MixedThe New York Times Book ReviewTwo narratives are at war in this book: one about Lowell’s mania and one about his enthralling private life separate from the psych wards. I’m not sure Jamison appreciates all the remarkable material she’s accumulated. So often an anecdote, an observation, an interview is buried here, hidden by a tangent on, say, the history of mania going back to before Christ. Chapters need cutting. There is too much repetition. Still, Jamison has amassed a wealth of fascinating research about Lowell, which should serve scholars for years to come: his medical history, hospital reports, vivid interviews with many of his doctors and close friends, as well as letters and notes including the revealing notebook Lowell kept in 1973.
