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Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. What a good biography!By Phyllis A. KarrSince my early childhood in the 1940s; I have known the basic stories of how Sullivan and Gilbert died; and this is the first time I have cried upon rereading the facts. Not that Aingers writing can be called "sentimental." It is clear; calm; and objective -- exactly the style I like best in nonfiction. (If more biographies for young people had been written like this; I might today be reading biographies for pleasure instead of research.) Following an earlier reviewers suggestion; I read Aingers biography side by side with Leslie Baileys and; while Baileys does have some interesting tidbits absent from Aingers account; it is a coffee-table book to this newer one. Nor does Ainger squander wordage with critical analysis of the works themselves; as too many literary and musical biographers do; to the probable annoyance of any reader whose critical opinion differs. I think that the key to what makes Aingers easily the best biography I have yet read about either Gilbert; Sullivan; or both -- Steadmans on Gilbert is the only one that comes close -- is that Ainger treats them as people rather than icons. He doesnt gloss over the things that went wrong; but where possible he looks for human reasons why these things happened. If you want a really well-told reconstruction of the lives of influential Victorians; this is the shop for it.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Not bad but not without serious problemsBy Steve HarrisonUp to a point this is a well-written and generally entertaining attempt at combining two biographies into one. The focus flips back and forth between Gilbert and Sullivan; giving each several paragraphs at a time; this sounds awkward and artificial but works surprisingly well.An early chapter on Gilberts and Sullivans ancestors contains much more detail than even extreme GS fans will have much interest in.The next portion of the book -- on Gilbert and Sullivans careers before they became collaborators -- is its best. The back-and-forth technique underscores how their lives gradually spiraled together.After that the book is based almost entirely on correspondence among Gilbert; Sullivan; DOyly Carte; and his wife and then; as they begin to die; a few other people. Good biographies synthesize correspondence to explain their subjects lives and thoughts. This one just regurgitates it. And so we learn everything thats in the letters (including inconsequential trivialities such as the complete itineraries of everyones frequent trips to the Continent or how many times Gilbert swam in his lake each year) and nothing that isnt. Since Gilbert destroyed his personal letters and since Sullivans were glib and superficial we end up not knowing much about them as people except what we can read between the lines from letters they wrote about other subjects.Another problem is that the subject of most of these letters was a problem or controversy of one sort or another. What we learn of GS therefore tends toward the darker sides of their personalities. We can easily figure out that Sullivan was weak; self-centered; and self-indulgent and Gilbert petty; argumentative; distrustful; and controlling. It is harder to figure out why they had so many friends (especially Gilbert; Sullivan was apparently an outwardly charming and sociable man).The letters do contain details about the development of the libretti (almost nothing about the music; which doesnt lend itself to correspondence). This may interest you if you are fascinated to know; for example; that the three little maids "wont have to wait very long; they say" was originally "wont have to wait very long; dare say."The Kindle edition is badly done; with frequent bizarre changes in spacing and margin size.Three stars because the book is entertaining until youre more than halfway through it and because there dont seem to be other GS biographies in print; so this is the one to get if you want one.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. GS WOULD HATE ITBy NOEL R. DELBRIDGEIt may be a work of scholarship but its a terrible read. Crammed with obscure and unnecessary factsit reduces the human drama between two of the 19th centurys great musical talents to a petty squabble.