Download Best Sellers Audiobooks in Classics, European Literature

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Title: War and Peace, Volume 1

Author: Leo Tolstoy

Narrator: Neville Jason

Format: Unabridged

Length: 30 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-07

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1529 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

War and Peace is one of the greatest monuments in world literature. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, it examines the relationship between the individual and the relentless march of history. Here are the universal themes of love and hate, ambition and despair, youth and age, expressed with a swirling vitality which makes the book as accessible today as it was when it was first published in 1869.

In addition it is, famously, one of the longest books in Western literature and therefore a remarkable challenge for any reader. Neville Jason read the abridged version of War and Peace and proved his marathon powers with his outstanding performance of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. These make him the ideal narrator to essay Tolstoy's epic.

War and Peace was translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude.

Critic Reviews:

"War and Peace presents us with a complete picture of human life; a complete picture of the Russia of those days; a complete historic picture of the struggle of nations; and a complete picture of the things in which men set their happiness and greatness, their sorrow and their shame." (A.V. Knowles, Tolstoy: The Critical Heritage)

"There remains the greatest of all novelists - for what else can we call the author of War and Peace?" (Virginia Woolf)

Members Reviews:

A Truly Great Book and a Truly Astounding Narrator

War and Peace is a book that I put off reading for quite a long time. I have to say that I regret not having read it earlier in life, as the characters are so very true to life, and the story, while specific to its time, has themes that are universal and timeless. As one familiar with the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, I found Tolstoy's Russia of the same time period to be startlingly familiar in many ways, and quickly became engrossed in the story.

Listening to it in Audio book format only adds to the pleasure, as Neville Jason narrates each scene with superb timing, and is able to pitch his voice and change his tempo to put real "character" behind each character. It seems impossible, but he's able to portray both young and old women in a variety of circumstances in such a way that you ~never~ feel he's striking a false not, or tempt you to laugh at the voices he summons for them.

The basic character of humanity apparently does not change. Tolstoy's asides (Such as "Like all young men, he was determined to make his opinion known.") are as true today as when he wrote them. The nature and actions of the many people within the book are never dull, sometimes moving, often very funny, and always authentic.

I've purchased a printed version of War and Peace which I will look forward to re-reading from time to time, and may keep a few audio chapters handy for "impulse listening" in the future.

By all means, take a listen - War and Peace's reputation is wholly deserved.

Awesome

I have loved W&P since college--and that's a long time ago. I've read it, I suppose, twenty times. But never have I enjoyed it quite so much as in this splendid reading. Neville Jason is a genius. (And, duh, so is Tolstoy.) Highly recommended.

Sipping Fine Wine

The story of War and Peace is an amazingly colorful and exciting story. It's almost a thrill a minute. But some thrills are quieter than others.

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Title: The Plague

Author: Albert Camus

Narrator: James Jenner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-25-06

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 566 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In the small coastal city of Oran, Algeria, rats begin rising up from the filth, only to die as bloody heaps in the streets. Shortly after, an outbreak of the bubonic plague erupts and envelops the human population. Albert Camus' The Plague is a brilliant and haunting rendering of human perseverance and futility in the face of a relentless terror born of nature.

©1947 Librairie Gallimard; (P)2006 Recorded Books

Members Reviews:

Translator Please!

Please please list the translator for books that come from other languages. Who did the translation and when makes an enormous difference in what we are reading! It is hard to make a choice without this knowledge.

In this case it is Stuart Gilbert, done in 1947 just as it was released in French. He renewed the copyright in 1975, presumably with some changes. But there is also a 2002 version by Robin Buss edited by Tony Judt -- so please, help us out here!

It teaches the reader the value of patience.

Interesting history and insights into human behavior but a tedious and labored read at best. However, it has its moments if the reader can "hang in there" long enough to find them.

Brilliant as description and as metaphor

Any additional comments?

This is an amazing book. It works on so many levels. It is about plague itself, a topic of great interest in the Ebola, West Nile, and SARS era. It is about personal courage and duty. It is an exploration of human nature under stress. It addresses the nature of fate and individual response. It is about loyalty and friendship. It is also about how any plague spreads, be it viral, bacterial, or ideological.

Camus writes with a sparse but pungent style. He is intensely unsentimental. This is not to everyone's taste but I found it penetrating and moving as well as profoundly insightful.

The narration is excellent, capturing the subtleties of the various characters and situations.

Not an easy book and not "fun" but extremely worthwhile.

Great read

This was one of the best reads I have had in a long time. I recommend this book to everyone.

great book

The writing of Camus has always been an inspiration for me and it was only made better by James Jenner's calm clear reading

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Title: Classic French Short Stories, Volume 1

Author: Jean Paul Sartre, Guy de Maupassant, Anatole France, Albert Camus

Narrator: Charlton Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 07-20-06

Publisher: Audio Connoisseur

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 57 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

An Incident in the Reign of Terror by Honore de Balzac

A mysterious man follows a nun to her hiding place in order to say a midnight mass.

The Wall by Jean Paul Sartre

The master of existentialism takes us on a journey into raw fear as felt by three men facing execution during the Spanish Civil War.

Omphale by Theophile Gautier

A delightful tale of a young man's unusual first love.

Father Gauchet's Elixir by Alphonse Daudet

In this hilarious tale, a remote monastery in the French countryside decides to go into the spirits business...alcoholic spirits that is.

In the Moonlight by Guy de Maupassant

When a French priest finds his niece involved in a romance, his religious obsessions threaten to erupt into violence. An epiphany intervenes.

The Procurator of Judaea by Anatole France

Set in the ancient Roman Empire, this is an intriguing conversation between two well connected Romans, one of whom is Pontius Pilate.

The Guest by Albert Camus

Set in French colonial Algiers, this is a story of how a French teacher is made to suddenly experience the fear and hostility of being an outsider in a hostile land.

The Little Bouilloux Girl by Colette

Growing to womanhood in a provincial French village is the subject of this marvelous story.

The Duel by Alexandre Dumas

The master of the adventure novel tells a tale of an unusual duel. But the ultimate victims of this affair turn out to be not only both the duelists, but a third party, as well.

The Walker-Through-Walls by Marcel Ayme

This comic tale is about a man with miraculous powers. At first, he is content to play practical jokes, then he moves on to burglary and high romance.

Members Reviews:

Great intro to French lit

Dumas has written so much that is classic, it's easy to overlook the other great storytellers of France. This volume makes for a good introduction.

Perhaps the most terrible reading of anything ever

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I found it nearly impossible to get anything from this because both performance & presentation are so bad. The reading manages to be both overblown and robotic. Clearly the reader has little or no real engagement with the material & falls back on bad acting, cliche and guesswork where understanding, subtlety and nuance are required. A real shame as I was pleased to find some English translations of classic French literature on audible.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Classic French Short Stories, Volume 1?

The appalling & off putting music springs toMind

How could the performance have been better?

In so many ways. Nuance, subtlety & a sense that the reader had engaged with the texts would be a start though.

You didnt love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Great writing.

Any additional comments?

More translations of French lit would be nice. Particularly if done well.

Computer or human

Could not work out if the narator was human, or a computer. The voice often sounded like a voice recogniton programme. Not the easiest listen from Audible.

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Title: The Count of Monte Cristo

Author: Alexandre Dumas

Narrator: David Case

Format: Abridged

Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-06

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 269 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

While locked away, Edmond learns from another prisoner, Abbe Faria, of a secret treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. Faria teaches Edmond history, science, languages, and philosophy, turning him into a well-rounded individual. Edmond concocts a daring and audacious plan: escape and find the treasure. But years pass before Edmond can escape. Once he does, he transforms himself into the Count of Monte Cristo and launches his plan for revenge against those who imprisoned him.

Alexandre Dumas was one of the most famous and prolific French writers of the 19th century, producing some 250 books. He is best known for his historical novels The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, and was among the first authors to fully exploit the possibilities of roman feuilleton, or "serial novel". Dumas is credited with revitalizing the historical novel in France. His works are riveting, fast-paced adventure tales that blend history and fiction. As a master of dialog and character development, Dumas composed some of the most emulated teaser scenes for his suspenseful chapter endings.

