Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but should be read with reservations.
Review: Biography on a dead man by a dead man (published after Gould's
death by the estate of Peter Ostwald). The first 100 pages tell
the story. The isolated and mother-dominated childhood explain a
lot of Gould's eccentric behaviour (the emotional shields, group
phobias, extreme monologues). In fact, the opening chapter which
describes and psychoanalyses Mr Gould's and Mr Ostwald's first long
encounter is the most enlightening of the whole book. Subsequent
chapters which follow from birth to initial fame are well-documented
and humane. The book then falls apart due to loose organisation and
waffled writing (is here where the author died editing?). High hopes
disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: well-written and interesting,
Review: full of detail and personal anecdotes about the world-famous eccentric pianist.To correct a minor point of contention: the author was a psychiatrist, NOT a psychologist. I almost gave this a 3 because I wanted more psychology, even if speculative. More, I wanted something said about the relationship of genius to eccentricity and what is widely seen as madness. Good material has been written about this, but not much; Gould would have made a fine study (I mean "study" in a personal and subjective way, not as an object under laboratory scrutiny by experts). Instead, the book was really a storybook biography with loads of information about composition dates, performances, etc. Still, it flowed well and I found it helpful and, in places, inspiring.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but should be read with reservations.
Review: Glenn Gould was, by all accounts, a fascinating and extraordinary man, but difficult to know ; apart from his art, he was renowned for his perceived eccentricity, his reclusiveness, and his wish to keep his private life entirely hidden and separate from his public persona. Various books and endless articles have attempted to present a portrait of Gould, but to my mind, no writer has ever come close to the "essence" of the man; perhaps this is as Gould himself would have wished. His primary mode of communicating with the world was with his music, and music -related writing and broadcasting, and the author of this book makes that very clear. It is mostly concerned with the glorious music, not with Gould's private life, and this is how it should be. But Peter Ostwald, the author, was a doctor and a psychiatrist as well as a gifted musician,(Well, I have read that he was a gifted musician; I've never heard him play!) and does therefore concentrate one one aspect of Gould that he finds interesting and important to understanding the man: his attitude to health, and his emotional state. Gould was, notoriously, considered to be a hypochondriac, although this is not to suggest that his ill-health was imaginary; he did indeed suffer with a number of serious health problems throughout his short life that affected his ability to play the piano. Ostwald considers these, and Goulds mental states, from a medical point of view, although he rather irritatingly does not form any definite conclusions about the roots of Gould's difficulties and does not offer the reader more than a mere suggestion of diagnosis. (there is a brief mention of the possibility that Gould had Asperger's syndrome .... an idea that seems to arouse the wrath of many Gould admirers!) Yet the subject is fascinating, although I feel that some of the personal details given are a little intrusive. But then, Ostwald knew Gould personally.
And therein lies my greatest reservation about this book. Ostwald writes as though he wishes us to believe that he and Gould were very close friends (despite the fact that he is describing a man who, sadly, seems never to have been truly close to anyone outside his family) but this idea is belied by the facts. Ostwald's last meeting with his subject was some years before Gould died: and he mentions that even that meeting took place after a gap of several years. They had some disagreement at this final meeting and it appears that subsequently Gould cut off all communication beteween them. And this , alas, seems to have affected Ostwald's attitude towards his subject; despite the protestations of friendship and admiration, there is an undertone of bitterness and resentment throughout the book that shows in the writing, as of a friend scorned. No; this book certainly does not leave the reader with the impression that the two men were ever truly close. Despite this, though, it is an informative book, and will interest many, especially - but not only! -those who find Gould's music incomparable . But perhaps it is best not to trust all the conclusions that the author draws; when it comes to Glenn Gould, we will probably never know the man's heart.
Rating: 
Summary: My opinion
Review: I guess I have to say that I enjoyed the book itself while reading it, since I am such a big fan of Gould but, it just doen't give me any insights on his musical world and Oswalt emphasizes too much about how close they were... Maybe because Oswalt was a doctor, not a musician himself..
Rating: 
Summary: In Depth analysis.
Review: I like this book inspite of its short comings. We know Gould was opinionated, and ostwald was patronizing but, Ostwald, Psychologist, musician and friend of Gould, who better to Write a book about him? Every thing is analyzed. Moreover, the pics are a great selection. Don't get me wrong, I think Psychology is art of Philosophy (psycho-babble), and not a science. For example Ostwald fails to mention Amphetamine-induced psychosis is clinically indistinguishable from paranoid schizophrenia, and many other symptoms could arise with the drug cocktails Gould was taking. But he was rite about Aspergers Syndrome, I had suspected that for years.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, interesting life review and interpretation
Review: Ostwald has done an excellent job of ferreting out the details of an unusual life and making it readable, regardless of the readers experience in music and/or medicine. The book can be read cover to cover, or the reader can easily jump around without losing too much from not reading previous chapters.
