Le Fantôme de l'Opéra

Rating:
Summary: Tre Magnficent!
Review: For those of you that don't understand French, don't try to read this, go for the English version, But I have to say that I loved this book, I don't see why it was so different. (though it was in French) I have six copies of the book in both French and English, and there is always some change, so I can tell you it was a great book, even though some of the wording was different, as it is in most of the others I have. I totally recomend it! I'm only fourteen but I loved this and other classical lit.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I had to give the book two stars simply because it is in part Gaston Leroux's novel. However, it is not the original. I was terribly disappointed to discover that, far from being the original novel in its entirety, it is "abridged and adapted especially for intermediate students of French." In other words, it was rewritten. The author's foreword is almost completely gone, retaining only "Le fantome de l'Opera a existe. Il a existe en chair et en os." [Please pardon the lack of accents.] The epilogue had vanished, too. I only explored a little farther, to discover that any sentences or words extra had been cut, even such simple things as "The Persian had seen the poor, unhappy Erik for the last time." Now, I can understand that some editing for students is necessary (did I mention there are questions at the end of each chapter?) However, this seems to me to be an extreme and heartless adaptation, and there was no mention of the alterations in the description of the book. For those who do not have a complete command of the French language and wish to read a novel in that language, fine. However, for Phantom fans who have read every English translation within reach (and own most of them), I regretfully suggest that you continue the search, and please tell me what you find. I wish you good hunting.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for School
Review: I read this book before my French 5 AP class and found it surprisingly easy to understand. The grammar guides and context questions at the end of each chapter are perfect for class and discussions, and help the reader understand the novel. The novel itself is of course a classic, but it is so much better in French than English, which I read afterwards to see if I had truly gotten the jist of it. I would recommend this book to anyone in intermediate french.