Members Reviews:

Excellent story superbly narrated

Although this is an "abridged" version, it appears that it is abridged not so much to shorten the novel but to move it along. It remains an essentially full length novel. It is also expertly narrated by David Case/Frederick Davidson who is one of the best narrators in terms of range of characters and emotion.

Couldn't handle the unabridged version

Wish I'd have gotten this one first. With the 47 hour unabridged version my mind got lost and overloaded.

A Classic

This was one of those "I want to get to this someday..." books, and now I've gotten to it. I'm glad I did.

If you're not familiar with the story, a quick summary: Edmund Dantes is unjustly imprisioned in the Chateau d'If, where he falls in with a fellow prisoner who knows of a vast hidden treasure on the islet of Monte Cristo. After his escape, Dantes finds the treasure, purchases the title of Count of Monte Cristo and seeks to pay back his old friends....and his old enemies. [There's a lot more to it than this, of course.] It's very well written and a very well-done tale. Romance, adventure, revenge, it's all here.

I have a few minor quibbles, but they really are minor:

0. The editing it a bit glichy in places. Sometimes, instead of a pause between sentencesthenext sentence jumps right on top of the previous one.

1. Yes, it's long and yes, it bogs down in a few places, but not to the point of being intolerable. [That's one advantage to an audiobook...if it bogs down for a chapter or two, you can just wait it out.]

David Case's narration is good without being great. Dialogs, in particular, become hard to follow at times.

Not bad but surprised this is such a classic

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This was a good listen but I would definitely recommend the abridged version. I started with the other version, got 20 hours in and had enough. That included using the speed filters.

At the same time, my brother is reading this book. I picked up his version and read the back cover. The review was actually very unflattering and in the end, I agree.

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Title: Beowulf

Author: Seamus Heaney

Narrator: Seamus Heaney

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-10-06

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 628 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

New York Times best seller and Whitebread Book of the Year, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney's new translation of Beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. Heaney's performance reminds us that Beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read.

Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel's mother. He then returns to his own country and lives to old age before dying in a vivid fight against a dragon.

The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on in the exhausted aftermath. In the contours of this story, at once remote and uncannily familiar at the end of the twentieth century, Seamus Heaney finds a resonance that summons power to the poetry from deep beneath its surface.

Critic Reviews:

"The classic eighth-century English poem is strikingly presented, making accessible the story of a young man's heroic journey to find and slay two monsters." (Publishers Weekly)

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: The Count of Monte Cristo [Abridged]

Author: Alexandre Dumas

Narrator: Tim Pigott-Smith

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-12-06

Publisher: CSA Word

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

An epic literary adventure considered a classic around the world. The story centers around Edmond Dantes, a young sailor who finds himself arrested, accused of treason, and relegated to the bowls of the island fortress of Chateau d'If, all on his wedding day. The ensuing drama of his escape, revenge, and quest for the treasure of Monte Cristo is one reread by thousands every year.

(P)2002 CSA Telltapes Ltd.

Members Reviews:

Entertaining performance

Would you consider the audio edition of The Count of Monte Cristo to be better than the print version?

Nice synopsis of a very, very long book. Great narration and characterization. It really held my interest. I listened to it in a single sitting.

What did you like best about this story?

Entertaining and fast moving.

Have you listened to any of Tim Pigott-Smiths other performances before? How does this one compare?

I would like to listen to some of Tim Pigott-Smiths other performances.

Classic?

I know this book is supposed to be a classic, but having read it for the first time I dont understand why. Maybe in its time it brought something new to the art of storytelling, I just dont know, but it seemed like a really bad soap opera.

Good adaptation

This adaptation is very good and gives plenty of roundness to the character of Dantes (who can seem a little tow dimensional in some versions). The narrator is excellent.

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Title: The Three Musketeers

Author: Alexandre Dumas

Narrator: Walter Covell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 25 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-16-05

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 245 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Set during the reign of Louis XIII (1610-43) and based on actual events, The Three Musketeers is perhaps the greatest "cloak and sword" story ever written. Three Musketeers, loyal servants of the King, are joined by the dashing D'Artagnan, a veritable Byronic hero. These four are pitted against the master of intrigue, Cardinal Richelieu, and the quintessential wicked woman, Lady de Winter. Dumas was quite expert in pacing and varying action while weaving historical fact with purest fiction. This great work is the unchallenged archetype for literary romance and has been a perennial delight for generations of readers.

