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kirstencholewa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Antisemitism
chelle22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
jenna_justi2004's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book helped me out of a reading slump. I hate you Albert Einstein. Loved and appreciated the story of Mileva Marić. She deserved so much better.
. Gobsmacked and astonished as the story of the untold in school, Milevan “Mitza” Marić. I’m well aware that most of it is exaggerated and fiction but I’m amazed at the trials and tributes that she has been through until her separation from Albert. Even before meeting him, things weren’t easy. Her intelligence and character never wavered.Yet he tried to keep her into the mold he saw fit, she was able to escape. Not too many women are able to do that unscathed, not that she wasn’t. But she was able to make it out alive. The rage I felt throughout the story about her contribution to the theory of relativity in 1905 and not only not being credited, but being diminished by the man she loved and was there when she told him of her discovery. IN RELATION TO HER LATE DAUGHTER. She gave up every single part of herself for him. She tried so hard and yet was never able to be enough for him. I’m hoping desperately that it’s not reflecting the true story of Mileva but I don’t know. It might be. Her relationships with the other characters and her sons, and science, the thing that made her so happy and content, she was completely deprived of. It was just so heartbreaking and rewarding to read it. I’m glad she got out and I’m sadden that she never got the recognition she deserved. Remarkable women, to do what she did in spite of the narcissistic and selfish man who couldn’t handle the fame. Thoughts and prayers to her descendants.
“You’re a genius at everything but the human heart”
. Gobsmacked and astonished as the story of the untold in school, Milevan “Mitza” Marić. I’m well aware that most of it is exaggerated and fiction but I’m amazed at the trials and tributes that she has been through until her separation from Albert. Even before meeting him, things weren’t easy. Her intelligence and character never wavered.
“You’re a genius at everything but the human heart”
“Albert we may be Ein Stein (one stone), but it has been clear that we are of two hearts”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
readerette's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story is depressing, given a woman in a 'man's world' of study falling in love with one of those men and having the relationship, and life, take unfortunate turns. It's a good story, just emotionally taxing to read.
The writing is good, though the rumination gets to be a bit much at times. I like the incorporation of Mitza and Albert's cultural backgrounds because it lends historical regional context to the story.
This may not be true for you, but most of the historical fiction I've enjoyed has been about characters loosely inspired by real people (e.g., some characters in historical romances), or about people for whom there is a lot of data to reference so minimal embellishment is required (e.g., the wives/lovers of some kings), so that might explain the following concern I have with this book:
Per the author's summary at the end, many of Mitza's relationships as described in the book are made up or nearly totally embellished, and her contributions to the work commonly attributed to Albert can only be guessed at because there's no hard evidence, only suggestion (even from Mitza's firsthand documents). So the book feels like a personal and professional indictment of Albert Einstein through Mitza's experience, but it's only based on oblique references in letters and the barest of biographic data about Mitza and her family and friends. It is classified as fiction, but it skewers a well-known, recent historical and scientific public figure in ways that feel eminently real with little call to do so.
Edit: another reviewer shared a blog post that seems to describe most of the facts we know about Mitza and offers some interpretations of her and Albert's surviving letters and what family members and friends are recorded as saying happened. In my reading, the basic facts match, but anything else is truly open for interpretation; there are no "lost drafts" or public statements or news articles or anything like that to suggest evidentiary basis for the book's claims (or quite frankly, the blog post's) of Albert's aloofness toward his wife or how much of his success he owed to her scientific and mathematical mind. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-forgotten-life-of-einsteins-first-wife/
The writing is good, though the rumination gets to be a bit much at times. I like the incorporation of Mitza and Albert's cultural backgrounds because it lends historical regional context to the story.
This may not be true for you, but most of the historical fiction I've enjoyed has been about characters loosely inspired by real people (e.g., some characters in historical romances), or about people for whom there is a lot of data to reference so minimal embellishment is required (e.g., the wives/lovers of some kings), so that might explain the following concern I have with this book:
Per the author's summary at the end, many of Mitza's relationships as described in the book are made up or nearly totally embellished, and her contributions to the work commonly attributed to Albert can only be guessed at because there's no hard evidence, only suggestion (even from Mitza's firsthand documents). So the book feels like a personal and professional indictment of Albert Einstein through Mitza's experience, but it's only based on oblique references in letters and the barest of biographic data about Mitza and her family and friends. It is classified as fiction, but it skewers a well-known, recent historical and scientific public figure in ways that feel eminently real with little call to do so.
Edit: another reviewer shared a blog post that seems to describe most of the facts we know about Mitza and offers some interpretations of her and Albert's surviving letters and what family members and friends are recorded as saying happened. In my reading, the basic facts match, but anything else is truly open for interpretation; there are no "lost drafts" or public statements or news articles or anything like that to suggest evidentiary basis for the book's claims (or quite frankly, the blog post's) of Albert's aloofness toward his wife or how much of his success he owed to her scientific and mathematical mind. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-forgotten-life-of-einsteins-first-wife/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a really well-researched solid book. I love when I can tell that an author was a huge nerd about something. This really made me think about how often we pretend that men achieve success by themselves, when they so frequently have a partner making their lives 100 times easier by taking care of all of the minutiae.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Blood, and Gaslighting
Minor: Antisemitism
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I greatly appreciate stories about the women behind "great" men because women are so often overlooked, discounted, and mistreated, especially the further one looks back in history. These women deserve to be valued and respected, even if they never got acclaim in their lifetimes.
That being said, the book is quite boring and sad. It took me over a month to finish reading because nothing much happens except for fictionalized accounts of Mileva Marić's inner thoughts and feelings. It's a shame she didn't get to be more than a dutiful wife and mother. I appreciate the author's goal, but it didn't earn a place on my bookshelf.
That being said, the book is quite boring and sad. It took me over a month to finish reading because nothing much happens except for fictionalized accounts of Mileva Marić's inner thoughts and feelings. It's a shame she didn't get to be more than a dutiful wife and mother. I appreciate the author's goal, but it didn't earn a place on my bookshelf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Physical abuse
msjk427's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This was really good and completely turned some of my thoughts on Albert Einstein on their head. Previously, the first book I'd read of this type was Half Life about Madame Curie. While I enjoyed the science and story of Mitza in this book, the writing didn't entrance me quite as much as Half Life had. However, the story of Mitza was an emotional one and I can relate to both the notion of others taking credit for one's ideas, as well as the notion that sometimes we dim our own lights to appease others. Overall, a good read especially if you enjoy science and/or reading about overlooked historical figures.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting