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Summary
Summary
In September 1822, 10-year-old Christoph writes a letter to his uncle: "A madman has moved into our house". The "madman" is none other than Ludwig van Beethoven. In a unique approach that combines biography, fiction, and music, this book weaves true incidents in the composer's life into a fictional correspondence between a young boy and his uncle. Based on the award-winning recording. Full color.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-When young Christopher's family takes Ludwig van Beethoven as an upstairs tenant, their home life becomes noisy and chaotic. Tortured by blinding headaches and diminishing eyesight, frustrated by deafness, Beethoven rips off his constraining clothes in the throes of composition. He pours pitchers of water over his head and removes the legs from his four pianos on which he pounds relentlessly, regardless of the hour. The boy, grieving over his father's recent death, writes to his uncle, a music student in another city, asking him to rescue him and his mother from their plight. In the exchange of letters over several years, Christopher comes to understand Beethoven's torments, overlook his extreme behavior, and even befriend him. Climaxing with the boy's attendance at the first performance of the composer's Ninth Symphony, this realistic, touching picture book about the musician's life endears this irascible genius to readers. The richly colored paintings are outstanding; the exterior scenes of Beethoven and Christopher that are bathed in accented light and gold tones are exceptional. A praiseworthy effort.-Barbara Peklo Abrahams, Oneida City Schools, Manlius, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Fans of the audio and video versions of this tale will be delighted to see that it's finally made it to print. Although a bit is lost in the translation (the music, namely--it's difficult to describe the splendor of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and Nichol, wisely, doesn't attempt it), the story remains a compelling one. Weaving fact and fiction, Nichol chronicles a slice of the great composer's life via correspondence between young Christoph, a boy living in Vienna in 1822, and his Uncle Karl, a music student in Salzburg. Christoph's mother, recently widowed, has taken in a tenant, and Christoph is alarmed at the deaf composer's strange ways: he's a slob, he's got a terrible temper, he's up at all hours of the night making dreadful noises ``like the sounds of an injured beast,'' and once--to Christoph's intense mortification--he was caught composing in the nude, standing at the window in full view of all the neighbors. How the boy comes to appreciate the man and his music makes for a satisfying yarn. Cameron's warmly lit oil paintings are rich with period detail, lending an authentic atmosphere. Paired with a recording of some of Beethoven's works, the book affords a splendid introduction to classical music. Ages 5-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Accompanied by elegant illustrations and presented in the format of letters between an uncle and his nephew, this engaging piece of historical fiction portrays a significant figure from the perspective of a child. The epistolary style is well suited to the audience, for it informs without lecturing, subtly leading readers to a fuller understanding of the subject. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
An animated portrait of the composer during the period when he wrote the Ninth Symphony (1822-25), as depicted in letters between Christoph, ten when the great man moves into his home, and his uncle, a musician whose knowledge of Beethoven's history and work provides a setting for the boy's more intimate observations. Aging and deaf, Beethoven is not only irascible and tempestuous; he's also wildly untidy and so loud that Christoph wonders if he's mad: ``...poundings and howlings come through the floor...like the sounds of an injured beast.'' Moreover, ``...it is not true that Mr. Beethoven has three pianos. He has four!''- -some with no legs so that he (and his suffering neighbors) can better sense the vibrations. Still, in the end, Christoph is won over, as readers are sure to be by the immediacy of his account. Cameron's luminous paintings have a formal 19th-century look, but not at the expense of a splendidly lively rendering of character and incident. A delightful introduction to this monumental figure. It would have been nice to have a note distinguishing fact from fiction. (Picture book. 5-10)
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-6. Beethoven was stone deaf, solitary, and wildly eccentric when he composed the Ninth Symphony near the end of his life. This beautiful story makes you imagine what it might have been like for him: the suffering, the silence in the uproar, and the joy. The book weaves true episodes from Beethoven's life into a fictional story told in the form of letters between the young Viennese boy Christoph and his uncle Karl. Christoph is appalled when the famous musician ("a madman") moves upstairs. "Loud poundings and howlings come through the floor. They are like the sounds of an injured beast," Christoph writes to his uncle. Beethoven hums to himself in the street; he growls out tunes; he waves his arms. His room is chaotic; he writes on the wall; he plays four pianos with bumps and crashes, takes off their legs so that he can feel his playing through the floorboards. Uncle Karl writes back about the stories people tell of the famous musician. Christoph begins to feel compassion ("Imagine: he hears no music played, not even his own!"). Through the boy's eyes, we see the intense commitment of the genius who "believes that music can change the world." The oil pictures are rich and dark, with glowing, candlelit interiors; they define the period while giving a strong sense of character. But it's the story that holds you, as tension builds until the triumphant first performance of the Ninth. Based on Nichol's original cassette/CD, this will move even older kids, who might like to read the letters aloud, especially after listening to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." ~--Hazel Rochman