This was like all of Jane Austen's wit compressed into one tiny novella; it was brilliant and hilarious, and laugh-out-loud funny. It was a brilliant parody of the novels of the time, and made me think of a kind of sketch-show version of a period film in tone. The other two stories in this edition were both lovely, and you could occasionally pick out prototype versions of characters who would appear in later novels. The five letters varied, I thought, but I particularly enjoyed the last one. A good, fun read!

As a Christian I didn't have more than an academic interest in the passages that spoke about ideas such as Nirvana, but I still took lots away from this, particularly its teachings on how to live your life on a day-to-day basis, which hardly differ between the major religions. I don't know much about Buddhism so it was good to find out a little bit more about it, as well as having a deeper understanding of some of the influences on philosophy.

As a Music undergraduate student, this particular book had interest on lots of different levels for me. Of course I've been told lots about Mozart's music, and bits and pieces about his life, but these letters really give an insight into who Mozart was, his personality, and his priorities. We have a tendency to imagine composers as highly mature, intelligent people who spend their lives sitting at a piano and dedicating their lives to producing as high a quality of art as they possibly can, but at least in Mozart's case that couldn't be further from the truth! It was truly entertaining, reading about the antics of a 21-year-old on his first big trip away from home, and very moving towards the end, as he recalls the death of his mother. I would recommend this to anyone who has the slightest interest in classical music, as it humanises one of its most famous pioneers.