Scan barcode
lisagray68's review
4.0
Got this book as an Early Reviewer copy from Library Thing. The main premise is that Andy, an evolutionary biologist who teaches a class called "There is No God", gets approached by Melissa, a student who wants to do her thesis on intelligent design. Although the characters are interesting, the main premise is that both points of view have valid points with reasons why people want to believe that particular way. The author, an atheist, says she would like to see us all "just get along" already! I don't think my church would go for it, but I think it would be a great book for our church book club. Lots of points to discuss here, and no easy answers.
rebeccafromflorida's review
3.0
I received this book from Devourer of Books in order to participate in her book club.
Oh how I wanted to like The Explanation for Everything by Lauren Grodstein more. Really. It seems like a good concept: Man has a fabulous life and wife. Man loses wife. Man believes in evolution. Maybe man will find G-d.
But no. . . Professor Andy Waite is an evolutionist, a believer in the Darwinian field. He’s also a college professor and teaches a class about how there is no G-d. A few years ago, Andy lost his wife to a drunk driving accident (the other guy was drunk) and has to raise his two girls on his own. Then Melissa, a student, enters his life and complicates things. This stuff I liked.
Rebecca @ Love at First Book
Oh how I wanted to like The Explanation for Everything by Lauren Grodstein more. Really. It seems like a good concept: Man has a fabulous life and wife. Man loses wife. Man believes in evolution. Maybe man will find G-d.
But no. . . Professor Andy Waite is an evolutionist, a believer in the Darwinian field. He’s also a college professor and teaches a class about how there is no G-d. A few years ago, Andy lost his wife to a drunk driving accident (the other guy was drunk) and has to raise his two girls on his own. Then Melissa, a student, enters his life and complicates things. This stuff I liked.
Rebecca @ Love at First Book
rickijill's review
3.0
This week I read another book club selection: The Explanation for Everything by Lauren Grodstein.
I truly had high hopes for this book because it explores one of the most polarizing debates: evolution v. intelligent design. Professor Andy Waite, a biology professor and diehard evolutionist at a liberal arts college in New Jersey, is challenged to sponsor an independent study for Melissa Potter. Melissa's goal is to write the definitive paper on intelligent design {and save Andy's soul}. Melissa is dared to make the request by Simon, a fellow member of Campus Crusade for Christ and one of Andy's 400 level students in his There Is No God class.
Andy has issues. He still grieves over his wife Louisa's tragic death caused by a drunk driver. The tragedy impacts his scholarship years later as he's attempting to prove a genetic element to alcoholism which would label it an incurable disease. Andy's application for a grant from the NSF and possibly his tenure depends upon the success of proving his theory in the lab. At this point he doesn't want to lose his job and uproot his tween daughters.
I couldn't believe how easily Andy is influenced by Melissa. She lacks beauty, grace, and sophistication (I include this because he is attracted to her and she's described as being very unattractive). Yet her arguments are much stronger than Andy's, and Andy stammers and cannot seem to defend his argument around her. If most of the dialogue had been a Lincoln-Douglas value debate, Melissa would have won easily. Plus, he doesn't seem to notice very much in his environment aside from women's hair. How can he not notice that his daughters are outgrowing their clothes and that the oldest one needs a training bra? He seems easily influenced: one minute he begins to believe in God through Melissa's arguments, and the next minute he waffles as he reads a transcript from his former graduate school mentor at Princeton. I must admit that I also can't get past his attraction to Melissa and an alcoholic neighbor (especially given his wife's tragic death), but then again maybe it's his obsession with hair. The limited omniscient narrator doesn't help the reader understand what's truly going on with him.
Some of the lesser themes like appropriate student-teacher relationships (there is a very unrealistic subplot concerning Andy's mentor and a tragedy with one of his female graduate students that ended his academic career), questions about God's nature (mercy v. justice), and forgiveness are better written than the book's central theme. I found Andy's character unbelievable for most of the book as well as unlikable. His ability to forgive at the end of the book helps redeem him a little in my eyes.
DISCLOSURE:
This book is definitely polarizing and many of the issues in the book are either/or. I'm a Christian and I do believe in intelligent design, and I also believe the viability of some of Darwin's theories. I believe that science is a gift from God that allows us to better understand His creation like math explains how His creation is organized. I also believe that God is just and merciful. However I did not let my beliefs influence how I reviewed this book.