I have heard it said that Ostwald is somehow "jealous" of Gould and that his book is a restitution for Gould's scorning of the Psychiatrist-author. On the contrary, I don't think that Ostwald is severe enough in his description of Gould's neurotic antisocial behavior. Nor is he critical enough of Gould's self-serving (mis)interpretation of various piano pieces, such as the very difficult sonata #29 by Beethoven. Or, try listening to Beethoven's "pathetique" sonata played by Gould. It is so violently fast as to lose all sense of musical flavor, phrasing and inflections.
My only other criticism of Ostwald is his (or his editor's) less-than-perfect grammar usage, such as the misuse of the words "whom" and "myself". Small points, at best.
In all, Gould was brilliant at the keyboard and an interesting though troubled figure away from it. This book captures the essence of the man to the point that I feel like I met him, and wish that I had.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, interesting life review and interpretation
Review: Ostwald has done an excellent job of ferreting out the details of an unusual life and making it readable, regardless of the readers experience in music and/or medicine. The book can be read cover to cover, or the reader can easily jump around without losing too much from not reading previous chapters.
I have heard it said that Ostwald is somehow "jealous" of Gould and that his book is a restitution for Gould's scorning of the Psychiatrist-author. On the contrary, I don't think that Ostwald is severe enough in his description of Gould's neurotic antisocial behavior. Nor is he critical enough of Gould's self-serving (mis)interpretation of various piano pieces, such as the very difficult sonata #29 by Beethoven. Or, try listening to Beethoven's "pathetique" sonata played by Gould. It is so violently fast as to lose all sense of musical flavor, phrasing and inflections.
My only other criticism of Ostwald is his (or his editor's) less-than-perfect grammar usage, such as the misuse of the words "whom" and "myself". Small points, at best.
In all, Gould was brilliant at the keyboard and an interesting though troubled figure away from it. This book captures the essence of the man to the point that I feel like I met him, and wish that I had.
Rating:
Summary: A shrink scorned?
Review: Probably not, but this is a surprisingly shallow psychobiography of a remarkable musician of enormous attractiveness; Glenn Gould was so gifted one might call him laden, and indeed Ostwald genuinely recognises this extraordinary condition, only to question the idea of such a thing, let alone its value, for the length of the book. Well, it was simply a fact, and for all Gould's self-oppression, it's clear that he lived his extraordinary life as he wished, on his own terms, without regret; and considering the gifts of art left to the world by this magisterial musician, one cannot but admire the whole man, eccentricities and all! In any case, Ostwald was never Gould's shrink, at least not in a professional sense, and who knows, perhaps the author is a better musician than writer. As to Glenn Gould and how much of him is conjured in these pages, there is a great deal more to be said about Gould, but you'll not find much in this book. The writing style is inapt, a reminiscence of sorts but with no warmth, certainly none to match the indelible warmth of its subject; Glenn Gould's artistic legacy remains not only intact, but warm and alive. Though I have read most of Gould's own writings (a worthwhile endeavor, by the way), and a number of compilations including various appreciations of the man, this was the first full-scale biography for me; surely there are others more appropriately seasoned with right perspective. Ostwald doesn't go very deep; one suspects he probed as deep as he was capable, but in the end one is left concerned that not much but the surface was peeled away. Disappointing for us Gould-aholics, but not a complete waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: Rare Glimpses of Gould
Review: This book is valuable for many new anecdotes about Gould when he was out of the spotlight. For example there is a description of a night of chamber music playing at a friend of the author's house that displays both Gould's strengths as a musician and his limitations as a social being. For those tired of the endlessly repeated tales about wearing gloves in the summer and eating arrowroot biscuits, this is a refreshing book. I won't comment on the psychobiographical aspects of the book because I don't know anything about psychology, but at the very least, Ostwald was an intelligent man who had experience with psychiatry, music, and Gould, so I think there is some value in what he says. Also, unlike some of the other books about relationships that authors have had with pianists (read: Evenings with Horowitz by David Dubal) Ostwald keeps himself in the background for much of the book. I disagree that Ostwald used the book to get back at Gould. It is admittedly a book based on personal experience, and one of his experiences with Gould was that he was ultimately rejected. Why shouldn't he write about being hurt by this experience? At least he didn't try to cast himself as the most important thing in Gould's life, a la Dubal, and recognizes that any relationship with Gould was tenuous, something that he explores in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Never forget the MUSIC!
Review: We are interested in Gould not because of his eerie behavior or his being a paranoid. We are JUST fascinated by his wonderful music. This book gives us some perspective of the psychic state and health of Gould, but it stress too much on them ,regardless the really good music Gould had move us, and it tells too little about how Gould make music, what's the connection between music and Gould, and what the meaning of life to Gould? After reading the book, I get the impression that Gould is but a tragic freak. But I ask myself, where does the music come from? The book tells us nothing. It does help me know Gould the guy, but doesn't help me penetrate into Gould the musician.
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