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canttalknow_reading's review against another edition
4.0
I've read a lot of general science/physics/cosmology books and it's to Stephen Hawking's credit that he can so easily and eloquently teach me a new way of looking at the world. The synthesis of the 'many worlds' hypothesis with M-theory and how that can fit into a grand design was inspiring. Stephen Hawking truly is a great thinker of our time.
in_between_pages's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmmmm..
I enjoyed the science part of this book. Universe. Cosmology. Physics. M-Theory. All that.
But the book fails to deliver. It seems incomplete. It didn't really answer the 'why' questions about life it posed. Even if it tried, it completely failed and wasn't convincing at all ! I thought the last chapters would show me something about Hawking. It only convinced that such things are beyond the grasp of a human mind. The answers Hawking seems to provide do nothing more than provoke more 'why' questions.
If you want to read this book, read it for the science part. Nothing more.
I enjoyed the science part of this book. Universe. Cosmology. Physics. M-Theory. All that.
But the book fails to deliver. It seems incomplete. It didn't really answer the 'why' questions about life it posed. Even if it tried, it completely failed and wasn't convincing at all ! I thought the last chapters would show me something about Hawking. It only convinced that such things are beyond the grasp of a human mind. The answers Hawking seems to provide do nothing more than provoke more 'why' questions.
If you want to read this book, read it for the science part. Nothing more.
alanvonlanthen's review against another edition
3.0
a bit disappointing actually. Not as good as his previous books. And the point about god wasn't convincing (even though I'm an atheist...)
antonioneme's review against another edition
4.0
A superb book. My opinion is that Mlodinow is taking the book towards a more quantitatively area, with an in-depth explanation, at the time that Hawking is trying to lead the reader to a more physolophical perspective.
tanja_alina_berg's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book easy to read, sprinkled with humour. Despite this I'm left wondering whether I understood anything at all. Stephen Hawking delves into the origin of the universe and its laws that support our existence so wonderfully. One of the problems with physics is its inability to combine quantum theory with Newton's law of gravity (among other things). With the M-theory, things can be explained separately, giving truth in a patchwork of overlapping theories instead of a single unified one. "The grand design" doesn't explain anything in any depth and appears deceptively simple. I'm perplexed enough to want to continue with Brian Greene's "the Hidden Reality" which appears to tackle many of the same problems - quantum theory, multiple universes - in greater detail. I'm not sure it will help my understanding much, but it might satisfy some of my infinite curiosity on the mysteries of deep space, eventhough I can't hope to grasp all the details. If you never read above your level, how can you hope to make any progress?
mattdcbusreader's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
vkurup's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook. I probably would have like the actual book more. It's tough to concentrate on quantum theory while driving :)
lovespeakseverylanguage's review against another edition
4.0
My first Stephen Hawking book - it feels like I’ve arrived! (…someplace nerdy
britineurope's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very accessible and gentle introduction to some of the bigger concepts in Physics. As a complete novice, I found it engaging even if the attempts at humour were entirely dry and I would imagine some readers found the tone Mlodinow/Hawking used as very condescending. For me it was about the right length and provided information at the right points to not overload a reader like myself who needed time to absorb these new concepts. All in all a really good example of a popular science book.
The things that I didn't like were mainly just general points - Mlodinow gets to play second fiddle while Hawking takes all the glory? Whether this was the publisher's decision because they thought it would sell more copies or otherwise, shame on them for not giving equal precedence. The second was that in the first illustration of the double-slit experiment, the authors don't explain that this has to be viewed almost in 2D, not allowing for the buckyballs to take alternative paths around. I had to get a PhD friend to clarify, as this raises obvious questions that then are not elaborated on when the next 3D illustration is shown of the double-slit. There are also some very grand statements made about Philosophy at the beginning of the book that Hawking then contradicts a few chapters after. I'm also sure that the edition didn't need to be that glossy for the sake of a couple of second-rate graphics. The damn thing is only thin and weighs the same as a small hippopotamus...
The things that I didn't like were mainly just general points - Mlodinow gets to play second fiddle while Hawking takes all the glory? Whether this was the publisher's decision because they thought it would sell more copies or otherwise, shame on them for not giving equal precedence. The second was that in the first illustration of the double-slit experiment, the authors don't explain that this has to be viewed almost in 2D, not allowing for the buckyballs to take alternative paths around. I had to get a PhD friend to clarify, as this raises obvious questions that then are not elaborated on when the next 3D illustration is shown of the double-slit. There are also some very grand statements made about Philosophy at the beginning of the book that Hawking then contradicts a few chapters after. I'm also sure that the edition didn't need to be that glossy for the sake of a couple of second-rate graphics. The damn thing is only thin and weighs the same as a small hippopotamus...