real_life_reading's review
3.0
This book went on for far too long, and so the story felt like it drug out forever. It was an okay though. The story is told from the perspective of Isaac Newton's book Principa Mathematica; the book's interjection into the story about how books look upon humans and how they deal with their lives is quite humorous. That was the part I enjoyed most about it. Overall, though, it wasn't super great, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they had nothing else to read.
szeglin's review
5.0
A great story in and of itself, and a great parody of the overblown novels of the 18th century. A most satisfactory read!
lamusadelils's review
Se siente muy anacronístico y ya me aburrí horriblemente, así que lo dejaré en el 60%. Es demasiado extenso, salta de un lugar a otro y ocurren demasiadas cosas inverosímiles.
La vida no es para los libros aburridos.
La vida no es para los libros aburridos.
deadwolfbones's review
4.0
This is sort of an odd balance between a satire of an 18th century novel, an actual 18th century novel, and Morrow's earlier work. The books it reminded me of most are Franklin & Barnum's autobiographies.
Overall, I enjoyed it quite a lot. It goes to excess in nearly every regard--like really, really over the top--but it's never less than fun to read.
Overall, I enjoyed it quite a lot. It goes to excess in nearly every regard--like really, really over the top--but it's never less than fun to read.
anatomydetective's review
2.0
I wanted to love this book, and parts of it were wonderful and witty. Unfortunately the plot just dragged on and Morrow's tendency to be verbose just made the novel seem interminable. So far out of the three novels of his I have read, the only one I can recommend is [b:Only Begotten Daughter|184003|Only Begotten Daughter|James K. Morrow|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386924957s/184003.jpg|1259875]. I recently acquired a copy of [b:Galápagos Regained|22545461|Galápagos Regained|James K. Morrow|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416448096s/22545461.jpg|42001561] and if I don't enjoy it, I think I might have to give up, no matter how good his books sound.
piburnjones's review
3.0
This is such an odd book.
It's as though the author came up with as many wild, unlikely adventures as he could, strung them all together, and then carefully made them all just barely feasible. Ish.
It is not a book that leaves you thinking, "Oh, that's what it would have been like to live in 1720." It's more like putting a superhero in the middle of historical events. Only, instead of superpowers, she's a very smart scientist-type with a mission to disprove methods of demonstrating witchcraft.
It's well researched, it's coherent, and all the plot threads are nicely tied together. I enjoyed it overall, and found the ending thoroughly satisfying.
It's as though the author came up with as many wild, unlikely adventures as he could, strung them all together, and then carefully made them all just barely feasible. Ish.
It is not a book that leaves you thinking, "Oh, that's what it would have been like to live in 1720." It's more like putting a superhero in the middle of historical events. Only, instead of superpowers, she's a very smart scientist-type with a mission to disprove methods of demonstrating witchcraft.
It's well researched, it's coherent, and all the plot threads are nicely tied together. I enjoyed it overall, and found the ending thoroughly satisfying.
manek_m's review
3.0
Plot: young girl, whose aunt is burned at the stake as a witch, grows into a woman who produces a science-based argument against witch hunts.
Well written, and narrated (in part) by Newton's Principia Mathematica... Too many cliched tangents-- attacked by pirates, living on a deserted island, living among Indians.
Well written, and narrated (in part) by Newton's Principia Mathematica... Too many cliched tangents-- attacked by pirates, living on a deserted island, living among Indians.
kim_n31's review
3.0
It's probably more like 3.5 stars, but not quite 4. Mostly because it sort of began to drag on in the last quarter of the book. But, entertaining, and the conceit of the Principia Mathematica was kind of fun, at least at first.
angela_the_librarian's review
2.0
2.5 stars: It's interesting that Neal Stephenson provided a blurb for this book because the author essentially made a clunkier version of The Baroque Cycle. What starts out as an interesting premise quickly unravels due to the annoying narrative technique (the narrator is Isaac Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy...yes, a book is the narrator),cameos from too many different historical figures (Isaac Newton!, Ben Franklin!, Montesquieu!), and a plot that is just all over the place. This book is particularly disappointing because it had real potential to be an excellent book--it just needed some serious editing and focus.
djrmelvin's review
4.0
A book narrated by another book. That threw me off at first, as the narrating books own voice is a little on the stodgy side. But it would be, thatbook is over 300 years old. But it turns out that Newton's [b:Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica|8233275|Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Volume 3 (Italian Edition)|John Martin Frederick Wright|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51r68SkFypL._SL75_.jpg|13080625] is a natural born story teller, and as the story of Jennet Stearne's journey from student to world changing author progresses, so does the narrator's side story move along, slyly pointing out how books have changed the world. Jennet's family's business is witchhunting, but like so many children, she decides to fight rather than join. Her story is a bit Moll Flanders, a bit Forest Gump, and I mean that as a compliment. I think there might be some historical inaccuracy in how now matter where Jannett goes, her past is only held against her by the most evil of antagonists, but beyond that, this is a fun and intelligent look at the power of reason against an unreasonable world.
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