Scholarly and authoritative, this is very much a musical biography rather than a conventional cradle-to-grave account of Poulenc’s life. The author’s heart – and knowledge – lies with the music, on which he focuses almost exclusively, giving a very sketchy outline of the life. I’m not a musicologist so most of it was of limited interest and the analysis of Poulenc's compositions went over my head. I think the word “musical” should have been included in the title to give some indication of the book’s scope. It probably deserves a high-rating but I can’t give it one as I didn’t enjoy it, finding much of tedious and leaving me with many unanswered questions. A lost opportunity to bring Poulenc and his music to a wide readership.