Leigh Montville's biography offers a wealth of information. Unfortunately, Montville, like other failed biographers, refuses to let his subject stand alone on the stage. Somerset Maugham once said "The best style is the style you don't notice." The successful biographers know that they need to stay out of the way of their subject. Montville's writing style repeatedly intrudes on the text and reminds the reader that the author is always present, vying for the light. That's too bad for a book so well researched. For me, it's a fatal flaw for a biographer.