Rating: 
Summary: A Solid Introduction
Review: I've found this book extremely helpful, and a opera-lover friend of mine looked it over and agreed that it looked like a worthy introduction to the subject (though he would have chosen La Boheme as the first opera rather than Rigoletto). The reviewer whose complaint centers on the need to have the recording playing and libretto in front of you while reading is, I believe, misinterpreting the function of the book. It does not present itself as a book with summaries of many great operas and shouldn't be criticized for not being one. The chapters on the 11 operas it introduces you to are in depth, track by track, introductions so he can point out things to listen for, etc. His descriptions of certain passages as sensuous, etc. are indications of how he interprets the music. He often repeats that the listener needs to find/feel their own emotional reactions to the music, whether or not they agree with him. I'm only on my second opera now (I'm spending a great deal of time with each on before moving on), but have found this book a very interesting and helpful introduction.
Rating: 
Summary: Pompous and Awkward
Review: I've rarely read a narrative that's as pompous as this one. Although Plotkin is full of opinions, he rarely backs up his opinions with musical evidence. For example, WHY is a particular aria serious or playful or senuous? He just says that it is. Well, why? Is it the progression of notes? The frequent use of arpeggios? The dynamic changes? He almost never says. And he spends a lot more time on the drama aspect of opera and not enough on the musical aspect. Also, the book requires that you have a libretto in front of you and the CD in the player. You can't just read a few pages in the car while you're waiting at the doctor's office. I don't have the time to sit down and learn as if I'm sitting in a classroom (if I did, we'd take classes), but I still like to learn. But I like to learn from objective lecturers with concrete reasons for what they're saying -- not from opinionated wannabe musicians who make unsubstantiated statements. If you want a good introduction to opera, read Phil Goulding's "Ticket to the Opera" or Matthew Boyden's "Opera: the Rough Guide".
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended for a Newcomer to Opera
Review: If you are on the fence and want to dive into opera, but feel intimidated or confused by it, this book is essential. Mr. Plotkin writes in an engaging style that is neither preachy nor simple. While he certainly has his opinions, he tempers them by offering arguments in favor of other interpretations and other recordings. Before reading his book, opera to me was inpenetrable and perhaps something to be tackled years from now when time would be more available. Yet, because he did such an effective job in his book of introducing and explaining opera, i am now an ardent fan and one who makes the time to listen to and see operas. Bravo Mr. Plotkin!! Encore!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Value
Review: If you want to develop an interest or feed your growing interest in Opera, this is a terrific book. Plotkin believes that the more you know before you go to the theatre, the more you will get out of your experiences of live opera. I had never attended an opera without supertitles before reading this book, but feel comfortable doing so now. Good information on popular operas and obscure operas, retired singers and current singers, what to look for and what to listen for. Doesn't talk down to the reader. Published in 1994 so some resources (phone numbers of opera companies) out of date.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Beginner's Book
Review: If you're curious about Opera, and wonder "just what is it that gets all these people so passionate? Sounds like caterwauling to me." This is the perfect introductory book. A painless introduction for the "unwashed" including all the little nuances you'd never know and your mother didn't teach you. Become comfortable with the topic, do your homework, and be adventurous: attend a live opera at a theater near you!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Beginner's Book
Review: If you're curious about Opera, and wonder "just what is it that gets all these people so passionate? Sounds like caterwauling to me." This is the perfect introductory book. A painless introduction for the "unwashed" including all the little nuances you'd never know and your mother didn't teach you. Become comfortable with the topic, do your homework, and be adventurous: attend a live opera at a theater near you!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Introduction to Opera
Review: If you're just getting your feet wet then this is the book to have. Especially if you plan on attending live performances afterward. The scene-by-scene descriptions of the recommeded recordings is a wonderful tool for learning the selected works. The writing is excellent and makes opera very approachable.
Rating:
Summary: Glad to see this book well-received
Review: It is most heartening to see that opera lovers and novices almost universally agree that this book is excellent, informative, and illuminating. I was maybe 14 when I asked a salesperson in a bookstore "do you have a book that will teach me about opera?" Without hesitation, I was directed to "Opera 101".
I was skeptical. However, I am no longer!
Mr. Plotkin is experienced, informed, and well-read. So as not to belabour the structure of the book (since there are many descriptions of it) I'll say that the idea of walking someone through 11 operas is excellent. That Mr. Plotkin picks a particular recording (with commentary per track) is an indespensible fusion with the book.
That is to say Mr. Plotkin has carefully chosen themes, operas, and what he believes to be superior recordings of the above mentioned as illustrations of what opera can be to the average listener. His decisions on recordings are in no way arbitrary, and he takes special care to choose recordings more easily found than those that might be "better" but are less easily found outside of major metropolitan areas.
Let's remember, the original version of this book was written before the internet made just about any recording available in any area. He admits that sometimes he's arbitrary (especially with his recommendation for Il Barbiere di Siviglia...YUCK) but he always explains his good reasons for choosing inferior performances on disc. His are not "Gospel" recommendations, but those he thinks best illustrate the power of opera in recorded form, customs, and the sheer beauty of the human voice.
Beyond that, Mr. Plotkin performs a yeoman's task of qualifying the different kinds of voices in opera, provides an 90+ page history of opera, and gives the average American a primer in the esoteric "etiquette" of attending an opera performance.
Invaluable for its tutorial format, universal as a detailed introduction; "Opera 101" is a MUST for an opera lover's collection.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just for the Novice
Review: Plotkin's guide is an excellent short course for anyone new to the art form, but it is also helpful to the experienced listener who has not seen all the information assembled into one volume. It's hard to overrate how useful his references to specific recordings are. I give it four stars, instead of five, only because that is how useful it was to me: I have spent many years listening to opera.
Rating: 
Summary: Eleven operas are described within a historical context.
Review: The book's title can lead to misunderstanding. If you want to learn about opera from "scratch", if you don't mind being tought how to purchase a ticket for instance. Other items in the book (for instance the "complete" list of opera houses over the world) are maybe for rather advanced operagoers. For a musician there are definitly more useful books and the far too often used term COMPLETE makes me really sick - what word are they going to use if eventually something will be complete!?
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