'Anyone who reads this book will have a marvellous time. Blanch has written an exceptionally good biography of an exceptionally interesting man. Even if you have never heard of Loti until this minute, even if you never plan to read any of his books, I recommend it to you.' -Noel Perrin, Washington Post '...what makes Loti so extraordinary and this book so enthralling is not that he was an escapist, but that he was an escapologist, getting out of scrapes and away with behaviour that would normally lead to disaster, disgrace, even death...Lesley Blanch is a most congenial biographer for this eccentric man...She has a natural sympathy with people who live out their fantasies... She also has the sense of humor her subject lacks, and is very funny without ever being unkind.' -Gabrielle Annan, New York Review of Books