The King and I is the story of the thirty-six-year business relationship between Luciano Pavarotti and his manager Herbert Breslin, during which Breslin guided what he calls, justifiably, "the greatest career in classical music." During that career, Breslin moved Pavarotti out of the opera house and onto the concert stage and into the arms of a huge mass public. How he and Pavarotti changed the landscape of opera is one of the most significant and entertaining stories in the history of classical music, and Herbert Breslin relates the story in a dishy, take-no-prisoners, slashingly witty fashion that is often hysterically frank and profane. He also provides a portrait of his friend and client — "the story of a beautiful, simple, lovely guy who turned into a very determined, aggressive and somewhat unhappy superstar" — that is affectionate and satirical by turns and full of hilarious details and tales out of school, Pavarotti emerging as something like the ultimate Italian male. The book is also enlivened by the voices of other players in the soap opera drama that was Pavarotti's career, and they are no less uncensored than Herbert Breslin. The last word, in fact, comes from none other than Luciano Pavarotti himself!

The King and I is the ultimate backstage book about the greatest opera star of the past century — and it's a total hoot to read, as well.

"In this outspoken and entertaining book, the authors chronicle Breslin's 36 years as publicist and manager for tenor Pavarotti, from the early days when the singer was, Breslin says, 'a very beautiful, simple, lovely guy,' to the final years of his career, when Breslin found him 'a very determined, aggressive, and somewhat unhappy superstar.' In Breslin's frank telling, Pavarotti emerges as a charming but utterly impossible man with an outsized ego, a need to dominate, a total disregard for other people (from secretaries and coaches to world-renowned conductors) and a passion for food, women, horses and money. Breslin is blunt about Pavarotti's many quirks and foibles, such as his superstitions, his inability to read music and his frequent failure to learn the words of his opera parts in time for performances. Accounts of the singer's missteps in recent years, such as the embarrassing final Metropolitan Opera appearances, are especially unflattering. Tenor and manager parted by mutual agreement, but Breslin doesn't take the separation lightly. Pavarotti seems unaffected by the acrimony; the book concludes with an interview he gave Midgette, a classical music reviewer for the New York Times, in which he expresses appreciation for his longtime manager and friend. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"[A]n engrossing, no-holds-barred treatment of the life and musical journeys of superstar tenor Luciano Pavarotti." Library Journal

"Given Breslin's severe disenchantment, it is no surprise that his book...is filled with sour grapes." The New York Times Book Review

"Knowing, full of buzz about the world of classical music, and lots of operatic fun." Kirkus Reviews

"[Breslin] is sarcastic, in your face, funny at times, and full of braggadocio. But his passionate love of music, especially the opera, also comes through." Washington Post

Herbert Breslin has been a classical music publicist and manager for many of the greatest performers of our time for the past forty years.

Anne Midgette is a regular reviewer of classical music for The New York Times and has contributed to Opera News and many other music magazines.