I truly had high hopes for this book because it explores one of the most polarizing debates: evolution v. intelligent design. Professor Andy Waite, a biology professor and diehard evolutionist at a liberal arts college in New Jersey, is challenged to sponsor an independent study for Melissa Potter. Melissa's goal is to write the definitive paper on intelligent design {and save Andy's soul}. Melissa is dared to make the request by Simon, a fellow member of Campus Crusade for Christ and one of Andy's 400 level students in his There Is No God class.
Andy has issues. He still grieves over his wife Louisa's tragic death caused by a drunk driver. The tragedy impacts his scholarship years later as he's attempting to prove a genetic element to alcoholism which would label it an incurable disease. Andy's application for a grant from the NSF and possibly his tenure depends upon the success of proving his theory in the lab. At this point he doesn't want to lose his job and uproot his tween daughters.
I couldn't believe how easily Andy is influenced by Melissa. She lacks beauty, grace, and sophistication (I include this because he is attracted to her and she's described as being very unattractive). Yet her arguments are much stronger than Andy's, and Andy stammers and cannot seem to defend his argument around her. If most of the dialogue had been a Lincoln-Douglas value debate, Melissa would have won easily. Plus, he doesn't seem to notice very much in his environment aside from women's hair. How can he not notice that his daughters are outgrowing their clothes and that the oldest one needs a training bra? He seems easily influenced: one minute he begins to believe in God through Melissa's arguments, and the next minute he waffles as he reads a transcript from his former graduate school mentor at Princeton. I must admit that I also can't get past his attraction to Melissa and an alcoholic neighbor (especially given his wife's tragic death), but then again maybe it's his obsession with hair. The limited omniscient narrator doesn't help the reader understand what's truly going on with him.
Some of the lesser themes like appropriate student-teacher relationships (there is a very unrealistic subplot concerning Andy's mentor and a tragedy with one of his female graduate students that ended his academic career), questions about God's nature (mercy v. justice), and forgiveness are better written than the book's central theme. I found Andy's character unbelievable for most of the book as well as unlikable. His ability to forgive at the end of the book helps redeem him a little in my eyes.
DISCLOSURE:
This book is definitely polarizing and many of the issues in the book are either/or. I'm a Christian and I do believe in intelligent design, and I also believe the viability of some of Darwin's theories. I believe that science is a gift from God that allows us to better understand His creation like math explains how His creation is organized. I also believe that God is just and merciful. However I did not let my beliefs influence how I reviewed this book.
el1zabe4h's review
4.0
Lauren Grodstein tackles the origins of life and where we find meaning in this beautiful story of life, death, and rebirth. She handles the seriousness of this topic with beauty and lyrical prose. I appreciated the various perspectives her characters presented. Occasionally in novels about heavy topics such as this the authors personal view comes through. One comes away with a feeling of being used or manipulated. Not so in this case. Through her characters I viewed the issues from different perspectives and felt the emotions involved in their beliefs. This moving story had me riveted from the first page through the last page.
jessferg's review
3.0
This started out pretty strong - interesting story line, likable characters - and held my attention for a little more than half the story. Then the professor crosses the line and everyone questions everything they've ever believed...the end.
Rather scattered second half includes some rambling "manuscript" from the main character's mentor, who we never meet, that pretty much consists of a lot of egocentric ramblings of a bit player.
By the end I was disappointed that what started out as something that I thought was going to get at the heart of the evolution/intelligent design argument really just turned into a bunch of dislikable adults with a complete lack of commitment to anything or anyone, and a couple of kids you really feel sorry for.
Rather scattered second half includes some rambling "manuscript" from the main character's mentor, who we never meet, that pretty much consists of a lot of egocentric ramblings of a bit player.
By the end I was disappointed that what started out as something that I thought was going to get at the heart of the evolution/intelligent design argument really just turned into a bunch of dislikable adults with a complete lack of commitment to anything or anyone, and a couple of kids you really feel sorry for.
antessmer's review
3.0
Slightly frustrating, with some really irritating characters, but the story wasn't terrible. I just wasn't a huge fan. Read more review: here.
infinitezest's review
2.0
The premise of this book is so interesting - a biology teacher firmly entrenched in evolution meets a student who strongly believes in "intelligent design" and the two challenge each other's beliefs - but the story fell incredibly flat. The characters are two-dimensional and their choices aren't believable. This is the first time in a long time that I felt like a book was a complete waste of my time.
anrobe's review
3.0
I liked this book - it explored some interesting things about religion that I enjoyed reading about but this one didn't wow me or offer any life changing insight. I enjoyed the concepts explored considerably more than the story itself.