The work is scrupulously detailed about Voltaire's life (being largely based on his some 15,000 letters), while remaining clear and gently passionate, and without losing any sense of the rhythm of Voltaire's journey, but the author does not ornament Voltaire, and he does not need to: the story, and the narrative therefrom, are fascinating, and of key importance not just for Voltaire, but also the history of freedom in Europe.