Reviews

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman

thoughtorigins's review

5.0

Ever wondered about time ? What if time were backwards ? What if time stopped when you are traveling from one place to another ? ....that would be a good thing right?! but what if time accelerated when you are eating that delicious dessert ? it would quite a disaster. What would happen if one controlled time ? Would you pinch those hours spent in long traffic jams into a couple of minutes or would you extend those beautiful moments to a year when you meet a friend after a long time. What if time was physical dimension and as a kid you could run into the future and stop when you are 25 years old without passing 25 years of conventional time. What if you only lived for one day or had no concept of past or future ? The above things would surely get you thinking, and in a universe with slightly different physics rules all the above scenarios are equally probable. This little book Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman (~150 pages ) fills your head with a million ideas and also stir the imagination which is not bound by time but actually tries to see time from a distance. Probably the best short book I have read. Spend your 'time' on this book. Its worth the read :)

lunarstrudel's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

I think I first read this for high school long ago, it's my favorite book from then and one of the few that I return to over and over again. 

oleh's review

adventurous informative inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.5

jcstillo93's review

lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

3.0

isanto's review

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Pretty and thought-provoking, but not substantive enough for me.

langos_ta's review

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Quite an easy read. More expository than thought-provoking.

rmbolton's review

5.0

A brilliant book! I read it in 1997 and I still think about it, read it, and talk about it.

tsefalofor's review

1.0

makes you think, but only very boring things ...

but all this swiss talk of gymnasiums reminds one oftthe podcast where he keeps mentioning He went to the Someone-Someone Gymnasium… he graduated from the gymnasium… Lol they are um doing so much sports? idont get why they have so many gymnasiums i guess they love sports… how much more stupid can you be ??!!!?????!!

towercity's review

2.0

some suggestions of other alternate worlds for the sequel:

1. a world in which after you die you feel your body decay so people practice or something profound-like

2. a world in which "make love" is shorthand for "join the status quo" and "work at the pharmacy" is short for "be a bohemian with the same commitment as a theme restaurant"

3. a world in which there is so much time i would not have felt i'd wasted it on alan lightman

vegandanimal's review

4.0

Very strange book. Rather like a literary flash fiction collection crossed with a popular science book.
I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I got as much of it as other readers on this website have. I may have to read it again.
Which is a recommendation in its self.