Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece!
Review: Nicholas Shakespeare got to the very essence of the man in this superb portrait. Bruce Chatwin, complex to the extreme, could not have been an easy subject, yet Shakespeare managed, in a totally non judgemental way, to give the reader a revealing insight into the life and times of this late, great writer. The good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, he told it as it was, which is what will make this excellent biography endure. After satisfying my cravings for knowledge of all things Chatwin, and savouring every last powerful word that Shakespeare wrote, I was left with one overwhelming question: "Who is this Elizabeth woman - when are we going to hear her story?"...
Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating look at Chatwin and the nature of biography
Review: Shakespeare clearly started off worshipping Chatwin and admiring his writings deeply. As he went on with his research the hero worship is tempered by the reality he uncovers, particularly Chatwin's fictionalisation of so much of his life and work. For all his supposed charms, Chatwin comes across as a rather horrible person, sad, desperate, lonely, unable to come to terms with his sexuality and perfectly willing to make people suffer for it. This book has something of the widow's revenge about it as his wife comes across as a saint who put up with a monster of a husband. Chatwin was a good novelist, a good writer of travel fiction and a great stylist but intellectually his work is mired in the 19th century. As a person he seemed unhappy and ultimately destroyed by that. Shakespeare uncovers all the facets of this complex life in a fascinating, well constructed biography and neither builds up or diminishes Chatwin.
Rating:
Summary: southamericanreader
Review: This is a fascinating read that I could not put down. Shakespeare tackles a difficult subject in masterful way. There is a lot of detail here, and it takes a while to get the flow of the book. But I certainly felt I understood Chatwin's motivations and his complex personality. This book is a must for any fan of Chatwin and explains in depth the reasons behind his books. This is definitely a five star book. Those who love the lives of writers will love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good reference. Not fun to read, by fermed.
Review: This is a long book and a tedious one. I kept reading it in the hope that I would "get into it," but when it was finally over I hadn't. Perhaps not liking it was my problem; perhaps my expectations were too great. I knew this man was a controversial but interesting figure, whose book "In Patagonia" had moved me deeply years ago; I expected great things from his biography.Was it Nicholas Shakespeare's prose? I don't know. It is hard to believe that one could be bored reading about such a hyperactive, outrageous and exciting adventurer. Much as I hate putting down the author's obviously monumental effort, I look forward to the day when Bruce Chatwin's life will be written about with the same vibrancy, intensity and verve with which he lived it. There is no doubt that the book is of great value as a reference and a resource about Chatwin and his life. But a good read it is not.
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