<i>One Man Band</i> gathers strength page by page. This is by far the funniest volume of the three, and in some ways the most revelatory. The more vulnerable Welles becomes, the more vivid Callow’s writing. The fear was always that a description of Welles’ later years would be depressing. But this is that rare thing: a book about decline which is actually exhilarating
- David Hare,
<i>One Man Band</i> gathers strength page by page. This is by far the funniest volume of the three, and in some ways the most revelatory. The more vulnerable Welles becomes, the more vivid Callow’s writing. The fear was always that a description of Welles’ later years would be depressing. But this is that rare thing: a book about decline which is actually exhilarating
- David Hare,
A biography as huge as if it had been fed a Welles-style diet of roasted chicken and foie gras
- Victoria Segal, Sunday Times
Callow continuously strikes to the quick and the essential in Welles
- Michael Coveney, Independent
Impeccably detailed research peppered with anecdotes and […] his witty conversational style
- Kevin Maher, The Times
Compulsive reading.
- Robert McCrum, Observer
The third volume has a tremendous panache, matching Welles’s own bravura and extraordinary energy, giving a vivid account of his personality and his productions.
- Robert Tanitch, Mature Times
A novel as exhaustive and exhilarating as it’s subject.
Liverpool Echo
Simon Callow probes in comprehensive and penetrating detail into one of the most complex artists of the twentieth century.
Essential Surrey
A pretty epic survey about his [Welles’] stupendous life.
Western Mail