doctabird's review against another edition
2.0
I tried to like this book considering I'm studying neuroscience and I'm endlessly interested in the crossover between neuroscience and other disciplines (scientific or other). However, the book was so dry and I had difficulty getting through it. I enjoyed the chapter on food (August Escoffier) and the music chapter (Igor Stravinsky) held my attention, but I jumped around the other chapters and didn't quite finish all of them. I still like the concept behind the book, I just wish it was a bit more readable.
jamesthomas79's review
5.0
Fantastic non-fiction. I learned so much!
Perfect for me as a lover Proust and neuroscience. But the other artists in the book I knew little about, so it was an even better read than I anticipated
Perfect for me as a lover Proust and neuroscience. But the other artists in the book I knew little about, so it was an even better read than I anticipated
pinkhydroflask's review
3.0
knocking off one star because i got bored a couple of times and had to take a kdrama break. loved the chapter on stravinsky and impressionism too. would recommend, but it takes some patience to get through
ashbethindia's review against another edition
1.0
As the author has confessed to plagiarism and downright making things up, I cannot give this book anything but one star, unfortunately.
dianaj23's review against another edition
5.0
This book is the 2018's revelation. In "Proust Was a Neuroscientist" Jonah Lehrerdescribes how artists have managed to discover realities about human brain long before science has even begun to grasp them. This book's "characters" are Walt Whitman, George Elliot, Auguste Escoffier, Marcel Proust, Paul Cezanne, Igor Stravinsky, Gertrude Stein and Virginia Woolf. Their art anticipated revelations about how we really see, feel, speak. Ahead of their times, in the light of science their mastery becomes even more clear.
And what Jonah Lehrer tries to do in this marvelous volume is to reconcile art and science. Their relationship has gain a bad reputation throughout time, but Lehrer points out, in clear language and with obvious passion, that they enhance, rather than cancelling each other.
That one without the other is not possible. Not if we want to understand the world we live in completely.
And what Jonah Lehrer tries to do in this marvelous volume is to reconcile art and science. Their relationship has gain a bad reputation throughout time, but Lehrer points out, in clear language and with obvious passion, that they enhance, rather than cancelling each other.
That one without the other is not possible. Not if we want to understand the world we live in completely.
sieramae's review
5.0
This brought me right back to my uni classes, such a fun read. I think it’s a great companion, but would also hold up if you haven’t read In Search of Lost Time.
rlse's review
5.0
What was great about this was how it sent me on tangent to explore the various artists I had not previously encountered. The artists I was already familiar with I enjoyed seeing in a new light. Highly recommended! Very accessible—need not be a neuroscientist, author, poet, composer, chef, or painter to make sense of this book. Three cheers for the human experience!
cultivatestrength's review
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
This is a book about art for left-brained people and it is wonderful.