Here's my review of Volume 2 I wrote and posted on Amazon.com.
You can read others' reviews there too for a wider range of
opinions.
Robert Heinlein was my favorite writer and easily the most influential
author I read during my teen and later years. I had read the first
volume of this biography when it came out and waited eagerly for the
continuation of the biography for the rest of the story. I was ready to
give it five stars out of the box simply because of the subject.
Instead, I read the book slowly, savoring the details and absorbing the
new data. Once I finished the biography, I still let it simmer for a
while before writing this review in order to fairly judge not just the
content, but its presentation and what might have been missing from the
treatment of the biographical information.
To start with, you'll need two bookmarks when you read this biography:
one for your place in the narrative and another to keep your place in
the end notes where you'll find not only the usual reference citations,
but further explanations, source quotations, and anecdotes.
This book does not lack in detail, but at times it seems that the
details take over from the big picture of Heinlein and his work, and at
other times only a small amount of information is given on some topics
almost as a teaser before dropping it and moving onto something else.
An example of a teaser topic is the mention of the opus system of
organization that Virginia Heinlein set up for her husband to track his
various writing projects. After a few sentences briefly describing the
system, it is mentioned in passing throughout the rest of the book
without ever giving an example or describing it in full. Photographs of
the cards and numbering system for one of his works used as an example
would have been ideal. Since this system was so important to Heinlein's
work, why wasn't it given a more thorough treatment in the text? On the
other hand, we're told about each time that one of the Heinleins went to
see a production of Wagner's Ring operas, and each time reminded how
Robert wasn't that keen on them.
There were some factual errors in the text and endnotes, mostly having
to do with events of the times rather than directly to do with the
Heinleins themselves. (One was the statement that Ford did not have
automatic transmission for their cars until 1973. Since I had 1960 and
1966 Fords, both with automatic, I know this to be untrue. I don't know
why this would even be mentioned since the Heinleins had a Chevrolet at
the time, and the endnote was explaining a term used by General Motors
to describe their transmission. Why even mention Ford, especially when
you've just introduced an error into the text?)
Mr. Patterson was authorized to write this biography by Virgina
Heinlein, and with that authorization he was given free access to the
Robert Heinlein archives at UC Santa Cruz and hours of time with Mrs.
Heinlein for interviews. I remember when Mrs. Heinlein was a participant
in the Usenet newsgroup rec.fan.heinlein (as was Patterson), and she was
gracious in answering questions and joining in discussions of her
husband's works. It was quite clear from her interactions that she
regarded herself as Keeper of the Faith for her husband's legacy. That
same tone can be found in this biography. Patterson is acting both as a
biographer and a defender which limits his usefulness to the reader when
an unbiased analysis or criticism is needed. It is a case of the author
being too close to his subject through his close relationship to Mrs.
Heinlein.
In conclusion, although to me the topic of Robert Heinlein is always
worth five stars, I am giving this volume of his biography four stars
due to the lack of critical analysis and overview. Yes, I learned things
I did not previously know about Heinlein, but this book could have been
much more than a cataloging of details and minutiae of his life with a
side trip of a defense of his politics. I recommend it to fans of
Heinlein, those wanting to know more about how a successful writer got
and stayed that way, and anyone interested historically in the
post-World War II era of science fiction.
Nyssa, who never did get around to reviewing Volume 1