Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Phantom of the Opera
Book Review: A better translation for American students
Summary: 5 Stars
Some of my students were asking questions about the book that I was reading. It was Gaston Laroux's, The Phantom of the Opera.
A few tried to read it when I was finished, but many of the references were lost to fourth graders. I ordered this one and they love it! Now, they want me to buy the young reader editions of all the books I read.
Book Review: Easy to understand
Summary: 5 Stars
This version of The Phantom of the Opera is an excellent one for beginning readers and adults as well. For beginners, it is an easy-to-understand way to introduce the classic work. But this is also true for older readers. The unabridged version is an excellent book, but it might be hard to follow or just plain intimidating for many readers. Reading the Stepping Stone version first will give a clear understanding of the book. For instance, time jumps around in the regular version - and the history of the Phantom isn't even given until the very end. The Stepping Stone version proceeds from start to finish with the normal time frame. Readers who enjoy the book, will find the transition to reading the "real" book much easier. Stepping Stones are a great way to ease kids and adults into classic reads.Book Review: Worth re-reading.
Summary: 5 Stars
This story comes off as a pretty typical penny-dreadful sort of tale at first glance, but there are subtle themes that are not apparent on the first read. I won't bore with details, but it is an unusually rich, human story despite the somewhat fantastical setting and the exaggerations inherent in the character of Erik.
Speaking of Erik (that's "The Phantom" to those of you who don't know), he's one of the best villians I've encountered in a while, right up there with Darth Vader. he is capable of extreme wickedness, but is still sympathetic, and those are always the villians that you remember. While Andrew Lloyd Webber did a fair job of adapting this tale to the stage and eventually film, much changed in the process, particularly Erik. He is not so slick in this book as he is in the musical, and definitely a bit more crazy, but I actually prefer Leroux's original to the derivative. The 2004 film did not quite do justice to this complex story and those who have only seen the film and no other form of the Phantom story ought to do themselves a favor and read the book.
In reference to the specific edition I purchased, the Greg Hildebrandt illustrated one, it is not, as has been mentioned in some reviews above (probably due to the fact that Amazon has made an unholy mess by crossing reviews from the umpteen different versions of this book), an abridged version. There are distilled children's editions out there, one by Peter Neumeyer, and another in the Illustrated Classics series but this isn't a children's edition despite the illustrations. This is, as far as I can tell (at least by comparing it to the free Gutenberg Project version) a complete translation of the original French text. I bought this edition specifically for the illustrations, which I enjoy, but some people do not care for the Hildebrandt style. If you like this artist, though, it is worth having for the pictures alone.
Book Review: The Phantom of the Opera
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're looking for a scary love story, then this is the book for you! Eric has the voice of an angel but the face of a monster. When he takes his ask off people scream and run away. So, he hides himself away in the bottom of the opera house.
Eric falls in love with a beautiful singer named Christine. Christine is forced to love him but she loves another man named Raul. Raul knows about the phantom and wants to hurt him.
The phantom scares everybody by turning the lights off and tacks Christine to his dungeon there she sees Raul in the dungeon...but you will have to read the book to hear the ending.
Book Review: Phantom of the Opera(Bantam Classics)
Summary: 5 Stars
I enjoyed reading the book in the original form and comparing the story to the great film starring Gerard Butler.