Customer Reviews

Gilbert and Sullivan's London

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This is a marvelous book. This is a charming account of the relationship between Gilbert and Sullivan (both individually and as collaborators) with London. The author Andrew Goodman (who really knows his stuff) organized this enormous treasure-trove of information by neighborhood. The book gets off to a strong start by reviewing how London developed-it impressed me how much London is a Victorian city, with many famous neighborhoods were all but farmland in the early 19th century. This book is meant not only for lovers of G&S but lovers of London and good travel writing as well.

Well researched, the book would make an excellent companion on a walking tour of London. The author knows what buildings are still standing from Gilbert and Sullivan's world, which have been demolished, and which have changed. Gives great descriptions of the theaters, including the Savoy, where the productions were staged, and so forth.

If I have a criticism of the book, it is laid out geographically -- so you might be discussing Gilbert in 1876 at one minute and Arthur Sullivan in 1885 at another, because that is where the next building on the street leads you. The continuity suffers a little because of this.

But if you know a Gilbert and Sullivan fan who is making a pilgrimage to London, this is the perfect book for them.