The Passionate Journey by Irving Stone

Kansas small town 19 year old boy artist trying to find his place and ever searching to find himself...his addiction to creating and alcohol are eventually the things he can never master.

The celebrated novelist and master storyteller weaves yet another magnificent tale - and brings to life a vivid and unforgettable hero. John Noble - brilliant artist, hot-blooded lover and reckless adventurer, who fired a smouldering legend across two continents. From the dim-lit bistros of Paris to the glittering salons of New York, from European boulevards to the treacherous trails of the American West, Noble lived and loved with violent abandon - ruled only by one dazzling beauty who would lead him past the point of no return on a voyage into heartbreak and glory.