I think this might be the best biography I've ever read. It's not just informative it's also hugely readable, it draws you in and engages both intellect and emotions. Hibberd's command of the facts of Owen's life, the content of his poetry, the progress of the war, and the society of the time is deeply impressive. I've read that this was the culmination of 30 years of research and I could well believe it. It's never presented as dry research though. While not allowing emotion and speculation to carry him away, Hibberd has a gift for writing in a way that helps you understand and identify with the poet. It feels like a much less ‘idealised’ version of Owen than has been presented in the past and it makes him feel all the more human and engaging.
I can’t recommend this highly enough, if you’re interested in Owen or WWI this book will not disappoint. Even you don’t start out interested though I imagine this book could very quickly drag anyone in.

Exhaustive biography of the poet which gives good coverage of his pre-war work. Accessible style. Nice illustrations and maps.

6/5 stars. I am left both immensely appreciative yet deeply upset and saddened after finishing this book. Dominic Hibberd has truly outdone himself with his work and devotion to Wilfred Owen in all stages of Owen’s life. Reflection on Owen’s life in detail is where I find myself torn. Hibberd has shown us all the important and even private, intimate details of Owen’s life, presenting him as a regular man, but also as a friend who’s company we have come to enjoy and love greatly. However, at least for me, this book is written so well about the events of his life that it almost doesn’t prepare you for his death; how useless it truly was, as the battle that was his last was also the last of the war, literally days away from Armistice. It is truly a pity that his poetry started taking a shape of its own in the last year and a half of his life, remaining virtually unknown. While it echoed people who he had long admired, both dead and living in his time, it had truly started to reflect his own vision, what stories he wanted to tell. This book has become one of my favorite books ever, and I am so thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to read it. I look forward to reading Hibberd’s other books on Owen. This book has only fueled my Wilfred Owen obsession even more. After reading this, I feel more sure of myself to tackle my thesis, and hopefully read and analyze his poems in the manner he intended. If not already there before, I now only have the utmost and profound respect for Wilfred Owen, the man, the soldier, the poet.

More than just a biography. The details of Owens life are presented in a very readable way with an astonishing amount of background. The 'under fire' actions are vivid in their description. 4 stars only because I prefer Sassoon!

Read this on a Battlefields tour to the Western Front. Learnt so much about Owen and it helped me piece together the poems with the locations and battles that inspired them. As a huge Owen fan, this was absolutely outstanding.

hibberd's style is pretty sweet.

Definitely the best biography I have ever read. I took it with me on a trip to France, and reading the corresponding pages right after visiting the places that Owen had been made it an even more emotional experience than it would have been in any case.

I happened upon this book in a public library and could not help but pick it up, having long admired Owen's WW 1 poems. Little did I know how much there was to know about his complicated biography. I knew nothing about his relationship with his mother and siblings, nothing about his self-styled literary education, and nothing about his life prior to enlisting. It's a great book, well researched and extremely careful in its conclusions. A very good reappraisal of a poet who if not already great during his war period certainly would have been if allowed by fate to live. If nothing else, Hibberd makes that clear. Owen was so close to surviving the war it's heartbreaking.

Interesting read about one of the most skilled poets of the 20th Century.

Absolutely one of the best biographies I've ever read. I feel utterly bereft now I've finished reading this. I kept wishing that history could somehow rewrite itself as I approached the last chapter...

A fantastic biography-Hibberd keeps enough distance from Owen so his account doesn't come across as too gushing, and his account of Owen's campaigns and battles were well written

This is a thoroughly researched biography of Wilfred Owen. I found it easier to read than others.