Mozart

School Library Journal

Gr 6 UpNardo provides a short overview of Mozart's life, writes about his last days in more detail, and suggests possible explanations for his death. This book is not really a "whodunit" but more of a "whatdunit": was it poison, disease, mental depression, or simple exhaustion that killed the composer? The soporific writing emphasizes the tedious nature of the facts being presented. Other than the dark figure who commissioned the Requiem and the possibility that Mozart may have been murdered, all other explanations for his death are pretty dull. Black-and-white reproductions of period drawings and etchings appear throughout. Long quotations from primary sources are included in sidebars, providing such tidbits as original letters that demonstrate precisely how bawdy a person Mozart was. The audience for this book is unclear and the information is unlikely to be sought out for reports. Even those who find unsolved mysteries to their liking will greet this title with indifference.Tim Wadham, Dallas Public Library, TX