شبح

This incredible portrait of Erik--the Phantom--recreates his entire life, from his survival as a child in a carnival freak show to his creative genius behind the Paris Opera House--and its labyrinthine world below--to his discovery of love.

powerful.moving Tour De Force. Says Publisher's Weekly, Phantom Adds.new Depth To The [original Story].. Haunting And Unforgettable.a Sensual And.poetic Exploration Of A Man's Internal Conflict Between Good And Evil And Of A Search For Love Amidst Darkness And Despair.

publishers Weekly

retelling And Expanding Upon A Well Known And Beloved Classic Is Risky Business, But Kay Acquits Herself With Brio In This Retelling Of Gaston Leroux's 1911 Tale, The Phantom Of The Opera . In A Powerful And Moving Tour De Force (the American Debut For This British Writer Whose First Novel, Legacy , Won The Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize And The Betty Trask Award), She Adds A New Depth And Perspective, Moving Well Beyond The Familiar Boundaries Of The Story. This Version Begins With The Birth Of The Horribly Disfigured Erik And Continues Into The Years Following His Doomed Romance With Christine, Ending In An Unexpected And Triumphant Redemption. The Narrative Encompasses Erik's Disastrous Formative Years With His Mother, His Caged Existence Among A Gypsy Tribe And A Period Of Relative Happiness In Rome, Where He Perfects His Skills As An Architect And Builder. He Goes To Persia, Where He Masters His Talent For Torture And Murder And, Finally, He Is Involved In The Construction Of The Paris Opera House--and The Creation Of His Labyrinthine World Beneath That Structure. Haunting And Unforgettable, This Is A Book To Be Savored, A Sensual And Often Poetic Exploration Of A Man's Internal Conflict Between Good And Evil And Of A Search For Love Amidst Darkness And Despair. Bomc And Qpb Featured Alternates. (apr.)

"In this novel, Susan Kay re imagines Gaston Leroux's famous novel "The Phantom of the Opera" in greater depth and detail. "Phantom" begins with a young widow giving birth to her only child. The child's face is severely deformed, and despite the signs of genius he shows from his early days, she cannot bring herself to love him. The child, Erik's, childhood is spent longing for the love of a mother whose only gift to him was a mask. Eventually Erik runs away and joins a circus freak show. The cruel owners capitalize off his hideous face and his hauntingly beautiful singing. After leaving the circus, Erik becomes an apprentice to a stone mason, and experiences an adolescent crush on the mason's daughter, but after his appearance inadvertently causes a terrible tragedy, he escape once again, this time to Persia, and the queens court. Finally, tired of the world's rejection, Erik helps to design the Paris Opera House, complete with a cavernous and labyrinthine basement, where he intends to live out the rest of his days. It is here that he encounters, Christine, a young soprano with whom he falls in love. " (http://www.allreaders.com/topics/info_23860.asp)