After visiting Noel Coward’s Firefly estate while in Jamaica last year I was determined to learn more about him beyond my superficial knowledge of him as playwright, composer, actor, and wit. Hoare’s book is often referred to as the most comprehensive Coward biography and it is definitely rich in detail on many aspects of the entertainer’s life. I found the early parts recounting Coward’s rise from boy actor to global phenomenon fascinating. Coward’s growing disillusionment with Britain at a time when he came to represent the idea of the upperclass Englishman provides interesting insights into the social hypocrisy of the early part of the 20th Century. But once the story moved into the post-War years it started to get repetitive and at times a chore to get through. I also started to spot small errors and inconsistencies that made begin to question what I’d read earlier. But most strangely of all after 520 pages I’m still not sure what Philip Hoare actually felt about Noel Coward as a person ( )

A comprehensive biography of Noël Coward. It covers ground that was intentionally omitted from several previous works. ( )