The Phantom of the Opera: The Original Novel (Paperback)

by Gaston Leroux (Author) "It was the evening on which MM. Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement..." (more)
Key Phrases: little jammes, dingy bonnet, third cellar, Christine Daaé, Angel of Music, Mame Giry (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The French author Gaston Leroux has done a fantastic job of putting elements of romance, mystery, horror, drama, and adventure into his story, producing a brilliant novel that has lasted many years and will be read over and over by book-lovers.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Description
The novel that inspired the Lon Chaney film and the hit musical. "The wildest and most fantastic of tales."--New York Times Book Review.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; New edition edition (December 30, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060809248
• ISBN-13: 978-0060809249
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (223 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,843 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

133 of 138 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The original Phantom, August 8, 2004

By	Alysson Oliveira "Alysson Oliveira" (Sao Paulo-- Brazil) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Before the Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, there was Gaston Leroux's original novel "The Phantom of the Opera". I have never seen the production stage, and I knew only a few things of the story, so when I reached the middle of the narrative I was surprised because it is totally different from what I expected. And it was a great surprise.

More than a love story, "The Phantom of the Opera" is a gothic tale of obsession --leading to madness. The Paris Opera House and its hidden rooms, and underground are perfect place to develop a horror story. Leroux noticed this potential. His descriptions of the place are creepy and in the end we start wondering if it is not a true story indeed.

Leroux was very smart, writing a novel like he was only reporting something --and not creating a work of fiction. Therefore there are police reports, newspapers' scraps, witness interviews. More than a narrator, the person who is telling the story is only gathering useful information for the reader.

His characters are real human beings --even the `ghost', than throughout the narrative we realize that he is the one with most human characteristics. Sometimes, Christine is a little stereotypical, mostly when she says she wants to be `the mistress of her faith' or something like it. And so is Raoul --but that doesn't diminish the qualities of this engaging novel.

All in all, this is a French classic that I highly recommend --however one must be patient because the narrative is a little confusing and slow sometimes, but never boring.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing and spellbinding, May 4, 2005

By	Narya of the fire (the world of middle-earth hiden away in my mind) - See all my reviews

Everyone at one point in their lives has heard of the story of The Phantom of the Opera whether it is the oringal novel version or Andrew Lyod Webber's musical. However this is where it all began with the publication of Leroux's original novel.

I must admit that at first glance the book seems very dry and written more or less from a reporter or journalist's perspective. More or less it reminded me of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula in the fact that many of the areas of the book are written though the point of others. But once you get past seemingly the dry exterior you find an immeasurable cornucopia of amazing characters, events and one of the best literary love's and gothic work of fiction. IT personally took me a good 20 pages before I became completely absorbed in Leroux's rich world of amazing detail.

The story mainly revolves around the Vicomte Raoul de Chagny who has fallen in love with the beautiful Christine Daae who is being haunted by a mysterious "ghost" in her dressing room. The plot moves as anyone would suspect when Christine begins to return the feelings of the Vicomte but then he soon comes to realize that Christine's ghost is real and has a thing or three to say about their relationship.

I found this novel amazing, I read it in one day from the moment I picked it up and nearly had it confiscated when I was reading it in class when I should have been taking notes. There is just so much raw emotion, mystery and love in this amazing story. I could not help but be swept up in it like a tidal wave. The book gives the character of the Phantom, or Erik, so much more depth and emotions than what the ALW version even began to scratch the surface of. No matter who you are, whether or not you support Erik or not, you cannot help but be moved at his attempts to woe Christine and how shallow, yet dangerously innocent she is.

Erik has earned, on my shelf, the award of being one of the best literary characters. His love for Christine is just simply so pure that your sympathy for him is great. This book actually had me moved to tears. Luckily I was in the shelter of my room with the door safely closed so I could cry in peace at the ending. Under normal circumstances, many people see myself as the stone cold person who never cries in movies or books, but this book is the only one that has ever brought tears to my eyes.

I have read it over and over, never once have I ever regreated my purchess in any way, shape, manor or fashion. I highly recomend this to every soul on earth.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forget horror, this is humour!, August 9, 2005

By	Tango - See all my reviews

I admit it, I'm a wimp. I hear the word Horror and run in the other direction, whimpering. Not for me the gory slasher Phantoms who disfigure their respective Christines. But give me angst, plot, character depth and I'm there. This book does more: it gives you all of that, and it makes it FUNNY!

I reluctantly picked up "Phantom", expecting horror, and was pleasantly surprised by its absence. Yes, there are creepy moments and "yikes!" jumpy scenes, but by and large, it's a wry, funny, fast-paced romantic thriller rather than any sort of gloomy Gothic blood-fest.

Leroux' dry humour is what keeps the pace cracking, and the story never flags. I don't know why anyone would think it slow: I was entranced from page 1 and had no problem reading all the way through. Like all good humour, it eventually leaves off the gags and leads us into a tender, poignant and unabashedly tragic finale. By the time you get there, you're completely hooked.

In addition to the humour, there is depth. Leroux' characters are quirky and fascinating, and not nearly as simplistic as they are often portrayed.

His Erik is a child prodigy spurned by everyone, who tries (somewhat unsuccessfully) to dissociate himself from humanity -- even as he yearns for someone to give him a reason to be normal, and to "love him as he is". His madness is not so much evil as tragic, and here Leroux is perhaps guilty of manipulating the reader a bit: sure, there are murders, but somehow Leroux makes them amusing rather than gruesome and the reader could be forgiven for thinking most of them entirely justified. There is nothing as confronting as the blood-curdling strangulation scene in the 2004 movie. Instead, we get an Erik who mostly kills only when cornered, who feels some compunction about his former life as an assassin, and who is in many ways a very sad, disturbed child.

Christine in Leroux' novel is also very different to how she is normally portrayed. Far from being a wilting flower, she's strong, cunning, and often seems to have her own agenda. Again, as with Erik, there are many possible interpretations of all her actions, and in some cases Leroux provides two conflicting versions of aspects of her story, with no way to tell which is true. She is certainly complex, and very difficult to pin down.

Finally, Leroux' Raoul is simply the "normal guy" providing our window into much of the story. It's difficult to either like or dislike him, he remains external to much of what happens, but even he gets some interesting characterisation, particularly involving his childhood with Christine.

On the whole, this is a highly enjoyable, playful, fun read, with surprising depth of character and plot. It entertains, thrills, touches your heart -- and leaves you with just enough questions to keep your mind ticking over for a long, long time.