crazypug250's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
lottieal's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lexiealbert's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't expect the book to be so focused on her childhood. I felt her key achievements and actual contributions were not even included in the novel but only in the note at the end.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Ada Byron has a disreputable genius of a father and a restrictive mother. Her father lives abroad and dies when she is young but Ada inherits some of his instability as well as her mother's skill for mathematics. Ada longs to break free of society and become that new thing, a scientist, but she has a path mapped out for her by society. When she meets an inventor called Babbage, Ada is inspired and then realises that she can improve his ideas.
I was asked to read this book with a view for it to be taken up in a school reading programme and I do intend to recommend it. The language is age appropriate and the story very much appealing to the 'Bridgerton' fans with added science. Gray is unable to avoid the scandal associated with Byron himself but it is handled sensitively.
I was asked to read this book with a view for it to be taken up in a school reading programme and I do intend to recommend it. The language is age appropriate and the story very much appealing to the 'Bridgerton' fans with added science. Gray is unable to avoid the scandal associated with Byron himself but it is handled sensitively.
ellenclifton's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
izzyafternoon's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
sunflowers_sunsets's review against another edition
5.0
I, Ada is nothing short of fantastic. Ada Lovelace is a brilliant topic for a children's book, and Julia Gray's masterpiece (I think it can deserve that title) definitely lives up to the interesting and inspiring woman that this novel is about.
It might be worth pointing out that I, Ada is about the young Ada Lovelace, the naïve little girl who knows little about the important things that have led up to her current life- her father, mainly. This book ends where the inventing begins, as Ada's collaboration with Charles Babbage only really starts in the Epilogue. For me, this works well, not only because this book is meant to be for children/young teenagers, but also because it chronicles a period of Ada's life that often gets overshadowed by her later successes as a grown woman. If you're looking for a book about the Analytical Machine, then this is not it, but it is still equally fascinating in its own right.
I, Ada is a one-off. The unique narrative voice of Ada has stuck with me even after finishing the book, and sometimes the writing is just truly beautiful. This book has created a benchmark for all historical fiction books that I will ever read to follow.
It might be worth pointing out that I, Ada is about the young Ada Lovelace, the naïve little girl who knows little about the important things that have led up to her current life- her father, mainly. This book ends where the inventing begins, as Ada's collaboration with Charles Babbage only really starts in the Epilogue. For me, this works well, not only because this book is meant to be for children/young teenagers, but also because it chronicles a period of Ada's life that often gets overshadowed by her later successes as a grown woman. If you're looking for a book about the Analytical Machine, then this is not it, but it is still equally fascinating in its own right.
I, Ada is a one-off. The unique narrative voice of Ada has stuck with me even after finishing the book, and sometimes the writing is just truly beautiful. This book has created a benchmark for all historical fiction books that I will ever read to follow.
ponts's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 Stars
I did enjoy myself while reading, although it took me forever to finish this book. Which is in parts the fault of the 20 thousand exams I had to write and in another part the fault of the way my brain works. As I tend to read from chapter to chapter and then make a little pause before continuing on, so having around 50 chapters is kinda distracting.
Another thing that I hated is that it felt as if all progress we had made characterwise in the plot suddenly vanished. There was a hard cut between the Ada we saw for the majority of the novel and the Ada that acted in the last chapter in the Prologue. And that felt to me as if Julia Gray wrote about an idea she had of Ada Lovelace and than suddenly needed to make her idea fit in with history, which didn't blend in well.
It is a fine novel apart from the ending though.
I did enjoy myself while reading, although it took me forever to finish this book. Which is in parts the fault of the 20 thousand exams I had to write and in another part the fault of the way my brain works. As I tend to read from chapter to chapter and then make a little pause before continuing on, so having around 50 chapters is kinda distracting.
Another thing that I hated is that it felt as if all progress we had made characterwise in the plot suddenly vanished. There was a hard cut between the Ada we saw for the majority of the novel and the Ada that acted in the last chapter in the Prologue. And that felt to me as if Julia Gray wrote about an idea she had of Ada Lovelace and than suddenly needed to make her idea fit in with history, which didn't blend in well.
It is a fine novel apart from the ending though.
pagesandpaws's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a strange mix of fact and fiction, so do be aware that the author does take some creative liberties when reading. That being said you can definitely tell that it has been well researched and this author has given a lot of time and effort to really understanding this character. Unfortunately the storyline was just not what I was looking for and some of the great events that I wish were celebrated more were left out of the book. If you are looking for a coming of age and background story for Adas childhood then this is for you, if like me you were looking for a greater insight into her amazing work you may be left disappointed.