ɐkˈoːɹdɪŋ tə ɹˈɪtʃɚd mˈeɪbi ɪn hɪz tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹtiːn bˈʊk dɹˈiːmz ʌvðə ɡˈʊd lˈaɪf, tˈɑːmpsən "wʌzɐ səfˈɪstᵻkˌeɪɾᵻd ænd ɪmˈædʒɪnətˌɪv ɹˈaɪɾɚ, ɪnvˈɑːlvd ɪn ɐ mˈoːɹ kˈɑːmplᵻkˌeɪɾᵻd bˈɪznəs ðɐn stɹeɪtfˈɔːɹwɚd ˌɔːɾoʊbaɪˈɑːɡɹəfi".
According to Richard Mabey in his 2014 book Dreams of the Good Life, Thompson "was a sophisticated and imaginative writer, involved in a more complicated business than straightforward autobiography".