Rating: 
Summary: Time- what a concept!
Review: I had the pleasure of reading this book, because I was taking a magical realism class. For those of you who are confused at this point, and are wondering what magical realism it is simply the absurd being excepted as normalcy (or at least that is my best definition, but I am certainly not a walking dictionary!) I found this book to be very thought provoking- we, as human beings, really do not possess any concept of time- we do not have the capacity to understand it. I believe, essentially, we create time to, basically, create a stable existance. This book is chopped up into little sections... each section begins with a statment regarding time. For example, what if time stopped for a brief second and started again, or what if people had no memories. The book goes on to explore different aspects of time- past, present, future and explores how different situations would play out. If anything, this book is a fun read and it is an easy read. I am certain that everyone will be hit with some kind of profound thought while reading this book. Time- it's funny how it rules every aspect of our lives.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing dreamscapes on time
Review: Time for a great book discussion! Each of these dreams suggests an alternative type of time. I suspect they are all simultaneous. There are problems with consistency. The end of the world is coming and everyone but bakers and baristas are off. But this is a silly critique since there are issues with all of the dreams. There is after all good reasons why we do not perceive time these various ways. But what does it do to your head to think about them?
But are these supposed to be Einstein's dreams?
Rating: 
Summary: Stylistically lacking.
Review: "Einstein's Dreams" has fallen so incredibly short of where its premise could have taken it. As mentioned by a different reviewer the idea behind the book is unique and quite capable of producing an incredible and thought provoking story. However, in spite of such a potentially groundbreaking plot line, Lightman has managed to allow his perceptions of Einstein's character (his absent mindedness and socially aloof nature)to weave the sub-stories through Einsteins dreams, straining them of any great detail and in some cases, sense. The blandness that Lightman portrays Einsteins character with bleeds into the descriptions of his dreams (which would make perfect sense if this is how he believes Einstein saw both reality and his dreams; however, he does the reader a disservice by falling on this "belief" and producing sub-standard literature).
In reference to non-sensical Physicist-babble: "In fact this is a world without future...time is a line that terminates at the present, both in reality and in the mind. In this world no person can imagine the future...In a world without future, each parting of friends is a death."(Pg. 130) He continues on to describe an episode at the cafe, which is a semi-permanent backdrop for the entire book, he describes a young man who ponders how amazing it is that each new moment is a wonderful and strange way for the world to end...if "time is a line that terminates at the present, both in reality and in the mind" my non-physicist or even scientific mind can't comprehend how any of this particular substory is possible as all of it takes place in the FUTURE!
I put this in roughly the same position as "Who Moved My Cheese" which I firmly believe is absolutely worthless and was propelled to high sales by societal factors and not on its own literary merit.
Rating: 
Summary: Timeless Gem
Review: This book is a meditation on the possible dimensions of time. Truly mindboggling, it has the impact of a classic.
Lightman succeeds in writing simply and lyrically about the complexities of time: time as a dimension, time as a quality, time orchestrating order (entropy in reverse), a lifetime in a day, time as a flow, time repeated endlessly, time in reverse (a life lived backward) ... and so on.
What we have is an application of Einstein's theory of relativity, offered in tales that resonate like parables. We can see our lives and notions of time reflected in most of the tales. For example, in one world, the faster you move, the slower time passes. Sound familiar? In other words, the more you race through life -- getting and spending and experiencing -- the more you have, right? In another world, time passes slowly in youth, and quickly in old age. Sound familiar?
If you want a book with a conventional story -- interesting characters involved in believable incidents, with a conflict, a climax, and a tight resolution -- this is not one you'll enjoy. Instead, read a book by Connie May Fowler (Remembering Blue), Dan Brown (Angels & Demons or The Da Vinci Code), Pat Conroy (Beach Music), Barbara Kingsolver (Prodigal Summer) Charles Portis (Norwood), or Michael McClelland (Oyster Blues).
Also, if you delighted in this book's thoughtful somersaults, you may be disappointed in his book, "The Diagnosis." Be careful. These two books are as disimilar as a star sapphire and a stone.
This book should be shelved beside Einstein's "Theory of Relativity" in all libraries and read concurrently in physics classes. It's an astonishing achievement, in clear thinking and clear writing. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Such a special book, unique.
Review: My friend Dan-Victor gave it to me as a present because he thought it was a good book. Reading this book was like dreaming with stars. A powerful imaginative collection of tales where time is a toy, and physics the rules of the game. I know my friend will become a talented author some day, and I know he is a very special person so... make this book a cool gift for someone else you think special too!
Rating:
Summary: I'm a little surprised...
Review: I've read through about a dozen reviews so far and I'm rather surprised that no one seems to have gone beyond the obvious discussion of this book. We all see that these are interesting vignettes about how time might behave in different realities. But beyond that, these are vignettes about how we live. Take, for example, the vignette about the world where you can gain time by moving faster and faster. Because time is money, businesses fly about the town on wheels, powered by huge engines. Inside the office building, desks zip around each floor. The faster the workers move, the greater their productivity. There is one problem though, that of perception of the velocity of others. And sometimes a worker will become so upset by his perception that others are moving faster than he is, he will stop moving at all. He will retire to his home, pull down the shades and live within his family. Live a simple, content life without all the rushing about. This is a pretty clear metaphor for the increasing speed at which we live, and those who reject the need to live in that manner. Some vignettes are simple to interpret -- the world where time moves more and more slowly until, as you get to the center of the town, it almost stops. People go there to preserve a childhood, a love, their lives. A kiss can be nearly infinite. Children grow more slowly than redwoods, and never lose their innocence. Some are more difficult. But each one carries some deeper meaning about human life, and how we choose to live it. And the narrative of Einstein as a patent clerk echoes those ideas, as you watch the choices he's made. This book isn't simply about bringing together science and literature, it's about science and philosophy, science and human nature. It's about how each of us lives so differently, we might all be living in a different temporal reality. Quite simply, it's a wonderful book, that will make you think, and stay with you for a long time. Highly recommended.
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