What I remembered of Peter Beard in days past was mostly the notoriety of his marriage to Cheryl Tiegs and that he was a photographer of exotic animals. So glad I picked up his biography as it was so much more. A brilliant, amazing life of adventure until it wasn’t.

Life can be so cruel. Biographer Graham Boynton was a friend and left no holds barred, reflecting on the good and bad of this legendary man. One of my favorite biographies.

What an interesting life this man had. Descended from old money. His great-grandfather, James Hill founded the Great Northern Railway and used his fortune on the arts. All of his children were exposed to the arts and had their own collections, so it was no surprise that Peter continued that.

He did everything to excess. Women, drugs, adventures in Africa. Even his death was noteworthy. He left his home in Montauk and was never seen alive again. Weeks later his body would be found in the forest. He had suffered from dementia.

He really had a wonderful talent and his work can be found in collections around the globe. The author was a friend for over 30 years and that adds so much to this interesting man’s life story.

NetGalley/October 11, 2022, St. Martin’s Press

I didn't know much about Peter Beard before reading this book, and it was informative and interesting. He was certainly an original, who went where he wanted and lived how he desired. His story is hard to relate to for the "average" person..

Interesting that the title of this book includes Photographer, Adventurer and Lover, for indeed Peter Beard was all three. This was a very informative book on the life of Peter Beard by his friend of 30 years. Ir is a frank look at his life including his strengths and weaknesses. At times I felt a little bogged down by African politics but it definitely was an interesting read about a man I was not familiar with.If you enjoy biographies this one will keep you reading. You may not like the man portrayed but have to admire his genius.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sara Beth Haring at St. Martin's Press for the suggestion and the ARC.

What drew me to the book, was the fact that Peter Beard was a photographer, and when I looked up his art, I like the creativeness of it, but as I read the book, I found most of it was something that I could not relate to.
Peter Beard lived a very self-indulgent lifestyle, with little regard to others.
The author, who knew Beard, was able to give us the many sides of his life. Peter lived in New York, but he loved Africa and spent much of his time there, doing good and bad at the same time. From working in Conservation, to being very reckless around the animals, endangering himself and the people that were around him.
He didn't seem to care about the value of his work in the beginning, always trading his art-photography for things he owed, drugs, flights, meals, hotels, you name it.
He was like a magnet for women and even when married he couldn't stop the womanizing. Maybe they thought he would be able to progress their careers, or maybe he did have that “je ne sais quois”.
I think a lot of people will like the book, as it is well written and fast paced, full of a glamorous lifestyle, and he had a lot of famous people as friends.
I wish I could have related to it, but at least it had me searching the internet for things that I read about.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin's Press for a copy of this book.

Beard was clearly larger than life with a compelling personality. Boynton explores his life, art, and affairs. Unfortunately, it borders on salacious at times in a way that feels trite. Definitely interesting read that ultimately feels somewhat superficial.

Peter Beard comes off as a pompous gold digger hitting up people to support him throughout his life. Graham Boynton tells us hundreds of times how devastatingly handsome Beard is and the same with the beautiful people" in his world.
Not likable and I didn't finish it because I just didn't care.

Peter Beard was a man who loved women, photography, Africa and women. Although he was married 35 years it didn’t stop him from pursuing his favorite animal… Women. Some say he was a male chauvinist and a racist but all agree he was a great photographer. He is even the cause for making photography and art form. He was larger than life and the center of any party and although he claimed to dislike celebrity he had a lot of celebrities as his ex lovers and friends. This was a great book one I enjoyed very much. I have never heard of Peter beard but Mr. Gram totally made him into a human with his contradictions floors and everything. I do want to say that a couple of people in the book said he wasn’t a racist because his wife was Asian and his ex lover was biracial, but I just want to point out that that isn’t the degree of a racist… I mean slaveowners slept with their female slaves didn’t they? I am not saying he was a racist I am just saying that isn’t a good predictor Aside from that they have mini interesting and wild stories in this autobiography of Peter Beard Sunny💕 aside from that they have mini interesting and wild stories in this autobiography of Peter Beard some may love them and some may hate him but all seem to respect him including the author of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you’re contemplating reading this book then let me nudge you in the right direction… Read it! Apart from his mysterious death his life was legendary and I don’t think enough people know about this guy. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own. I received this book from NetGalleyShelf and the publisher and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fascinating account of a truly iconic, talented and enigmatic man. Graham Boynton’s descriptive writing and realistic accounts of Beard’s life, brings this skilled man’s legacy to us in a well written novel. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Occasionally it is difficult to understand the publisher’s rationale in selecting a book’s title. NOT the case here!

This deep, detailed “ dive” into the life of this complex man was indeed a wild ride. I can only imagine ( after reading) how appealing a character he was to observe from afar. . . But, how dangerous it was to get close.

