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A review by bowienerd_82
A Talent for Genius: The Life and Times of Oscar Levant by Sam Kashner, Nancy Schoenberger
4.0
I first learned of Oscar Levant in [b:Harpo Speaks!|35270|Harpo Speaks!|Harpo Marx|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168584689s/35270.jpg|35205], which led to me reading Oscar's first book, [b:A Smattering of Ignorance|2466190|A Smattering of Ignorance|Oscar Levant|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1242938314s/2466190.jpg|1590798] (one of the greatest titles ever, by the way). After all of this, I was totally intrigued by the man, and so immediately checked A Talent for Genius out of the library.
It's a well-written and engrossing biography about a fascinating figure, written with a good deal of empathy. It can be hard to find a well-balanced biography- I find that they are often either hostile or defensive, neither of which makes for a good book. This book, however, managed to find the golden mean of biographies, and so was both enjoyable and informative.
It's a well-written and engrossing biography about a fascinating figure, written with a good deal of empathy. It can be hard to find a well-balanced biography- I find that they are often either hostile or defensive, neither of which makes for a good book. This book, however, managed to find the golden mean of biographies, and so was both enjoyable and informative.