Clearly D.T. Max did an enormous amount of research, and this biography--while heartbreaking to read about DFW's lifelong struggle with depression--is well done and thorough. I had moments of guilt while reading this book, thinking that DFW would have hated for his life to be peered at in this way (the book is mostly respectful, but there were some anecdotes that might have been omitted). I also wished that the biographer of DFW, who was a brilliant and sui generis writer, was at least nearly as talented a writer. The writing is solid, if not pedestrian--a straightforward biography. One wishes for a stunningly good biography to showcase the life of a brilliant writer (I'm thinking of the bio of Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Savage Beauty" which was wonderful). I suspect there will be others. Mostly I gave this 4 stars for efficiency in telling the story.