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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Wow. What a great book. A wonderful blend of history, biography, and science. But more than that, a story about a father and his daughter. I didn't know much about Galileo before, much less that he even had a daughter, but their story shows the human side of someone who has be come so legendary as to almost not even feel real. This made me feel like Galileo was a real person.
This is a quick biography of Galileo's later years. The titular daughter, sadly, is only present in a few letters and - to my modern way of thinking - is an occasionally obsequious and somewhat ... https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/02/book-review-galileos-daughter/
A good biography of Galileo but the title is kind of a misnomer imo. The book is mostly about him it just includes his lifelong correspondence with his daughter which I guess was drawn from newly discovered documents at the time.
blurb: I thought from the title that perhaps Galileo's daughter made contributions to science. She didn't, but it's still a good, readable history of Galileo's long life.
Longer version:
I wanted to like this more than I did. I learned a lot, and while listening to it on my commute to and from work, I was transported into early 17th century Italy, which despite the plagues, seemed like a pretty good place to be a thinker. Not so much to be a woman. But there's little moping over the state of women, much like his daughter Suor (Sister) Maria Celeste, Sobel turns nearly all of the attention to the dear Father, Galileo.
It's a very personal look at a scientist we all know stories about (under house arrest for the heliocentric view), but I found most of the stories I thought I knew were wrong in one way or another. Many people think of Galileo's house arrest as an example of science vs. church, as if Galileo left the church to pursue science, and that just isn't true. So, in that respect, I really enjoyed this book.
However, the personal life of Galileo, his hernia, his illnesses, and the fine details of life that come out in the letters of his daughter don't quite sing to me as they would perhaps by a different writer. Sobel does science writing for the masses very well. Translating the overly formal tones of Maria Celeste's letters into a father-daughter love is done adequately, but didn't move me at all until literally, the last few lines.
If you're interested in life in Galileo's time, and have any interest in the history of his works, it's definitely a must-read. Just don't expect a feminist bent to his daughter's story, or you'll view this book as part tragedy.
Longer version:
I wanted to like this more than I did. I learned a lot, and while listening to it on my commute to and from work, I was transported into early 17th century Italy, which despite the plagues, seemed like a pretty good place to be a thinker. Not so much to be a woman. But there's little moping over the state of women, much like his daughter Suor (Sister) Maria Celeste, Sobel turns nearly all of the attention to the dear Father, Galileo.
It's a very personal look at a scientist we all know stories about (under house arrest for the heliocentric view), but I found most of the stories I thought I knew were wrong in one way or another. Many people think of Galileo's house arrest as an example of science vs. church, as if Galileo left the church to pursue science, and that just isn't true. So, in that respect, I really enjoyed this book.
However, the personal life of Galileo, his hernia, his illnesses, and the fine details of life that come out in the letters of his daughter don't quite sing to me as they would perhaps by a different writer. Sobel does science writing for the masses very well. Translating the overly formal tones of Maria Celeste's letters into a father-daughter love is done adequately, but didn't move me at all until literally, the last few lines.
If you're interested in life in Galileo's time, and have any interest in the history of his works, it's definitely a must-read. Just don't expect a feminist bent to his daughter's story, or you'll view this book as part tragedy.
The breadth of this book is amazing. I got an intimate look at three different things: first and foremost. the life of a truly incredible and inspired scientist and mathematician. Second, a glimpse at the daily life and circumstances of women who lived in convents in Italy in the 17th century. Third, and what touched me most, an example of a truly exceptional father/daughter relationship.
Galileo was amazing: brilliant, inquisitive, determined and so human. I loved getting an in-depth understanding of what knowledge he actually gifted to the world. I loved to read about his experiments and how he made use of what materials and science were available to him. He loved and depended on his daughter, who was a truly selfless and dedicated woman. Her letters proved her to be a woman who was always thinking of others, trying to help solve their problems and, most importantly, prepared to do whatever her father would ask of her.
The book wasn't always easy to read - not because of Sobel's writing style (which I really enjoyed) but because Italian history is not my forte. Parts got slow for me and I finally just gave up remembering all those Italians. I will say though, when I picked it up, I never actually thought I would have TEARS, but when Suor Maria Celeste died, I cried. She was that impressive of a character. And it was painful to read about his imprisonment over telling the truth about the world as he saw it.
I'll finish by including one of my favorite lines of the book, actually, a quote by Galileo's son, Vincenzio (what a romantic name, eh?). About Galileo he said:
His most detested vice was the lie, maybe because with the help of the mathematic science he knew the beauty of Truth too well.
Galileo was amazing: brilliant, inquisitive, determined and so human. I loved getting an in-depth understanding of what knowledge he actually gifted to the world. I loved to read about his experiments and how he made use of what materials and science were available to him. He loved and depended on his daughter, who was a truly selfless and dedicated woman. Her letters proved her to be a woman who was always thinking of others, trying to help solve their problems and, most importantly, prepared to do whatever her father would ask of her.
