Bakewell's biography of Montaigne takes the form of twenty chapters, each highlighting events from his life that shaped his Essays. Original and thoroughly engaging. — Sarah Donner
“Bakewell has written a thoroughly engaging look at the life and work of Michel de Montaigne, whose incessantly questioning approach to life is both remarkably modern and usefully instructive, even though he composed his famous essays more than 400 years ago.”
— Dale Szczeblowski, Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA
“This is a vibrant and erudite engagement with Montaigne’s interrogation of his experience that somehow balances earnestness and cleverness while honoring the nuance of Montaigne’s thought. A book that lives up to its seemingly ironic title, teaching us to live a little more fully and a little more humbly.”
— Jeff Deutsch, Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, Chicago, IL