Rating: 
Summary: Too much pseudo-psychoanalysis
Review: A generally interesting, and presumably authoritative, narrative of Beethoven's life and music is too often de-railed by whole chapters of amateurish, armchair Freudian psychoanalysis. It is further side-tracked by the long-winded pursuit or trivia [for example, an entire chapter (40 pages) of stuffy prose evaluates alternative theories on "who was his `immortal beloved'" -- who cares? her identity is irrelevant].The New York Times Book Review may think this is "a landmark of Beethovian scholarship and interpretation", but in my view, the narrative frequently suffers from a rather pompous style of pseudo-academic writing. A good edit is clearly warranted. Not really recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Too much pseudo-psychoanalysis
Review: A generally interesting, and presumably authoritative, narrative of Beethoven's life and music is too often de-railed by whole chapters of amateurish, armchair Freudian psychoanalysis. It is further side-tracked by the long-winded pursuit or trivia [for example, an entire chapter (40 pages) of stuffy prose evaluates alternative theories on "who was his 'immortal beloved'" -- who cares? her identity is irrelevant]. The New York Times Book Review may think this is "a landmark of Beethovian scholarship and interpretation", but in my view, the narrative frequently suffers from a rather pompous style of pseudo-academic writing. A good edit is clearly warranted. Not really recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but missed the mark
Review: Agreeing with another critic of the book, I have to say Thayer's treatment of the material was certainly more thorough. Solomon interjects too much modern psychoanalytical interpretation into accounts, trying to form a pattern for some of Beethoven's actions, particularly with his nephew Karl. Far too much material about Beethoven's music is missing - the stories about his struggles with publishers, including Beethoven's joke he played by telling one that his latest quartet was taken from pilferings of other works, when he had promised him something completely new. It's not a particularly bad read, although I must admit that far too often I was reaching for the dictionary (give the thesaurus a rest, Mr. Solomon). As an introduction into the life of Beethoven, not bad. As the definitive biography of one of the world's most revered composers, I don't think so.
Rating: 
Summary: Solomon got me inside Beethoven's head
Review: During years of piano lessons and attending concerts, I knew little bits and pieces about the great Beethoven, and my parents even bought me a little fake ivory bust of his head. But Maynard Solomon's book brought the man to life for me - and now I have a deeper passion for the music as well. Solomon paints a vivid picture of the culture and even the street on which Beethoven lived. You sense some of his struggles in life, and even his exasperation over losing his hearing. You feel you are peering over the composer's shoulder as a piano sonata or a symphony is being composed. And I was driven to dig up CDs to listen to pieces being described, and even to sit at the piano and feebly stumble through "Moonlight sonata." Sad when the book ended, I was delighted to find another tome on Mozart which, though longer and more detailed, was similarly enthralling. If you care at all about the greatest music ever written, Solomon's analytical narrative is a must.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Account of Beethoven and his works
Review: Firstly an admission, I have no prior knowledge of Beethoven other than I enjoy listening to his music. That said I enjoyed this book although I had problems getting around some of the technical details in regards to his music. I bought this book some time ago but only got around to reading it after watching the video 'Immortal Beloved'. This book answered a number of questions for me and certainly provided a deep and interesting look at the man behind the music I love so much. The author has broken the book into four sections covering the life of Beethoven. At the end of each section he describes the music that Beethoven composed during those periods of his life ('Bonn', 'Vienna: Early Years', 'The Heroic Period' & 'The Final Phase'). I found this worked well although like I stated early my education in regards to music appreciation was some-what lacking and I found parts of the book describing Beethoven's music beyond me. I am sure if you want to learn about the genius that was Beethoven this book should satisfy you and if you have some understanding of music and music composition you will enjoy those sections of the book dealing with his works.
Rating:
Summary: In a word--Brilliant.
Review: Having used this book as a source for my Master's Thesis, I would have to say that it is nothing less than brilliant. Solomon thoroughly researched and documented the life of Beethoven and spared the rest of us the trouble. The music world owes him a great debt of gratitude.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not definitive
Review: How to describe Solomon's very good book on Beethoven? It is part psychohistory, which is always a perilous operation for a writer. I am one of those people who actually like Freud, but sometimes Solomon's psychoanalysis irritated me, and I was always glad when he left the couch and went back to more or less solid facts. There is a huge chapter on the Immortal Beloved that bored me after a couple of dozen pages, but those particularly interested in this aspect of Beethoven's life are in for a real treat! I'd like to have seen more discussion of B's politics and social views; Solomon's discussion of these is, overall, pretty thin. But Solomon's weaknesses (and that is my judgment) do not ouweigh his great strengths. He has certainly done his homework on B's life, and he is a skilled writer and a patient, tireless researcher. He knows his Thayer as well, and he isn't above questioning long-held assumptions about this flawed but very great man. Solomon's discussion of B's music is sufficient for a biography (those who want a lot of details on the music should go elsewhere), and he does a great job of showing how the composer followed the classical models and broke away toward romanticism. He does well in showing the man's great genuis without ever worshipping him (the way 19th century music lovers did). No doubt about it, Beethoven was a real crumb in a lot of ways, and Solomon makes this clear. As good as this book is, I wouldn't call it definitive. I imagine some bright peson coming along some day who has a deep understanding of the Enlightenment, of early romanticism, of music, and of German and Viennese society who will give a truer picture of the man in his full context. It is very difficult to describe music in words, but my imaginary writer will be adept at this as well. Until this person comes along (and we're talking about a reincarnation of Samuel Johnson or Shakespeare), Solomon will do just fine.
Rating:
Summary: As exciting and interesting as the subject and his music!
Review: I found this book impossible to put down! I'm neither a musicologist nor a professional musician and this book was still enjoyable as well as readable (didn't have to refer to other books for further elucidation of terminology). I found Mr. Solomon's style quite pleasant and his analysis insightful. Being a Psychiatrist, I easily become disinterested in amateur journalistic psychoanalysis. Mr. Solomon presented multiple theories to help explain a complex personality and his behavior. His reasoning is on target. This is a wonderful book, a story well told about a personality riveting from before his birth till after his death.
Rating:
Summary: As exciting and interesting as the subject and his music!
Review: I found this book impossible to put down! I'm neither a musicologist nor a professional musician and this book was still enjoyable as well as readable (didn't have to refer to other books for further elucidation of terminology). I found Mr. Solomon's style quite pleasant and his analysis insightful. Being a Psychiatrist, I easily become disinterested in amateur journalistic psychoanalysis. Mr. Solomon presented multiple theories to help explain a complex personality and his behavior. His reasoning is on target. This is a wonderful book, a story well told about a personality riveting from before his birth till after his death.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: i fully agree with the review of powersm@bigfoot. and i have read quite a few biographies of Beethoven over the years. this one is the very best. the only weakness is the musicology part which, in my view, could have have been deeper.
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