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Review Summary: great bio on Caruso |
Date: 2008-11-03 |
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Details: This was great bio about perhaps the most famous singer of modern time. The author strives to tell the truth and not gloss over rather unpleasant details of Caruso life. Recommend to anyone with a interest in opera. |
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Review Summary: Ultimate and intimate biography of possibly the most pleasant voice the world has ever known |
Date: 2007-06-22 |
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Details: This biography is an excellent nice surprise. There are three kinds of biographies: 1)written by a ghostwriter (who often did not know the person itimately or at all), 2) written by a close friend or relative, or 3)autobiography. After reading this one, and many others like Isadora, Rockefeller, Heisenberg, Newton, Einstein, Von Braun, Rembrandt, I opt for the second option. Biographies like this one, written by a close friend or relative simply give the best of both worlds: intimate information normally inaccessible to others, and still an objective but well informed and not too speculative view.
This book is told by Caruso's second son, who was fortunately bestowed with an excellent memory and decided in the last years of his life, thank God, to put this story together before it would be too late. He was only 17 when his father died in 1921. His son said himself he was more a storyteller than a writer, and as for choosing the writer Andrew Farkas he also did an excellent job. The style is very readable and elegant. It is simply fascinating to read about a life in the Edwardian says, and especially such a famous one.
Many biographies tend to become a bit tedious since in trying to be definitive they often sum up too many facts without paying attention to a general idea of the meaning of the biography itself, that is, why that person, in this case Caruso, is worth a written life story and why the reader should care to read on.
This book shows how it should be done. Not only is it an intimate insight in Edwardian life, also it shows how it is to be the child of such a unique artist. Even more unique is that more than going into voice studies and the like, it is about the life of the great tenor at home, after the concerts (of which he did many). It shows Caruso the man, the character, the child, the tragedies (of loosing his wife to his chauffeur), the father, and last but not least Caruso the Italian.
This is a definite great addition to the vast literature of Caruso. There are enough books and studies written on Caruso the voice, but none will ever surpass this one about Caruso's intimate, or as Proust would put it, 'real' life. Although seen through the eyes of his then young son, who was old when he told it to the world, it gets as close to the facts as we will probably ever be. His son is convincing in his objectivity by just telling what happened. This story is no idealisation of his father. As an example: many biographies were supposed to be hostile to his mother Ada after she left the family. This biography shows why she might have left while at the same time it also makes understandable why his son must indeed have loved his (dramatic) father so much. Caruso was a real Italian, having possibly many relationships, but still acting out when his wife left him for it. Apart from this, many other myths and errors in other biographies are corrected. So why read another biography when you can buy this one?
His son was a Caruso as many Italians, although not bestowed with such greatness as his father. Elegantly enough he even admitted himself that at six years of age he wondered he had to be the son of this great artist.
He can rest assured that he has done his job well by telling the world as neutrally as possible who his father Caruso was, with all his flaws and greatness. Turning the last pages we can only agree with his son's enormous affection for Caruso, who was not only a great actor on stage, but full of melodrama in real life, like a real Italian.
How wonderful it would have been had he only lived in our time, but thanks to the recording technology we can still enjoy many of his songs, and thanks to his son, we also have a glimpse of his intimate life as close as it will ever be.
I recommend this book to any Opera lover, or any person who loves this era or any good biography, as I do not see how this will ever be surpassed, not even by Caruso himself were he still alive - since according to his son, he would never have admitted his mistakes, and his autobiography, if existed, would have been too flattered.
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Review Summary: Fantastic |
Date: 2001-01-20 |
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Details: The book is gorgeous. Without doubt the best book ever written about Caruso(and there are thousands). And it is exiting to read too... Go and get it! You'll love it! It's just a pitty (and I mean a real pitty) that this is the abridged version - the full one is even better (just in case you love to read ghost stories of how Caruso appeared to his son or you want to know what happened to all the people, Carusos belongings and his body after he died.) |
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Review Summary: Best book available on the greatest tenor of the century |
Date: 1997-08-16 |
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Details: Enrico Caruso is the greatest tenor of this century. I say "is" because every tenor is still compared to Caruso (not to one of "The Three"); his records, all predating the microphone, still sell 76 years after his death; and there are more books about the life and art of Caruso than any other singer. The original version of this book appeared seven years or so ago and was regarded as one of the best Caruso biographies ever written. The book has now been streamlined to remove chapters that were more about the family after Caruso's death than about the great tenor. Not only did Caruso's son have access to family photos, letters, etc denied other biographers but he also has the unique first-hand perspective. Caruso Jr and his co-author, Andrew Farkas, produced a balanced, admirable biography with a smootly flowing narrative. This book belongs on the shelf of every opera lover beside copies of Robinson's collection of Caruso photos and a collection of Caruso's caricatures. Even though I have copies of numerous other biographies of Caruso, this one is the best and the others can be put aside |
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out of 4 Reviews
