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katj3x's review
took me three tries to get going with this – all those examples built around simpsons mythos put me off hard – but it turned out to be a good and entertaining overview of contemporary physics, if often indeed superficial to the point of incomprehensibility. (the simpsons do mercifully go away after a few chapters, although mulder and scully then make an appearance to try to compensate for what they must take to be leftover seriousness. the rest of the book then boasts what must be two of the most bizarre images ever set down in science writing: «what would happen if you were to drop a frog into a hot metal bowl with a pile of worms lying in the center»; «think of a huge but flexible box filled with many thousands of swarming children, incessantly running and jumping». whether these make a plus or a minus is up for you to decide, no disclosure needed.)
violethazel's review
3.75
WE DID IT JOE!!!! good lord it has taken me FOREVER to read this book. there are some fascinating parts, and i think greene does a good job of explaining complex physical phenomena, but i could not read this for more than a few days in a row. it works well if you read it bit by bit, but not at all for all in one go (which is how I tend to read my books). I also didn't really like the fixation on string theory in the latter third of the book, simply because of the astounding lack of evidence for it. having read this book in 2024, 20 years after publication, it's actually really interesting to see what has held up and what experimental evidence has been found (and what has been disproved).
all in all, i would recommend this book, but i would advise you to take it slowly and not try to rush through it because this book basically ACTIVELY resists it. would love to read an updated copy though.
all in all, i would recommend this book, but i would advise you to take it slowly and not try to rush through it because this book basically ACTIVELY resists it. would love to read an updated copy though.
kimball_hansen's review
2.0
Only two stars because much of it went way over my head. I enjoy the cosmos and learning about it but I need to be careful because I can't understand everything on it. But he did explain String Theory well so that was a plus.
Motion has meaning only in a relational sense.
The end.
Motion has meaning only in a relational sense.
The end.
vrjinyuh's review
5.0
listened to it via audio book (do not recommend - horrid narrator) but i loveeeee brian he is so smart
tomrrandall's review
4.0
I didn't grasp enough of the physics to give it more than 4 stars, but it's presented very well and interesting throughout.