Muhlstein does an impeccable job of conveying the inner workings of Monsieur Proust's mind, providing the reader with a deep understanding of the person behind the name. Although the reason why a person would want to know this is unclear, comprehensive information regarding everything from his favorite childhood authors, to his literary-loving family creates an intricate picture of how different people in Proust's life influenced his views. Descriptions of the highlights of Proust’s novel, In Search of Lost Time, provides insight as to what the book is about without giving away key details, along with a peek into French society. Mentions to authors beloved by Proust and small summaries of important moments in their works add to the readers growing knowledge of Proust’s thought process and influence. Despite much of the novel being tediously over-detailed, Muhlstein succeeds by not shying away from aspects other authors might deem too touchy, such as the way Proust writes about homosexuality and it’s basis within his own life. And while this information is presented in a clear enough manner, the book is hard to get into. At its core, the novel is mind numbingly boring, so much so that it was difficult to read. Now, that is not to say it is bad, as I'm sure it would be fascinating to a Proust superfan, but to just about anyone else it's an uninteresting way to spend an afternoon.