French+Book+Club

French Club at Finneytown is proud to announce a new activity open to all - a French bookclub that will focus on fiction and non fiction with French and Francophone settings (or related to the history and culture of Francophonie). Our first title will be Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux. We will be doing the book in tandem with Harrison High School French students, and are planning a get together for a "Phantom Party" sometime in early December. We'll also screen the film in two versions around that same time. (We have the old Lon Chaney version as well as the Andrew Lloyd Weber film version.) A wiki page or Facebook page for interacting and commenting as we read is forthcoming. (image from [|Amazon Web Site] )

//First published in French as a serial in 1909, "The Phantom of the Opera" is a riveting story that revolves around the young, Swedish Christine Daaé. Her father, a famous musician, dies, and she is raised in the Paris Opera House with his dying promise of a protective angel of music to guide her. After a time at the opera house, she begins hearing a voice, who eventually teaches her how to sing beautifully. All goes well until Christine's childhood friend Raoul comes to visit his parents, who are patrons of the opera, and he sees Christine when she begins successfully singing on the stage. The voice, who is the deformed, murderous 'ghost' of the opera house named Erik, however, grows violent in his terrible jealousy, until Christine suddenly disappears. The phantom is in love, but it can only spell disaster. Leroux's work, with characters ranging from the spoiled prima donna Carlotta to the mysterious Persian from Erik's past, has been immortalized by memorable adaptations. Despite// //this, it remains a remarkable piece of Gothic horror literature in and of itself, deeper and darker than any version that follows.//

I have (or will have) about 15 available paperback copies in English. See me to borrow one. Some are already available, and more will be available within the next week. (I also have a few abridged copies in French for intermediate readers, for anyone interested.)
 * Paperback copies**:

Online e-book (in English) is available [|here], and an online e-book in the original French is available [|here].
 * Free online E-books**:

[|Kindle edition]...[|for Nook]
 * E-Reader editions**

Don't forget to check with Mrs. Walker for library copies, and visit the public library as well !