©1990 Jimcin Recordings

Critic Reviews:

"The Three Musketeers is excitedly brought to life by the gifted, energetic voice of Walter Covell, who seems to be reading with a smile and enjoying the story as much as any listener." (Booklist)

"This classic story of heroism and friendship set in prerevolutionary France needs no introduction. The wonderful tale should be background reading for every French history course. Covell's semi-voiced reading is entertaining and he interprets the story effectively and reads the different characters with varying degrees of emotion and intensity. Although the whole recording is over 25 hours, the listening experience is well worth the time required." (Kliatt)

Members Reviews:

Dumas is King!

His great masterpiece.

Excellent!

Covell does a wonderful job with this enjoyable classic.

A Classic well worth the listen.

A Classic tale, nothing more to say there. The narration was very good and added to the story. Excellent.

nobility and storytelling

On first listen the first ten minutes or the antiquely ornate language put me off and made me think the book might be tedious. Another twenty minutes or so and I was hooked, eventually even by the language itself, which in part carries the spirit of the story, which plays heavily on the romanticism of honor.

A reviewer below seems to say that the French culture depicted was amoral and even degenerate, and there may be some truth to it, but I'd say rather that the characters get their appeal exactly from their having such a lofty sense of "morality", or ethics, or honor - only very different from what we're used to. Strange maybe to us that having a married mistress would be considered honorable, and that it's less whether you kill someone (or are killed) than how you kill or are killed, and for what cause. But despite its weaknesses, it's not weak: it's fun and lively and full-blooded - really living. In our culture, where it feels like lives are thrown away for no reason, while others live lives that risk and mean nothing, it's so terribly appealing to read about people living life on a high and courageous and adventurous edge - heroic. It's not that they don't value life - when I finished the book, after all, I was filled with such a desire that my life could be worth as much as theirs - but life to them is worth so much exactly because they value honor and integrity so much more than life itself. The book puts you in touch with nobility of spirit; it got me seriously thinking how to live in greater adventure.

But beyond this response to that review, I gained an enormous respect for Dumas' storytelling abilities - his way of milking every last bit of pleasure and excitement out of the plot.

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Title: The Stranger

Author: Albert Camus

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-19-05

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2710 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When a young Algerian named Meursault kills a man, his subsequent imprisonment and trial are puzzling and absurd. The apparently amoral Meursault, who puts little stock in ideas like love and God, seems to be on trial less for his murderous actions, and more for what the authorities believe is his deficient character.

This remarkable translation by Matthew Ward has been considered the definitive English version since its original publication. It unlocks the prose as no other English version has, allowing the listener to soak up the richness of Camus' ideas.

Members Reviews:

Is amorality bad?

Existentialism: each individual is solely responsible for giving meaning to life. The accepted cultural morality is absurd and unacceptable. Camus created the character Mersault as the perfect example. He did it so well that I was struck by the amoral, not immoral, life experience of Meursault. He never lied, never considered yesterday and did not worry much about tomorrow. His life was lived now. Even the murder he commits is not enough to get him to feel remorse. In the final confrontation with the priest he verbalizes his "philosophy of life", every life is worth the same and there is no grand meaning to life and whether one lives or dies will not affect the rest of the world as everyone will go on living. Mersault demonstrated this after the death of his mother and as much as he preferred not to die, he knew that if it was today or twenty years from now, it would be the same. He would die and the universe would go on. Thought provoking, I enjoyed it.

Top notch translation

This was an excellent translation. (I had previously read the book in the original French.) The translator's notes at the end were very interesting. The narrator sounded exactly like I would imagine Meursault would have sounded if the book had originally been written in English.

A classic that is just a good now as in the 1940s

It seems a lifetime ago that I first encountered Camus in philosophy classes. I was haunted by him then and the effects have remained with me all these years so I was delighted to have an opportunity to go back to "The Stranger" and read/hear it again. It is fiction but as Camus said (loosely), the novel is just philosophy expressed graphically. It was written in the 1940s when the European world was embroiled in terrible conflicts that called into question all previous beliefs. The Existentialists like Sartre and Camus asked tough questions and this novel expresses those questions in the life of one ordinary man whose life has lost meaning. It is beautifully read and will haunt you.