The book wasn't always easy to read - not because of Sobel's writing style (which I really enjoyed) but because Italian history is not my forte. Parts got slow for me and I finally just gave up remembering all those Italians. I will say though, when I picked it up, I never actually thought I would have TEARS, but when Suor Maria Celeste died, I cried. She was that impressive of a character. And it was painful to read about his imprisonment over telling the truth about the world as he saw it.
I'll finish by including one of my favorite lines of the book, actually, a quote by Galileo's son, Vincenzio (what a romantic name, eh?). About Galileo he said:
His most detested vice was the lie, maybe because with the help of the mathematic science he knew the beauty of Truth too well.
I enjoyed this immensely. It’s really a biography about Galileo with snippets of his daughters’ lives via the eldest one’s letters. What a fascinating person he was! He accomplished so much and could have accomplished even more had it not been for the foolishness of the Catholic Church. What a waste of his valuable time and intellect the trial was. There are transcripts of the trial here, which were quite interesting, bits of his letters, passages from his books, explanations of his experiments, etc. It all flows nicely and is eminently readable.
I felt so bad for the daughters! To be forced into a convent and *such* a convent. (Galileo deemed them unmarriageable because they were illegitimate so he sent them to a Poor Clares convent. (He though scholars should be single and their mother was also of lower social status. Ugh.)) The whole idea of not owning anything so you have to beg for food, etc. makes no sense to me. Instead of being able to take care of yourself, you end up being a burden on your relatives and your local society. Suor Maria Celeste’s letters are often pitiful - they’re starving, she has no set room, she’s in poor health most of the time, she has to pull her own teeth(!), she has to ask for money from her father often. Under the religious claptrap and the almost worship of her father (maybe that was the writing style then?), she seemed to have a great deal of administrative ability. What a waste. And damn that convent for not saving Galileo’s letters to his daughter - what a loss to history.
I’m not sure if the younger sister, Suor Arcangela, ever wrote letters to her father or if they just weren’t preserved. His “strange, silent second daughter” just might have hated him for forcing her into the convent. If she didn’t want to be socked away in a convent, hungry and cold, with no freedom or family of her own, she must have gone through hell. One of the other poor nuns mentioned tried to commit suicide by banging her head and face on the floor and then stabbed herself 13 times with a pocket knife. What a horrible fate these convents were for anyone not very specifically suited to that life. In addition to the above listed hardships, the nuns couldn’t ever leave the convent. Ever. They visited with their father through a grill in a window between two rooms. The daughters were interred there at ages 13 and 12.
Towards the end of the credits, the author notes that “All biblical passages are rendered from the King James Version and from the New American Catholic Edition of the Holy Bible.” I’m curious about why, in a book about an ardent Catholic, she used a Protestant bible and an American bible instead of the version Galileo’s contemporaries would have used.
I felt so bad for the daughters! To be forced into a convent and *such* a convent. (Galileo deemed them unmarriageable because they were illegitimate so he sent them to a Poor Clares convent. (He though scholars should be single and their mother was also of lower social status. Ugh.)) The whole idea of not owning anything so you have to beg for food, etc. makes no sense to me. Instead of being able to take care of yourself, you end up being a burden on your relatives and your local society. Suor Maria Celeste’s letters are often pitiful - they’re starving, she has no set room, she’s in poor health most of the time, she has to pull her own teeth(!), she has to ask for money from her father often. Under the religious claptrap and the almost worship of her father (maybe that was the writing style then?), she seemed to have a great deal of administrative ability. What a waste. And damn that convent for not saving Galileo’s letters to his daughter - what a loss to history.
I’m not sure if the younger sister, Suor Arcangela, ever wrote letters to her father or if they just weren’t preserved. His “strange, silent second daughter” just might have hated him for forcing her into the convent. If she didn’t want to be socked away in a convent, hungry and cold, with no freedom or family of her own, she must have gone through hell. One of the other poor nuns mentioned tried to commit suicide by banging her head and face on the floor and then stabbed herself 13 times with a pocket knife. What a horrible fate these convents were for anyone not very specifically suited to that life. In addition to the above listed hardships, the nuns couldn’t ever leave the convent. Ever. They visited with their father through a grill in a window between two rooms. The daughters were interred there at ages 13 and 12.
Towards the end of the credits, the author notes that “All biblical passages are rendered from the King James Version and from the New American Catholic Edition of the Holy Bible.” I’m curious about why, in a book about an ardent Catholic, she used a Protestant bible and an American bible instead of the version Galileo’s contemporaries would have used.
