GREEN METROPOLIS What the City Can Teach the Country About True Sustainability

GREEN METROPOLIS is David Owen's book-length version of his important and influential 2004 NEW YORKER article "Green Manhattan." Unfortunately, in the book Owen focuses too little on the environmental virtues of high-density urban living. Instead he wanders across the landscape of environmental initiatives, finding little he likes. Owen is an excellent prose stylist. His punchy sentences work well in an audiobook. Owen can be quite funny, although this book tends more to righteous declaration. Patrick Lawlor's clear, even narration is easy to take. Lawlor conveys both Owen's humor and dissatisfaction without too much drama. Lawlor's slightly nasal tone complements the author's Midwestern roots and conveys his general displeasure with the world beyond Manhattan. F.C. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]