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jamonbread's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Wonderful narrative of an American eclipse, following the different threads of people and demonstrating how they come together and stand apart adds quite a bit of intrigue for a story on its outset about a phenomena that lasts 3 or so minutes. I was reminded of the devil in the white city.
captainsneakers's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.25
Fun read, though every time they used the phrase "total eclipse", my brain interrupted my train of thought with "OF THE HEAAAART", which slowed my progress some. Lots of sidebars in this book, which was both good and bad; there were many things I found interesting, but I also spent a lot of time thinking, 'I sure hope we get back to the eclipse soon.'
alicecrow's review against another edition
I couldn’t finish this book fast enough and it returned to the library when I was about 20-30% in. Honestly, I wasn’t that interested in the lives of some of the scientists. The opening was great but it couldn’t keep my attention.
bailey_bea's review against another edition
3.0
"A total eclipse is a primal, transcendent experience. The shutting off of the sun does not bring utter darkness; it is more like falling through a trapdoor into a dimly lit, unrecognizable reality. The sky is not the sky of the earth-neither the star-filled dome of night nor the immersive blue of daylight, but an ashen ceiling of slate."
I grabbed this book after experiencing the magnificent total solar eclipse of August 2017. American Eclipse describes a young country recovering from a bloody war, coping with social change, and thirsting to be considered equal with Europe. Or that's at least how the book starts. Baron goes on to introduce a number of scientists, including James Craig Watson and Thomas Edison, and focuses on their lives before, during, and after the eclipse. So much so, it sometimes seems the book is just a compendium of small biographies and scientific rivalries.
While the actual information provided in American Eclipse is interesting, the book itself is quite tedious. I never really enjoyed reading it. In fact, I was ecstatic to find out that of its 330 pages, the book ends on page 238 (the latter half is used for notes, indices, and bibliographic information).
I grabbed this book after experiencing the magnificent total solar eclipse of August 2017. American Eclipse describes a young country recovering from a bloody war, coping with social change, and thirsting to be considered equal with Europe. Or that's at least how the book starts. Baron goes on to introduce a number of scientists, including James Craig Watson and Thomas Edison, and focuses on their lives before, during, and after the eclipse. So much so, it sometimes seems the book is just a compendium of small biographies and scientific rivalries.
While the actual information provided in American Eclipse is interesting, the book itself is quite tedious. I never really enjoyed reading it. In fact, I was ecstatic to find out that of its 330 pages, the book ends on page 238 (the latter half is used for notes, indices, and bibliographic information).