"There will always be Shelley lovers, but this book is not for them."

A powerful opening sentence for an uncompromising biography. Don't think this is a hitpiece, though: Holmes does a stellar job of balancing the brilliance of Shelley's artistry with the confusing, angering aspects of his personality, and in so doing, he humanizes the Romantic era's most idealized figure. This is recognized as one of the great literary biographies, and I will not dispute that title in any way.