I would have rated this book 4.5 if possible. I love how this book develops around the relationship between Galileo and his daughter. The result is a very "full" picture of Galileo's life (contrasted with the hundreds of books understandably focused solely on his scientific achievements and genius). The author is deft at placing Galileo, his daughter (and the Catholic church for that matter) in historical context. Too often authors try to scrutinize historical figures with their own modern morality.
I love books that both educate and entertain me, as this one did. I was particularly moved to learn that Galileo was devoutly religious and that he believed that all of his scientific discoveries testified of the greatness and intelligence of God, and the beauty of his creations.
I love books that both educate and entertain me, as this one did. I was particularly moved to learn that Galileo was devoutly religious and that he believed that all of his scientific discoveries testified of the greatness and intelligence of God, and the beauty of his creations.
Somehow engaging when not very exciting. No mistake this is a bio of Galileo. The daughter part is a light distraction from his life story. But the a great surprise conclusion to the story.
This was my first in depth look at Galileo and it really opened my eyes to his story. Famous for being the first person to point a telescope toward the stars and later being tried by the Inquisition, I came to find out there was a lot more to his story.
Sobel tells Galileo's story through the use of letters sent to him by his daughter Suor Maria Celeste. Unfortunately, all the letters written by him to her were destroyed so we can only see her side of things. Sobel gave life to Galileo so well that I envy those who knew him. He seems like such a smart guy and a wonderful person. He did everything right and everything that was asked of him by the church, and so it was quite amazing to see the Pope's reaction to his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, where Galileo compares the Copernican (sun centered) and Ptolemaic (earth centered) systems.
Pope Urban had been a friend of Galileo's before becoming Pope, and continued to be one in the early years of his papacy. He told Galileo that he could pursue his interests in a sun centered system as long as he posed it as hypothetical. And so Galileo wrote and published the Dialogue following this stipulation. It was reviewed two separate times by Father Riccardi, who discussed it with the Pope, before publication. Despite Urban having been a friend of Galileo's, he did not read the Dialogue when it was published because he was dealing with other things (30 years war, fearing Spanish intrigue, and doubling the papal debt). And so he had anonymous advisers judge it for him. Sobel says:
Besides this most famous of Galileo's works and its consequences, we read about his discovering the moons of Jupiter, how he discovered sunspots and used them to back up the Copernican system, and his theory on the motion of the tides and how the earth's movement caused them. He was also constantly ill throughout his life which affected the pace at which he could research and write. Once the inquisition was over and he was confined to house arrest, he began a new book about motion. Though not as infamous as the Dialogue, the new book titled Two New Sciences established Galileo as the father of modern physics.
Sobel's text and Maria Celeste's letters were put together seamlessly which made this an easy book to read and understand. The ending was especially touching, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about Galileo.
Sobel tells Galileo's story through the use of letters sent to him by his daughter Suor Maria Celeste. Unfortunately, all the letters written by him to her were destroyed so we can only see her side of things. Sobel gave life to Galileo so well that I envy those who knew him. He seems like such a smart guy and a wonderful person. He did everything right and everything that was asked of him by the church, and so it was quite amazing to see the Pope's reaction to his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, where Galileo compares the Copernican (sun centered) and Ptolemaic (earth centered) systems.
Pope Urban had been a friend of Galileo's before becoming Pope, and continued to be one in the early years of his papacy. He told Galileo that he could pursue his interests in a sun centered system as long as he posed it as hypothetical. And so Galileo wrote and published the Dialogue following this stipulation. It was reviewed two separate times by Father Riccardi, who discussed it with the Pope, before publication. Despite Urban having been a friend of Galileo's, he did not read the Dialogue when it was published because he was dealing with other things (30 years war, fearing Spanish intrigue, and doubling the papal debt). And so he had anonymous advisers judge it for him. Sobel says:
Galileo's enemies in Rome, whose number was legion, saw the Dialogue as a scandalous glorification of Copernicus. and the pope, already loudly accused of flagging Catholic zeal on the battlefronts of Europe, could not allow a new affront to go unpunished.And so began the Inquisition.
Besides this most famous of Galileo's works and its consequences, we read about his discovering the moons of Jupiter, how he discovered sunspots and used them to back up the Copernican system, and his theory on the motion of the tides and how the earth's movement caused them. He was also constantly ill throughout his life which affected the pace at which he could research and write. Once the inquisition was over and he was confined to house arrest, he began a new book about motion. Though not as infamous as the Dialogue, the new book titled Two New Sciences established Galileo as the father of modern physics.
Sobel's text and Maria Celeste's letters were put together seamlessly which made this an easy book to read and understand. The ending was especially touching, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about Galileo.
Read... Sort of. I didn't finish it. I enjoyed the history of the book, but also got lost in the history of it. I decided to give myself permission to not finish this one. But it was good to talk to someone who had finished it at bookclub!