[2] The locations include Brno, Czech Republic; Helsinki, Finland; Kraków, Poland; and Edinburgh, Scotland.
[2] The author's research was complicated by the fact that Ligne only put his own name in his writings in a period close to his death and that he, in the words of Derek Beales of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, "without compunction" changed his own letters before they were published.
"[4] Beales wrote that it is "an elegant and lively book that is not only the first biography in English but the most reliable in any language.
[3] Malcolm also praised how the work is "overflowing with memorable incidents and characters, told with delicacy and great skill".
[3] Simon Sebag Montefiore of The Sunday Times stated it is "a superbly funny, colourful and debauched journey" and that he "wished it had been twice as long.