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kt122 's review for:
This is a book about the history of science and the relationship between science and other social/cultural forces, like religion. Given that we live in a time when many people deny climate change and evolution and don't want science taught in school, it's important to consider that some truths that we accept as givens actually were a long time in coming. In this case, Galileo's proof of the Copernican theory that the Earth was not stationary took years to demonstrate and write up and then about 200 years to be accepted. I appreciate that the book gave me a sense of the times Galileo lived in. The clergy were well-educated on science, but their own political ambitions often clouded judgment and action. What Galileo was able to prove became the foundation for physics and a myriad of breakthroughs. He did it with limited resources. He also had some inaccurate ideas about many things, like sunspots and comets.
As many other reviewers have said, the book title in misleading. It's not really about his daughter. Because of the focus on his family/personal life, we do get insight into norms of the time. He didn't marry the mother of his children which meant his daughters had to become nuns. Illegitimate women couldn't marry. But the author does not explore the gender dynamics of the day. We have no idea what wasted talents the daughter had, if any. There is a focus on the letters one daughter wrote to Galileo. But Sobel accepts the language in the letters at face value. They use flowery, excessive language of love and devotion to the father, as well as subservience. Based on this, Sobel concludes the daughter was devoted to the father. But we don't know how much of this is convention and how much true emotion. She may have just been writing like that to get monetary support. Her life was extremely limited by the convent, so her connection with Galileo was one of her only diversions. We have no idea if she resented his behavior. Despite the title, this is NOT a book about the daughter and it's certainly not about gender. There were Lots of possibilities to explore in this vein, which were left untouched.
I listened to the audio version read by George Guidall. He sounded like a VERY stuffy Walter Pidgeon. Had his voice not been translating the words, I think I would have enjoyed the book more.
As many other reviewers have said, the book title in misleading. It's not really about his daughter. Because of the focus on his family/personal life, we do get insight into norms of the time. He didn't marry the mother of his children which meant his daughters had to become nuns. Illegitimate women couldn't marry. But the author does not explore the gender dynamics of the day. We have no idea what wasted talents the daughter had, if any. There is a focus on the letters one daughter wrote to Galileo. But Sobel accepts the language in the letters at face value. They use flowery, excessive language of love and devotion to the father, as well as subservience. Based on this, Sobel concludes the daughter was devoted to the father. But we don't know how much of this is convention and how much true emotion. She may have just been writing like that to get monetary support. Her life was extremely limited by the convent, so her connection with Galileo was one of her only diversions. We have no idea if she resented his behavior. Despite the title, this is NOT a book about the daughter and it's certainly not about gender. There were Lots of possibilities to explore in this vein, which were left untouched.
I listened to the audio version read by George Guidall. He sounded like a VERY stuffy Walter Pidgeon. Had his voice not been translating the words, I think I would have enjoyed the book more.