Despite the title, this is primarily a book about Gilbert: Sullivan is discussed in depth in only one of the chapters. Eden contends that Gilbert's personality was arrested at an early stage of development, that he was sado-masochistic at the infantile level. You will not be surprised that I disagree. It seems to me that Eden bases his argument on a frequent misuse of evidence. By refusing to acknowledge the positive facets of Gilbert's character, Eden is able to present him to us as a monster, a grotesque caricature. Gilbert was very far from a perfect creature, but he wasn't half as bad as Eden portrays him.
This review was written by Andrew Crowther. Savoyard Books is very grateful to Andrew for allowing the use of his work on our web-site.
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