This book is a perfect fit for the average lover of classical music and casual non-fiction readers who appreciates short, digestible reads—though perhaps less so for history enthusiasts and well-researched musicians. (Hi, I’m the average lover of classical music, and this worked for me!)

"Part biography, part memoir, part travelogue." — This description rings true. At times, the book is informative, other times speculative, and scattered throughout, it’s personal. I always appreciate witnessing someone share their passions, and John Suchet’s love for Beethoven is undeniable. So much so, however, that at times, the personal journey feels somewhat overshadowed, leaving me with more insight into Beethoven himself than into the author’s own experience.

Writing this review is a bit tricky. While I appreciated the journey and enjoyed the overall experience, it didn’t quite align with my expectations, leaving me with a sense of unfulfilled satisfaction.

Beethoven is my absolute favorite composer. Not only his compositions, but his personality. True, if I had actually met the man, the personality part might not be honest, but how can you turn away. This might be the reason I have yet to find a book about him that I like. I found John Suchet's book to be tedious, making it hard to understand the inner Beethoven. It delves into Beethoven's life, but in a way that made me feel like an outsider looking in, seeing what is happening in his life, but not knowing the man. To me, it is written in a simplistic way, which just made me want to get done with it. And why is the author on the cover with Beethoven? I thank NetGalley and Elliott and Thompson for the advance read.

This was such a wonderfully done memoir as well as something else, I thought the use of Beethoven worked overall. It was written well and in a way that was engaging with the reader. I thought John Suchet wrote this perfectly and enjoyed going on this journey with them.