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cristina_02's review against another edition
5.0
A candid, touching account of the difficulties and the strength of Jane while trying to care for Stephen, under immense pressures from the world around. Truly moving.
craalm's review against another edition
3.0
I really did enjoy this book as although I've had an interest in Stephen Hawking and he's work, I've never really known much about the man himself. So to read this book, after watching the film The Theory of Everything, was definitely an interesting experience. The reason why I've only given this book three stars is because I feel that quite a lot of this book is quite biased towards Jane - obviously because she wrote it. I can imagine that Stephen could be a difficult man to live with, and I'm not saying that the various difficulties that they had over the years wasn't difficult. In fact, I totally believe that it must have been very hard raising two small children of a similar age while caring for a man declining physically and then to later raise another small child when said man is in an even greater steep of decline. But I cannot believe that Stephen was always so insensitive to Jane's problems. I mean, I don't know, I wasn't there, obviously. But I would love to hear Stephen's side of those latter years. Though that's never going to happen...
I also knew that she had written this book quite a while back and later edited it and added a few postscripts. I'm glad she did this, because the book itself ended on such a sad, abrupt note, and it would have been a shame if that had been the official ending of the book. I'm glad that the postscripts mention that Stephen is once more integrated with the family, even though I already knew this. But after reading them, I couldn't help but think that the book itself, unlike the postscripts that were added later, was written in light of the negative ending of their relationship when the book was first written. I guess that's natural, but now that things are better, it would have been nice to see a bit more positivity behind the words that were written. That's not to say that this book wasn't positive in places, because it was. But I just think the balance was a little off sometimes. But that's just my opinion :)
I also knew that she had written this book quite a while back and later edited it and added a few postscripts. I'm glad she did this, because the book itself ended on such a sad, abrupt note, and it would have been a shame if that had been the official ending of the book. I'm glad that the postscripts mention that Stephen is once more integrated with the family, even though I already knew this. But after reading them, I couldn't help but think that the book itself, unlike the postscripts that were added later, was written in light of the negative ending of their relationship when the book was first written. I guess that's natural, but now that things are better, it would have been nice to see a bit more positivity behind the words that were written. That's not to say that this book wasn't positive in places, because it was. But I just think the balance was a little off sometimes. But that's just my opinion :)
hayleyg84's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the film based on this book and so I was eager to read this to compare. I was interested in spottjng differences between the real life story and the Hollywood retelling. The film version was simplified and presented a much simplified and shortened version of the relationship between Jane and Jonathan. My biggest problem with this book is how much it changed my view of Jane. For some reason, I found her much harder to like and sympathise with than in the film. This is not because of her choices but more because of her perspective seemed so bitter. I found it difficult to believe that everyone (Stephen, her inlaws, the nurses) was so against her and had such a lack of understanding. Also, after reading the book I do not feel like I have gained any understanding about Stephen and his personality.
chemwizard22's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
laplatts's review against another edition
3.0
Jane Hawking knew that her married life would not be an easy one from the outset, but the challenges that she and her husband faced only kept coming and kept getting bigger.
Travelling to Infinity is Jane's account of marriage to celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking. It is heartbreaking to read her account of constant struggles to come to terms with the diagnosis, a battle to find and retain help, but more poignantly her struggle with the loss of herself. She highlights the problems that caregivers face, problems compounded by the fact that her husband was a genius.
I enjoyed the book, feeling it was a truthful, brutally truthful, account of the impacts of motor neuron disease on a family. However, I do find the prose too long winded and this makes the text a daunting one.
Travelling to Infinity is Jane's account of marriage to celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking. It is heartbreaking to read her account of constant struggles to come to terms with the diagnosis, a battle to find and retain help, but more poignantly her struggle with the loss of herself. She highlights the problems that caregivers face, problems compounded by the fact that her husband was a genius.
I enjoyed the book, feeling it was a truthful, brutally truthful, account of the impacts of motor neuron disease on a family. However, I do find the prose too long winded and this makes the text a daunting one.
bsolarz's review against another edition
2.0
I thought the book was slow, and while I understand this was a true story and not some fictional book with plots and twists, it just did not capture my attention. It took me 2 weeks to get 100 pages in...and then I finally gave up.
fairestskyebooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
girliekatie's review against another edition
2.0
So, I tried reading this couple of years ago and DNFed. I got lost in Jane's storytelling and hated how sometimes she skipped a storyline to tell another story in the middle of a different one. And I didn't yet know about the other problems with the book.
This time I actually finished it. And omg! I just couldn't stand Jane from beginning to end. I can appreciate that it is extremely hard to take care of a family of five on your own because your children are too young to help and your husband is disabled. Also, I can imagine that living with Stephen would have been challenging as well. However, Jane appeared to have absolutely no self-awareness. She kept whining about the ordeal of their everyday life, not realising that other people go through most of her everyday problems too without the privileges she had. Also, I just couldn't believe how naive she was with the whole Jonathan thing. Okay, I understand they did not have sex while she was still with Stephen but than again it wasn't as innocent as she kept repeating. I was not at all surprised when Stephen left with one of his nurses... Throughout their life they simply lost their marriage, pushed it aside just for their patient-nurse roles to become much more prominent. And that was the biggest mistake they could have made.
This time I actually finished it. And omg! I just couldn't stand Jane from beginning to end. I can appreciate that it is extremely hard to take care of a family of five on your own because your children are too young to help and your husband is disabled. Also, I can imagine that living with Stephen would have been challenging as well. However, Jane appeared to have absolutely no self-awareness. She kept whining about the ordeal of their everyday life, not realising that other people go through most of her everyday problems too without the privileges she had. Also, I just couldn't believe how naive she was with the whole Jonathan thing. Okay, I understand they did not have sex while she was still with Stephen but than again it wasn't as innocent as she kept repeating. I was not at all surprised when Stephen left with one of his nurses... Throughout their life they simply lost their marriage, pushed it aside just for their patient-nurse roles to become much more prominent. And that was the biggest mistake they could have made.
xxreadwithcharliexx's review against another edition
4.0
Jane's account of life and marriage to the genius that is, Stephen Hawking.
Call it one-sided or biased if you like. This is an account of a hard life looking after, and caring for, someone you love and adore, with an incurable disease. It is hard to look after anyone with a disability.
It seems like Stephen, despite his incurable disease, was a bit abusive to his wife. And after all that she sacrificed to make sure he succeeded in his career, he left her for his nurse. I bet she was whispering nonsense in his ear to make him leave his wife. Probably after his famed money.
Call it one-sided or biased if you like. This is an account of a hard life looking after, and caring for, someone you love and adore, with an incurable disease. It is hard to look after anyone with a disability.
It seems like Stephen, despite his incurable disease, was a bit abusive to his wife. And after all that she sacrificed to make sure he succeeded in his career, he left her for his nurse. I bet she was whispering nonsense in his ear to make him leave his wife. Probably after his famed money.