Cheever uses these sociological and historical trends to create a loose architecture for her book, but she’s best when writing about the way alcohol—its abuse and its rejection—affected personal lives, and when she digs up fascinating historical nuggets.
Susan Cheever is on her most solid ground in the sections of the book that have to do with artistic drinking...[but] the book is marred by factual errors...Cheever also makes some questionable assertions.
It is not her best bit of work.... Though she does some solid storytelling, Cheever is often glib, and she can be oddly judgmental. She also has a debatable sense of what merits her attention...
