A review by hollyd19
Radiant: The Dancer, the Scientist, and a Friendship Forged in Light by Liz Heinecke

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Liz Heinecke’s dual biography of Marie Curie and Loïe Fuller is an engrossing story of two women at the tops of their fields whose passionate curiosity lead them to a generative, supportive friendship. Written with pace and creativity, I learned about these luminaries and came away with refreshed appreciation for the world’s innovators. 

I was familiar with Marie Curie in the way most everyone is: the woman scientist who discovered radium and won the Nobel prize. There are certainly other biographies of her out there — likely more robust and granular — but this rendition followed the complete arc of her life with special emphasis on the intersections with artist Loïe Fuller. Unlike Marie Curie, I was not familiar with Fuller, which is honestly sort of bonkers given my dance background and love of theater. While one of these women achieved lasting notoriety, the other has largely faded from memory despite her intense, lasting impacts on performance arts. She developed extraordinary lighting techniques for the stage where she performed highly creative dances that created mesmerizing illusions. Her interest in light ultimately led her to reach out to Marie Curie who had recently discovered radioactivity and was working to isolate radium — an element that gives off light. 

Many parts of their stories are surreal and improbable in the way that some of the best nonfiction is. There is romance and scandal and breakthroughs and war and murder and heartbreak, all on the backdrop of Paris at the turn of the century with a star-studded background cast. Author Liz Heinecke uses creative nonfiction to imbue the stories with dialogue and life all while bringing to the fore two truly extraordinary women. If you were already a casual fan of Marie Curie, this will make you even more impressed. And brace yourself for Loïe Fuller — a woman full of drive and wonder whose historical erasure is a real shame. 

All in all, a fantastic read that I’d recommend without reservation!
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