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This book tells the story of Beethoven's 9th Symphony in the context of its time. Harvey Sachs has written it for a general audience, without much technical musical language. To me, the best part of the book was the section on the historical events leading up to 1824. It was helpful to be reminded of the seeming promise of freedom inaugurated by Napoleon's conquest of the old order in Europe, followed by the crushing reaction following Napoleon's defeat. The history of the first performance of the 9th Symphony was familiar but well told. Sachs also inserts himself at different times into the book, giving us a sense of why he wanted to write it, but also perhaps telling us more about his own history than we need to know.

The Ninth is not a groundbreaking classic, but if you are looking for a general introduction to Beethoven's last symphony, it fits the bill well.