Classic book, excellent audiobook

The Ward translation of "The Stranger," while not universally loved (many prefer the Gilbert translation which I have not read), works well for this audiobook. The reading is well done and recorded properly. It is, pretty much, a perfect audiobook.

thank god for Robert Smith

the stranger.

From the cures first album came a song inspired by this book. the song is called killing an Arab. I remember the controversy t created in the Arab community and parts of the world. The albums soon required a sticker on the front that gave a brief explanation. It was something to the effect of: this song is not about hatred of Arabs. It is based on the character in the novel the stranger.

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Title: Cranford

Author: Elizabeth Gaskell

Narrator: Nadia May

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-27-05

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 192 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This critically up-to-date edition includes Gaskell's essay "The Last Generation in England", containing reminiscences of her childhood in Knutsford, and the comic story "The Cage at Cranford", as well as a lucid new introduction that discusses the originality and subtlety of Gaskell's portrayal of women's experience.

Members Reviews:

Brilliantly read

Wonderful delivery of the charming story. Hours of pleasure that do not pale - worth every penny, you will laugh and cry over the inhabitants of Cranford.

Wistfully Charming Story

Elizabeth Gaskell came to my attention through Jane Austen's novels. While her writing style is more loquacious than Austen's, Gaskell's gentle sentimentality, reflected through her character Mattie's hopes and disappointments for love and marriage, made the novel more memorable than many of Austen's novels whose heroines always get the most honorable guy of flawless character. Gaskell is more realistic yet created characters who are endearing. Both writers use satire and Austen has more precise and succinct prose, but Gaskell demonstrated human frailty and how friends, companions and the community, in spite of irksomeness, make life tolerable through unspoken kindness and understanding.

Elizabeth Gaskell + Nadia May= Great Entertainment

Would you listen to Cranford again? Why?

Yes, it rocks! It is so funny and witty!

What other book might you compare Cranford to and why?

Anything by Elizabeth Gaskell or Jane Austen

Which scene was your favorite?

Spooky walk at night

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES

Any additional comments?

Love it and love Audible!

Cranford

I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy this book as much as I have other books by this author. There are some funny statements threaded through the book but I had difficulty holding onto the plot, if there was one.

Lovely Story.

Women run Cranford's society on different levels but they are all of one community.

I love these stories about old English villages & society.

Different generations of these ladies & their lives all come together in this sweet narrative which draws you right into their company.

The narrator is wonderful & captured each character to a "tee".

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Title: The Phantom of the Opera

Author: Gaston Leroux

Narrator: Ralph Cosham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-06-04

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1242 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

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

Members Reviews:

Phantom of the Opera

I was quite impressed by this book. I did not know that this was a book and was eager to listen to the full unabriged story. The story was quite fascinating and I was eager to listen straight through without stopping. The narrator Ralph Cosham did a good job narrating the story. He has a nice clear voice and was able to make the different characters stand out from each other. I really enjoyed this title and would recommend it to others.

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.

Heads Up #4!

Why pay $2.95 for this "Audio Book Du Jour" when the kindle edition is $0.00 (Caution...there are multiple Kindle editions - make sure you select the right one) and after you "purchase" that book the Audible audiobook is $0.99. Obviously this is not a review but I didn't know where else to post.

The rest of the classic story...

STORY (French gothic classic) - I absolutely loved the play, which I saw in New York several years ago. This book isn't nearly as awesome -- no beautiful voices, costumes, stage effects, etc., but what it does is fill in the gaps of the story. Who is the Phantom? Is he real? Where did he come from? Why does he wear the mask? How does the story really end? These questions will be answered after you listen to this book. It is the original classic which inspired the plays, the operas, the movies.

The story takes place in (and under) a famous opera house in 19th Century Paris. It is basically a tragic love story about a hideously deformed creature who is obsessed with a young opera prima donna. Strange and horrible things happen in the opera house between performances and during them, and the Phantom (who supposedly lives under the opera house) is credited with causing them.