Graham Boynton has admirably presented the charm, genius, and appeal of Peter Beard. But, he has also detailed the darkness that engulfed him in many ways. As I read, i searched the internet for Photographs of Beard, and the author’s descriptions definitely capture the man just as well as photographs do. Mr. Boynton presents a very clear picture of this fascinating man.

This book was fantastic! The author, Graham Boynton, did a great job of bringing Peter Beard to life! Beard had so many close calls in his many trips to Africa. What a character! I found Beard’s story fascinating because he traveled in so many different circles, and who knew he was such a mooch! It seems like he leaned on everyone for cash or credit. This is a great Summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Arc!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Graham Boynton was Peter Beard’s friend for more than 30 years, spending time with Beard at his bush camp in Africa, in London, and his home base in Montauk. Boynton interviewed hundreds of Beard’s closest friends, lovers, and fellow artists to provide us with a biography of a man who was larger than life and lived a lifetime of contradictions. While lamenting modern society, he lived it up and jetted around the world. His charisma drew people to him who were loyal, yet he never seemed to reciprocate. While his lovers called him kind, he also had a cruel streak and was never faithful to any one woman. Art was his passion, and while he lived a jet-set lifestyle, he was oblivious to the cost, frequently finding himself broke and unable to afford a plane ticket home.

Boynton shows us all the intimate facets of Peter Beard, good, bad and in-between. The ending is especially sad, as Beard had such an untamed spirit, and his later years were lived in such forced restraint.

This led me on such a journey! Beard’s Hog Ranch in Kenya had been part of author Karen Blixen’s former coffee plantation, “at the foot of the Ngong Hills.” So many years since I saw Out of Africa, and the cinematography still remains stunning. I also purchased Beard’s The End of the Game and can’t wait for it to arrive!

A fascinating human study!

Graham Boynton's Wild: The Life of Peter Beard: was an incredible read.
I was only aware of Peter Beard's photography artwork from a college art class that had mentioned him marginally. When Sara Beth Haring at St Martin's said that I would enjoy the book I checked it out and was immediately intrigued--
Peter Beard seems to be a character who strode off the pages of an Ernest Hemingway novel. Adventurous, strong-willed, and maybe a little touched Beard seems also to have had a charisma that drew people to him including those like Francis Bacon, Cheryl Tiegs, and Iman. Peter Beard also seems to be a man who struggled with depression as well as dementia in his later years.
Graham Boynton did a great job describing the man and his work, and by the end, I wish I had had the chance to meet Beard myself.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #StMartin'sPress, Sara Beth Haring, and Graham Boynton for giving me the chance to get to know more about Peter Beard by reading #WildBook.

Graham Boynton is the right biographer for Peter Beard -- he knew him well and had a friendship that spanned many decades. But this is not a hagiography -- because of his access in Peter's life, he shows Peter's manic and depressive stages as well as the impact on his personal relationships. I remember hearing about Peter Beard when he was dating Cheryl Tiegs and was splashed over all of the society pages as he was photographed at Studio 54. He himself was a photographer known for his exotic photos of elephants and other African wildlife, sometimes entwined with a supermodel. He grew up in privilege but was erratic and careless when it came to money (he never seemed to have any forcing others to pick up the tabs or exchanging photos for meals). what makes this biography so good is it is comprehensive and provides multiple perspectives on who Peter Beard was. It becomes clear that he is living with a mental illness (undiagnosed for many years) and in the end, as he battles dementia, he wanders off near his home in the Hamptons to die. This book provides moments of exhilaration as we live vicariously through his many adventures. But beneath it all is also an incredible sadness. This book is definitely worth the read and Boynton has done an incredible job pulling together all the research as well as his own reflections on this larger-than-life enigmatic man.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A thoroughly enjoyable and wild ride into the life of the multifaceted Peter Beard.
Born into a family of prominence, educated at the Pomfret School and a graduate of Yale, Beard was an enigma. Dually drawn to the excitement of the African wilderness and the nightlife of New York City, placed him alongside the movers of the time, Mick Jagger, Jackie Onassis, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Truman Capote, His behaviors were addictive, erratic and Greatly affected by the works of Karen Blixen, who became a friend, Beard captured the African wetlands and wildlife in his photographs and books. His journals were works of art filled with drawing, photos, ephemera and quotes written in India ink and sometimes his own blood. He was equally an artist as he was an adventurer. Years of partying, womanizing and heavy drug use led to erratic behaviors that would eventually cloud his creativity.
Married three times, (his second wife was model Cheryl Tiegs), he was the father to a daughter Zara with his third wife Nejma.
In his later years, Beard suffered from dementia and the residuals of a stroke. He wandered from his Montauk home one afternoon and was found weeks later by a hunter in Camp Hero State Park.
An amazing life, a remarkable read and highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley, Graham Boynton and St Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

I own a gigantic coffee table book on Peter Beard’s photography. I couldn’t wait to find out more about his life. He was an incredibly interesting and talented person. This book is definitely a fascinating read.