Rating: 
Summary: Okay, but the definitive book on SS has yet to be written
Review: Secrest has written a book on Sondheim that skims the surface and gives a broad overview. It rarely has insights, however, except a few "anaylses" of the musicals themselves that often border on the ludicrous (such as how many references to S&M there are in his works). There are misspellings of people's names, wrong dates, and some confused plot descriptions as well. But most of all, she seems too polite and distanced from her subject, offering facts but not insight or exploration. I'm not asking for National Enquirer-style dirt, but there is more on the inner-workings and intrigue of such works as "Merrily" in Craig Zadan's "Sondheim & Company," which unfortuantely is out of print, I believe. Furthermore, Secrest is often a confusing writer. She switches pronouns without always making it clear who is now doing the talking, or includes an out-of-context quote without explaining its meaning or context. She also repeats herself in several spots, making me think she revised one segment while forgetting what she had written just a page later or earlier. In short, this book needed an editor, as well as a more probing and insightful author. Most biographies suffer from excessive speculation. This one has just the opposite flaw.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying, but not completely.
Review: Secrest is a fine writer, although I think her very straightforward style seems a bit pedestrian in the face of her fascinating subject; much like with her Frank Lloyd Wright biography. I wish she had been more attentive to Sondheim's personal life, since his work has been dealt with better elsewhere, and the book really works best when it looks at the man who shapes the artist. A good job, but not as monumental as we Sondheim freaks wished for and needed.
Rating: 
Summary: A Prosaic Study of a Poetic Composer
Review: Secrest's bio is still unfortunately indispensible for any student of the man behind the musicals, but its plodding style, many irrelevant asides, and total lack of imagination, wit, or geniune personal insight makes it a difficult read. Recommended only for the serious student of Sondheim.
Rating: 
Summary: A bold and moving book on a moving and complicated man
Review: Since 1959 (I was in Lisbon, then, with my actor-playwriter-composer husband - very well known, by now) when I first heard of Stephen Sondheim. it was love at first sound - West Side Story lyrics, for a 22 years actress to be were a dream - and now, 40 years got by and, reading this MARVELLOUS and HONEST book, I KNOW WHY I fell so in love with the man and his work - am finishing the book, and about to recommence it! CECILIA THOMPSON (Guarnieri) São Paulo, BRAZIL
Rating: 
Summary: Good for starters
Review: Sondheim fans can rejoice at finally finding out loads of information that has been previously parceled out in tantalizing bits by those in the know or those pretending to be. The author's -- and, perhaps, Sondheim's -- intention to focus on early life experiences as a basis for artistic development is solid and well developed. However, this approach seems to leave the detailing of Sondheim's later life severely insufficient. Some major achievements and experiences are given only a scant paragraph of space. And the amount of attention given to his later shows is merely cursory, peppered with a few anecdotes one can usually find in other sources. I get the feeling Ms. Secrest became tired of her project once she wrapped up her investigation of Sondheim's childhood and its consequences. Hopefully, this book will be only the first of several authoritative (and thorough) biographies; better yet, we should pray for a memoir from the master himself. In the meantime, read this as a good starter course.
Rating:
Summary: derivative, banal, plodding, unauthoritative
Review: The prospective purchaser of "Stephen Sondheim: A Life" is likely to be misled by this remark: "people seem to be missing the point--this isn't a critical biography, but a personal one". In fact, until she undertook to write it, the author of this book had no personal or professional relationship with its subject whatsoever. It is a thing anyone sufficiently motivated could throw together, and I can't in good conscience recommend it. I can and do recommend Craig Zadan's "Sondheim & Company", and for those interested in musical theatre in general, Richard Rodgers's "Musical Stages" and Alan Jay Lerner's "The Street Where I Live".
Rating:
Summary: derivative, banal, plodding, unauthoritative
Review: The prospective purchaser of "Stephen Sondheim: A Life" is likely to be misled by this remark: "people seem to be missing the point--this isn't a critical biography, but a personal one". In fact, until she undertook to write it, the author of this book had no personal or professional relationship with its subject whatsoever. It is a thing anyone sufficiently motivated could throw together, and I can't in good conscience recommend it. I can and do recommend Craig Zadan's "Sondheim & Company", and for those interested in musical theatre in general, Richard Rodgers's "Musical Stages" and Alan Jay Lerner's "The Street Where I Live".
Rating:
Summary: A must read for any Sondheim fan
Review: This book is a wealth of information for anyone who loves Sondheim or musical theatre in general. I consider myself a Sonheim fanatic, but I still found information in this book that I had never heard before. To top it off, the book contains anecdotes and black and white photos of other Broadway legends like Harold Prince and Jerome Robbins.The author does stray from the topic at hand from time to time and goes off on some interesting yet irrelevant tangents. Also, in attempting to briefly summarize some of Sondheim's shows, Meryle Secrest is, at times, incorrect about the events or actions in the play. Aside from these minor infringements, which any semi-knowledgeable reader would easily recognize, the book is interesting and compelling. I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Sondheim laid almost bare in vibrant, intelligent fashion
Review: This is the one Sondheim's fans (and critics, for that matter) have been waiting for -- the first, full-scale, thoroughly researched, smartly written biography of America's premier man of the musical theater. Written with Sondheim's cooperation, this unusually frank account of his early family traumas, personal demons and gay life is balanced by a serious consideration of each of his works (Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, etc.), how they evolved, their strengths and weaknesses. Sondheim is an elusive character, but this book gives more more of a sense of him as a person than anything I've read before, in years of following his career closely. For theater buffs, a real page-turner.
Rating: 
Summary: A big disappointment
Review: This new biography of Stephen Sondheim doesn't tell us all that much about the man. I also found the discussion of his work fairly simplistic. The author often relies on other sources and reviews rather than stating her own opinions about Sondheim's compositions. I often got the impression that the writer hadn't even seen his shows on stage. The more interesting parts are about his growing up period and his recent romantic life. Perhaps this will appeal more to those who know nothing of his contributions to the musical theater.
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