A review by princesszinza
Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen by Jane Hawking, Jane Hawking
3.0
I saw the biographical movie about Stephen Hawking. I was curious about his wife. Jane Hawking chose to date and marry a man with a serious disease who was expected to live only 2 years. As a long time caregiver of a handicapped person, I was interested in reading about someone who chose this lifestyle.
I don't really know what to think of Jane. She's clearly intelligent, capable and kind. She obviously came from a privileged background. Jane has a great deal of resilience as she ended up taking on tasks that she clearly did not expect.
Jane bravely admits that she was not given the resources she needed to take care of Stephen's overwhelming needs. She is fortunate that she had a supportive family to help. She has resentment of Stephen's family but honestly they seemed quite loving to me. She is fair enough in this book to allow that side of them to come through, albeit begrudgingly.
After Stephen's reputation grew, she was afforded great wealth and opportunities. Her long term relationship with her now husband Jonathan is strange, but perhaps understandable. She was jealous of Stephen's success and acclaim when she herself is an educated person. Well Jane, welcome to the real world. You are a generic linguist, your husband is one of the greatest geniuses alive. Why would you expect anything different? I do believe Jane when she makes the case that Stephen would not have achieved his fame without her. He was much too frail to do his work without a dedicated helpmate.
Still, her resentment of Stephen Hawking seems unreasonable. Tenzing Norgay, college interns, wives, mothers and ghostwriters worldwide might agree. Jane should know better than most that life is not fair.
I don't really know what to think of Jane. She's clearly intelligent, capable and kind. She obviously came from a privileged background. Jane has a great deal of resilience as she ended up taking on tasks that she clearly did not expect.
Jane bravely admits that she was not given the resources she needed to take care of Stephen's overwhelming needs. She is fortunate that she had a supportive family to help. She has resentment of Stephen's family but honestly they seemed quite loving to me. She is fair enough in this book to allow that side of them to come through, albeit begrudgingly.
After Stephen's reputation grew, she was afforded great wealth and opportunities. Her long term relationship with her now husband Jonathan is strange, but perhaps understandable. She was jealous of Stephen's success and acclaim when she herself is an educated person. Well Jane, welcome to the real world. You are a generic linguist, your husband is one of the greatest geniuses alive. Why would you expect anything different? I do believe Jane when she makes the case that Stephen would not have achieved his fame without her. He was much too frail to do his work without a dedicated helpmate.
Still, her resentment of Stephen Hawking seems unreasonable. Tenzing Norgay, college interns, wives, mothers and ghostwriters worldwide might agree. Jane should know better than most that life is not fair.