PositiveMinneapolis Star TribuneSevergnini is an excellent travel companion, witty — sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes slyly amusing — and perceptive, with a particular genius for the summative statement ... While Severgnini finds much to admire in other cultures and is always willing to laugh at Italian foibles, he is also justifiably proud of his own nation’s cultural history and is aware of its impact on the present ... The seven pages of advice on writing, while geared toward travel writing, are useful even for writers stationary at their desks ... brings the stages, cafes and bazaars to us as we relax by the fire.
Stephen Greenblatt
RaveThe Minneapolis Star TribuneGreenblatt’s particular genius is in synthesizing a vast array of knowledge, connecting the dots between anthropology, archaeology, biology, theology, history, philosophy, art and literature ... In The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve he does this brilliantly, creating a compelling and nuanced account of the way this little story 'has over centuries decisively shaped conceptions of human origins and human destiny' ... Greenblatt delineates these contesting readings with wit, subtlety and dramatic flair, bringing them to life by showing what was at stake in the real world of ethics, politics and dogma. His greatest achievement here is his deep cultural analysis of key texts — theological, literary and visual.
Thomas E. Ricks
RaveThe Minneapolis Star TribuneRicks wisely skims lightly over the early years of his subjects and, with Churchill, his ineffectual later years, as well, focusing instead on the 'fulcrum point,' the 1930s and 1940s, when both men were frequently lonely voices in the wilderness ... Churchill & Orwell is an eminently readable, frankly inspirational and exceptionally timely tribute to the two men Simon Schama called 'the architects of their time.' It is to be hoped that their counterparts in intellectual clarity and moral courage are among us today.