Bosworth's biography of Arbus, a photographer known for her poetic approach to eccentric and abnormal subjects, was a nuanced appraisal of the artist that also investigated the lurid details of her life, culminating in Arbus's 1971 suicide. The book was critically acclaimed. Andrew Holleran of "New York" magazine said it was "a biography that seems to have... more than enough material for several art legends... Patricia Bosworth has created a spellbinding portrait." "Washington Post Book World" reviewed it as "fascinating" and "a compelling biography... as valuable in its insights into the cultural history of the 50s and 60s as its understanding of the special place Arbus occupies in it." However, the book also proved to be extremely controversial, and did not receive formal approval from the Arbus estate. Bosworth's work is still widely considered to be the definitive biography of Arbus; it was the inspiration for Steven Shainberg’s 2006 film "Fur", which starred Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus and Ty Burrell and Robert Downey Jr. as her husband and lover respectively.