PositiveThe AtlanticIronically, in attempting to argue for Birkin as a secret visionary, Meltzer neglects what about her life was most interesting: her ability to remain famous for being, well, Jane Birkin ... Throughout the book, a tension arises between the story that Birkin told about her life, and how Meltzer interprets that story ... The book takes flight once Birkin’s life aligns more smoothly with Meltzer’s thesis about her underappreciated qualities.
Elizabeth Rush
PositiveLos Angeles Review of BooksIn her lyrical and fact-packed investigative effort, Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, Elizabeth Rush successfully attempts to bridge the gap between the scientific and a terrifying aesthetic ... Climate change literature is notoriously dry and pessimistic. Rush does her best to avoid these pitfalls by weaving data into personal tales that don’t shy away from doubts ... This honest vulnerability is Rush’s best narrative approach ... The author’s largely successful lyrical approach to environmental writing is complemented by the structure of her storytelling ... Rush’s effort to make scientific journalism digestible is also at times bogged down by esoteric language that might inadvertently distance the reader ... Rush makes her writing part of the reader’s journey to actively seek out the unfamiliar.
