It took me a long while to get to finish this book. Honestly, this book is not my cup of tea. That said, it's beautifully written, has a strong narrative and made me obsessed with Beethoven.

I know the old-timey vocabulary sounds fake, but my god... I bought the first volume of this book (thinking that it just meant that it was book one and they just wanted it to be volume one for fun). Once I reached the end of that volume, I could not deal with the suspense. I ordered volume two and read the whole thing in one sitting. I never do that. The way it keeps you guessing, the imagery... This book is compelling to the end.