sledding for non-readers but still worth reading. The Broadway musical will heighten its appeal.
    • 3/5
      2.5 stars

      The Phantom of the Opera is almost universally acclaimed as a classic Gothic horror story, and I’ve often heard that it rivals Dracula or Frankenstein. There is no denying the influence of this book, and Leroux deserves a great deal of credit for creating an incredible plot. Conceptually, it is a perfect storm of Gothic nightmares: the ancient, labyrinthine opera house; the many colorful characters that make the beautiful Paris Opera House the center of their lives; a love triangle in which one of the lovers is an actual monster; echoes of Persephone and Hades... What more could a gothic aficionado want?

      Well, unfortunately, good writing is at the top of the list. Leroux's ambition far surpasses his ability. The book is poorly written in nearly every detail. The dialogue is ridiculous; even when the characters are engaged in the most serious discussions, their cartoonish dialogue ruins these scenes. The narrative itself is repetitious, tedious, and contrived, so that the overall effect is rarely horrific or suspenseful; ultimately it was quite mind-numbing and dull. The tone of the book careens widely from slapstick to the thrilling, with the result that any attempted atmospheric consistency is never fully established. The characters are not particularly interesting or sympathetic. Christine Daae is self-centered and manipulative, never demonstrating any admirable qualities. Okay, she is beautiful and talented, but her personality isn't worth all the trouble her suitors go through for her. Raoul, the young man who is madly in love with her, is never develops into a believable character. He is simply too plain to be accept as “real”. The Persian and the Phantom are naturally more interesting, given the air of mystery that surrounds both, but little is done to develop them to something more than minor set characters.

      Frankly, I struggled to finish, and skimmed the audiobook for the last hour or so. Ultimately, I just didn’t care what happened because of the lack of development mentioned above. The potential of the plot is great, but the story wasn’t brought to life for me.

      I also struggled with the narrator and the recording itself. It seemed to change sound levels and tone at random throughout the book, perhaps where the narrator stopped recording for the day, and picked up another time. Whatever the case, the sound guys didn’t save the settings, which didn’t help with the possibilities of this book.
    • 4/5
      I've seen the musical more than once and loved both the music and the story, and I remember feeling a little bit sorry for the phantom throughout it all. The unrequited love part of it all made me feel quite sad for this poor character, but now I've read the book my feelings have changed. Erik is a monster. He kills, blackmails and kidnaps. Thank you, Leroux, for such a dark character. The book is beautifully written and a wonderful Gothic tale.
    • 1/5
      OMG WORST BOOK EVER.
    • 5/5
      Of all the versions I have read and sampled, this to me is the richest read there is.

      Would definitely recommend this version to any Phan
    • 5/5
      This book is utterly amazing. Mr. Gaston Leroux is truly talented for telling such a heartwrenching tale.
    • 3/5
      A timeless classic in the Gothic horror genre, rightly compared with Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre-Dame. The afterword mentions an American reviewer's distaste for the opera ghost being merely human, but after seeing many horror movies in recent times where the face of the supernatural being is revealed, I am inclined to prefer the man masquerading as a ghost any time. Apparently Leroux wrote detective novels before this work and the influence is noticeable. The nature of the building and the brilliant descriptions (or more accurately, allusions) to the opera itself recall many a nightmare where one is trapped underground. Leroux had access to the Palais Garnier to research his work and it is obvious in the story. This was an easy and enjoyable read and one I should have completed many years earlier. While I do not usually have a preference for the Gothic genre, this 1910 classic presents a complex mood that, for me, was belied by the images of the phantom singing with Marina Prior that haunted Australian televisions screens throughout the 1990s.
    • 3/5
      Love triangle with a ghost. Kept me occupied
    • 4/5
      “I want to have a wife like everybody else and to take her out on Sundays. I have invented a mask that makes me look like anybody. People will not even turn round in the streets. You will be the happiest of women. And we will sing, all by ourselves, till we swoon away with delight. You are crying! You are afraid of me! And yet I am not really wicked. Love me and you shall see! All I wanted was to be loved for myself. If you loved me I should be as gentle as a lamb; and you could do anything with me that you pleased.”

      Poor, unhappy Erik.

      As many people know, the Phantom of the Opera's plot is like the fairytale Beauty and the Beast with tragic ending instead of a happy one. The beast, the Opera Ghost, named Erik lived under a Opera House. He haunted it with his craftsmanship of trickery and illusions. Christine Daae, on the other hand, was an opera singer who were lured by the Opera Ghost; she believed that Erik was the Angel of Music. Raoul de Chagny was her lover.

      The author succeeded in interlocking his story to the real facts and events in real life. At the beginning, for a moment there, I was beginning to believe the story was real. But, I remember this book is under fiction. haha. I had a lull moment in the middle part which caused me to do something else and not finish this book at once. I picked the momentum again by reading ChapterXX (That's why I do not easily give up on books). I like the part of the Persian until the end of the book.
    • 4/5
      I felt this book was a little disappointing. I wasn't really interested in any of the characters until the end of the novel and even at that point I only really liked Raoul and the Persian. Christine was just so stupid and the Phantom was so annoying with his whole "I'm ugly; pity me!" There wasn't any point in the book where I really wanted to read it until the end as it was building up towards the climax. Then just I was starting to feel like this book was actually going to be great, Gaston Leroux gave it an awful ending. I'm only going to give this book 3.5 stars and I would only recommend to fans of Gothic Literature or movie.