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Title: Dry and Pedantic
Review: I was amazed at how little my interest in Beethoven's life translated into any attachment to this book. I've been reading it off and on for over a year, during which I've zipped through other more engaging books. I keep going back to Beethoven in the hopes that it will take off but it never does. It reads much more academically than it has to - I've encountered much greater depth in far more accessible styles of writing. Although the book is fairly recent, it reads as if it were written in the early 20th century. While there are interesting facts presented, the weight of the narrative style demands far greater effort than the rewards of putting up with it give you in the end.
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