Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx
Stefan Kanfer

Always in love with the Marx Brothers' movies, I ventured into literature to delve into the man behind the mustache. I won't even try to summarize the 400 page plus volume, but I will comment here on the writing itself. I find myself unsure of what exactly to say. The narrative pendulums between well written and informative to passing glances of what I would think to be important events. Some areas of life are covered in a matter of fact style that gives mostly a time line; others are filled out with the author's thoughts and feelings about the event. There are others areas of the text that seem to be too covered and drawn out. In fact, I really felt uncomfortable about the lengthy end; poor Groucho was on his deathbed for two chapters. I did find myself better acquainted with Groucho, and the rest of the family. More than a look at a chronology of dates, you get a fleshed out version of the person. I was born two years after the legend passed away, but I can now say that I can understand the person and the team. All that said, I would recommend this book, but just warn you that it is a long read.