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Celia_A
Slow read, but worth it
The writing style tended to be more academic than your typical popular book, so it was occasionally slow going. The author tends to go off on tangents that, although they come back around to her four protagonists, could probably be deleted without hurting the book. Despite these minor flaws, I enjoyed reading this book about a part of the history of science that I know very little. I'm glad that I pushed through to the end.
Vivian_H
The Birth of Modern Science
This book is for anyone who has an interest in 19th Century history - not just scientific developments. Four men of quite different backgrounds met at Cambridge and came to believe in the Baconian view that scientific discovery should benefit humankind, make the lives of ordinary people better. It was fascinating for me to read about the dawn of modern economics and how the political arguments of the time echo the same arguments we have today about social welfare. I wanted to read this book because I have an interest in John Herschel and his contribution to early photography and astronomy. But this story is so much more...about lifelong friendships, the industrial revolution, the pursuit of knowledge and scientific discovery through experimentation. This book is accessible for non scientists such as myself, is well written and gives amazing insights into the birth of modern science.
Penny P. (Santa barbara, Calif)
A look at science
Not having much background (or interest) in science, it took a couple of attempts to get into this book. Once I did,it was fairly easy to understand and was pretty interesting.The writing was good and did a good job of providing a historic perspective. I know more about the subject than I did before so that is a good thing. I have a friend that is interested in science and I know she will appreciate the book.
Deb Y. (Blanco, TX)
Scientists
The Philosophical Breakfast Club is well written and very easy to read, even for a truly science-challenged person such as I. Laura Snyder has taken the subject and made it worth a read (even if you care nothing about philosophy/scientists), as it involves much, much more. Please read it when you have some time to sit and savor...
Karen S. (Minneapolis, MN)
The Philosophical Breakfast Club
This was a tough read for me, and that is disappointing because at first glance, it seems it would be a fascinating read. A bit too academic for my tastes.
Everett W. (Mount Pleasant, SC)
The Philosophical Breakfast Club
I found this book very difficult to get into. After trying several times, I finally gave up. It is written well enough - and certainly well researched -but the topic just isn't engaging, for me at least. I think this book is more directed to - and probably would be thoroughly enjoyed by - professional historians.
Barbara K. (Brooklyn, NY)
The Philosophical Breakfast Club
This book is well written, researched and documented but it is not a 'quick read'. The author gives much background information about these 4 men of science, their families, parents, circumstances and environments in which they grew up. He shows how all this helped to shape their lives, become 'intellectual soul mates' and so change the world of science that impacts so greatly on our world today.
It might appeal to someone who has the inclination and time to delve into the abundant details presented.
Susan B. (Rutledge, MO)
Interesting times, confusing timeline
Obviously a lot of research went into this book, and much of the history was fascinating, but overall the book wasn't cohesive or interesting enough for my taste. A full list of characters and their relationships would have been helpful (all the wives and daughters and college friends got confusing after the first few chapters), as well as a detailed timeline of wider culture events and important dates in the main characters' lives.
Had this been written in chronological order rather than thematically, I might have been able to read it more easily and thus like it more, but the amount of skipping back and forth between time periods didn't work for me. More than once an event was recounted and I found myself scratching my head ("Isn't he already dead?"), and then realized that we'd gone back a number of decades and I hadn't processed the dates correctly.
If you can manage to keep a lot of dates clear in your head the book might work better for you, and if you are at all interested in the history of science and/or England in the mid to late 1800's, I think it is worth reading.
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