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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
i have mixed feelings about this one
Pros: this book was definitely well-researched and was able to explain the main themes of perseverance, dedication, and genius in Galileo’s life. it was pretty well-rounded in that it talked about both the scientific principles that Galileo discovered in an easy to understand way and the biographical part about Galileos life.
Cons: The title is a complete misnomer. This is not a book about Galileo’s daughter, it is about Galileo himself. Although reading about her life wouldn’t be very interesting since she is a nun, i wish the title wasn’t as misleading. and while Galileo was definitely dedicated to and loved his daughter, it didn’t feel as if she were a grand source of inspiration like the beginning of the book implies. also, the book had a tendency to elaborate on certain details that weren’t necessarily crucial to the story in a way that made it seem like they were, and then only brush over things that would turn out to be very important later. Because of this, i kept on having to flip back to remember the importance of different people and occurrences.
Overall: this was a pretty good book, it was not necessarily my cup of tea though which is why i’m only giving it 3 stars. if you have a previous interest in Galileo or in Italy from that time period, then this book might be more for you.
(this is the longest review i’ve written so far)
Pros: this book was definitely well-researched and was able to explain the main themes of perseverance, dedication, and genius in Galileo’s life. it was pretty well-rounded in that it talked about both the scientific principles that Galileo discovered in an easy to understand way and the biographical part about Galileos life.
Cons: The title is a complete misnomer. This is not a book about Galileo’s daughter, it is about Galileo himself. Although reading about her life wouldn’t be very interesting since she is a nun, i wish the title wasn’t as misleading. and while Galileo was definitely dedicated to and loved his daughter, it didn’t feel as if she were a grand source of inspiration like the beginning of the book implies. also, the book had a tendency to elaborate on certain details that weren’t necessarily crucial to the story in a way that made it seem like they were, and then only brush over things that would turn out to be very important later. Because of this, i kept on having to flip back to remember the importance of different people and occurrences.
Overall: this was a pretty good book, it was not necessarily my cup of tea though which is why i’m only giving it 3 stars. if you have a previous interest in Galileo or in Italy from that time period, then this book might be more for you.
(this is the longest review i’ve written so far)
A wonderful book! It was fascinating to contrast Galileo’s life with that of Maria Celeste, sequestered in her nunnery. The close relationship between the devoted daughter and the aging loving father is beautifully drawn using Maria Celeste’s letters. These are interspersed with a biography of Galileo, clear explanations of his theories and experiments, and a devastating description of his suffering and trial. All the while his clever, educated and humble daughter supported and encouraged him, while he supported and lavished affection on her.
As another reviewer pointed out, the subtitle of the book ‘A Drama of Science, Faith and Love’ is a perfect description.
As another reviewer pointed out, the subtitle of the book ‘A Drama of Science, Faith and Love’ is a perfect description.
medium-paced
Although occasionally waxing poetic, this is a fascinating and well-woven telling of Galileo's life. You are welcome to read my full thoughts at http://dialecticdialogue.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/ten-things-i-learned-about-galileo-this-week-that-i-may-or-may-not-have-known-before/
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
This is a very solid biography of Galileo, with an added focus on his relationship with his eldest daughter, who spent most of her life in a Florentine convent. The book is tied together with translations of her many letters to him (sadly, his letters to her have been lost - thought to have been destroyed by the Mother Superior after her death).
I really enjoyed this, both for her clear writing style, and for the focus on Suor Maria Celeste. We get the "great man" style of biography with the parts about Galileo - a really fascinating figure to me - and we also get a story about an intelligent woman in a period we don't have a lot of female biographies from. The parts about daily life in a convent were really interesting to me as a look into a historically female-run society.
The author's thesis seems to center on tearing down the popular idea of Galileo as an intellectual bad boy taking on the Catholic church head-on, submitting instead a view of him as a devout Catholic who didn't see a necessary confrontation between faith and science. This is a thesis I can totally support, but I feel like Sobel sometimes sacrifices scholarship for readability, in that a lot of her assertions aren't cited. There is an extensive bibliography in the back of the book, but that isn't necessarily helpful for the more casual reader. There were points where I wasn't sure where history ended and the author's inferences began, and some footnotes would have really served to clear that up for me.
I really enjoyed this, both for her clear writing style, and for the focus on Suor Maria Celeste. We get the "great man" style of biography with the parts about Galileo - a really fascinating figure to me - and we also get a story about an intelligent woman in a period we don't have a lot of female biographies from. The parts about daily life in a convent were really interesting to me as a look into a historically female-run society.
The author's thesis seems to center on tearing down the popular idea of Galileo as an intellectual bad boy taking on the Catholic church head-on, submitting instead a view of him as a devout Catholic who didn't see a necessary confrontation between faith and science. This is a thesis I can totally support, but I feel like Sobel sometimes sacrifices scholarship for readability, in that a lot of her assertions aren't cited. There is an extensive bibliography in the back of the book, but that isn't necessarily helpful for the more casual reader. There were points where I wasn't sure where history ended and the author's inferences began, and some footnotes would have really served to clear that up for me.
Way more of a biography of Galileo with letters from his daughter that happen to be in the right chronological spaces. Good, but a little too scientifically technical for my taste.
This book is well-written, just not really to my taste. Has interesting bits of history, but really is a story of Galileo not his daughter.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced