Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #296890 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-04
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

John Carey, The Sunday Times
"[Heilpern] writes with infectious verve... His book brings a flesh-and-blood human being back from the shades"

Independent, Michael Arditti
"an enjoyable, exhaustive, well-researched and highly readable biography"

Saturday Telegraph rvd by Duncan Fallowell
"a sensationally enjoyable piece of work"

Customer Reviews

John Osborne: A patriot for Us.
The author has got this just right. The research into J.O's childhood is very detailed, as a result we see the reasons for the playwrights life long sadness. At 528 pages it's a long read but a fascinating and enjoyable one in fact it has to be the ultimate bio on J.O My one disappointment was the poor choice of photos. all in all if you have an interest in British theatre this book is a must.

A Patriot For Us
The best biography I have ever read. brilliantly researched, emotionally moving and totally absorbing. Thoroughly deserved of all the accolades it has received and a great choice for Book of the week on Radio 4.

Missed opportunity
The author has copiously researched much information about Osborne but dumped it all into this biography. He lacks the skill to weave it together, making it a lumpy, annoying read. A third could have been dumped. His main coup is to expose Anothy Creighton's lie that Osborne was bisexual, but he takes an entire chapter to tell the reader this. Pages are devoted to tedious letters he's dug up, for example, but only a single page to the film Tom Jones, for which Osborne wrote the screenplay. Instead you will find needless descriptions of the decor of Osborne's home with Jill Bennnet. Heilpern's pro-Osborne stance precludes a balanced view (both of Osborne, his times, and his detractors) and his mania to mention himself as much as possible is irritating. Osborne's first memoir, Better Class of Person, may be more unreliable but it's a much better read (unlike his second, Almost a Gentleman). Well researched - shame about the book.