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raerei's review
4.0
In this collection of artists and scientific explorations, Lehrer attempts to show how art can explain what science cannot. Cezanne painted swatches of color that show how our eyes really do see - not as pixels but as swatches. Virginia Wolfe knew the mind was a fragmented collection of sensations held together by a self that arose from that and science has still not been able to find if there is a where for that greater self.
Very enjoyable book and unlike How We Decide, not filled with scientific stories that I had already heard. Made me much more interested in some of the classic writers and artists of our day. Although I probably won't read Gertrude Stein, I have a greater appreciation for George Elliot, Virginia Wolfe, Cezanne, and many others in that when/if I ever read/see/hear them, I will have a new perspective to enjoy them from.
Very enjoyable book and unlike How We Decide, not filled with scientific stories that I had already heard. Made me much more interested in some of the classic writers and artists of our day. Although I probably won't read Gertrude Stein, I have a greater appreciation for George Elliot, Virginia Wolfe, Cezanne, and many others in that when/if I ever read/see/hear them, I will have a new perspective to enjoy them from.
ultrabookgeek's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! A unique and lyrical way to view artists and their impact on how we truly view the world.
charliemudd's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book about how artists discovered/predicted certain scientific phenomena before scientists. Whitman on body/soul linkage, Proust on memory, Cézanne on sight were all great chapters.
darwin8u's review against another edition
3.0
I went into this thinking 1) it was going to be ALL about Proust and 2) I kinda know what Jonah Lehrer is going to say and 3) it will maybe be 3 to 4 stars. But damn. I both over and underestimated it. Crazy brain. I REALLY liked its structure: Proust was one chapter, but there were chapters on Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein, Walt Whitman, Paul Cézanne, Igor Stravinsky, etc..
He exceeded my expectations, kept me engaged, and even his Coda at the end was strong. Sometimes, it did feel a bit forced. Like he REALLY wanted Virginia Woolf to be able to explain the self so bad, but it was enjoyable as far as delivering an argument (with few citations).
It wasn't a perfect little book, but it was fun. HOWEVER --
I DO, unfortunately, have to re-evaluate an author by his later looseness with Bob Dylan*. See:
https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/107779/jonah-lehrers-deceptions
* thanks Maukan
He exceeded my expectations, kept me engaged, and even his Coda at the end was strong. Sometimes, it did feel a bit forced. Like he REALLY wanted Virginia Woolf to be able to explain the self so bad, but it was enjoyable as far as delivering an argument (with few citations).
It wasn't a perfect little book, but it was fun. HOWEVER --
I DO, unfortunately, have to re-evaluate an author by his later looseness with Bob Dylan*. See:
https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/107779/jonah-lehrers-deceptions
* thanks Maukan
bookwormmichelle's review against another edition
4.0
Snagged this fun book off Lindsay's to-read list. I enjoyed parts of this book very much; parts I thought were more forced, but overall it was great fun to explore the connections between current science and art. I personally think this book could have been expanded considerably to take into account other artists besides the very modern types profiled here, but this was an interesting start. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on Cezanne, Proust and Gertrude Stein, although about a page and a half into the Stein chapter I remember thinking "Oh, he's going to drag in Noam Chomsky, my least favorite linguist, isn't he" and then a couple of pages later, ta-da! Chomsky. LOL I'm just delighted to have found another human being who ever read Stein--they are few and far between where I live.
wilte's review against another edition
2.0
Too artsy. Chapter 3 on taste and Auguste Escoffier did stand out in a positive way, that chapter did have the right mix of art and science for me.
superlove's review against another edition
I was enjoying this one very much, but halfway through, I lost my copy. Wah!
Feb 23 UPDATE: After 1 month declared missing, Book has been recovered. Found hiding between washer and dryer. Back on my currently-reading list.
Feb 23 UPDATE: After 1 month declared missing, Book has been recovered. Found hiding between washer and dryer. Back on my currently-reading list.
dbj's review against another edition
3.0
I heart Jonah Lehrer. He's also got a really great blog called The Frontal Cortex (http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/), as well as another book - How We Decide - that I'm going to read next.
meeralee's review against another edition
2.0
Ach, I'd been looking forward to reading this for years, and I wish I liked it more. I love Jonah Lehrer whenever I hear him on the radio, and I really respect his incredibly thoughtful and serious approach to science writing, but in general—though many of his descriptions of the work of the artists and writers he's dealing with truly sparkle—I found this book in particular unconvincing and overreaching. Worst of all, I was a little bored. :(
aje9065a's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book to be incredibly engaging in both its discussions of neuroscience (fascinating stuff and very well-written) and literature (convincing me I need to reread George Elliot and stay away from Proust with a ten-foot pole).
However, the original thesis never really gelled. Whitman (& the mind/body connection) and Stravinsky (& the mind's reaction to atonality) are probably the best. The others felt far-feteched. I enjoyed them, but the topics retained their independence.
I want to give it higher marks, I did have fun reading it, but it failed at its goal.
However, the original thesis never really gelled. Whitman (& the mind/body connection) and Stravinsky (& the mind's reaction to atonality) are probably the best. The others felt far-feteched. I enjoyed them, but the topics retained their independence.
I want to give it higher marks, I did have fun reading it, but it failed at its goal.
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