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Summary: a truly beautiful book
Review: This book is amazing. Lightmans' ability to evoke is exhilirating. The more you read this, the more you see, the more you feel. The stories seem perhaps simple, or silly, or fanciful, yet when viewed with the sense of wonder and curiosity Lightman invites with his prose, they enlighten, they inform, and, perhaps best of all, they cause the reader to think, to use his imagination a bit, and to marvel at just what might be. When my daughter asks me what sort of books I like best, I'll hand her this one. Don't miss it. Be well.
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Summary: The mystery of time; as explored by a dreaming genius
Review: For anyone faintly acquainted with the theories of Einstein, or anyone who has ever wondered why our world is locked to the clock, Einstein's Dreams offers a new and creative look at some of the crazy theories Einstein might have come up with about the movement of time. Short, sweet, and very readable, the book takes the form of a journal of dreams that make up a scenario, and then slip another theory of time into the story. In one, time passes more slowly at high altitudes so that people start living on mountains. In another, time is a bird, that if caught, will give the captor a little longer lease on life. The many different possibilities proposed in the book spur the imagination on to think of others. Beautifully written, Alan P. Lightman, being a professor of physics and literature at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, knows his subject well, and conveys his love for the topic to reader in Einstein's Dreams.
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Summary: Where do I go now.
Review: This is an interesting book which you can read in 25 mins. It is interesting, but this is not worth $8 with a whole separate book. If you have some time to spend, like a lazy summer afternoon, this book might be worth to wonder about
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Summary: A pleasure and a challenge
Review: I picked this book up several years ago mostly because I was browsing through a bookstore and needed something to read. Having long been interested in quantum mechanics and the philosophical side of science I was pleasantly surprised with my pick. If a novel is a sonnet, this is a haiku. I've re-read this book many times and bought it for many friends. Each time I read it I get something new from it.
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Summary: MIND EXPANDING
Review: This thought provoking book is exercise for the intellect and imagination. Various theories arise on the aspect of time and you are coaxed with lovely writing to ponder those theories. I found myself smiling at some, relating deeply to others, and finding my sense of time among the pages. Various chapters reminded me of movies I had seen; "Groundhog Day" and Peggy Sue Got Married," and "Sliding Doors." Alan Lightman must not be the first to ponder the thoughts of Einstein's dreams.Though it was unique and beautifully written, I cannot say, "Everyone buy this; you must." The prose is striking; the thoughts presented interesting; I just didn't happen to find it a great use of my reading time, and that is time I value above all!!
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Summary: Excellent, thought-provoking little book
Review: Some books you read just for enjoyment, to take your mind off things. Some you read to learn something. Some books you read to help yourself. Others just make you think. This little book definitely falls in the latter category. You find yourself wondering about the different "worlds" presented in this book, many of which are not necessarily so far-fetched. I recommend this to anyone who has ever wondered "Why?" This definitely does not provide many answers, but does open up a world of possibilities about time that you may not have thought about.
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Summary: beautiful little jewel
Review: To me, this book was so much about the fragility and uncertainty of life. Yet it is amazing how much passion and love for life I sense whenever I read this book. Beautiful little jewel.
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Summary: Moving and beautiful
Review: I've had this book sitting on my shelf for a while, and I just picked it up to read because it was small enough to carry with me to school. I was stunned! What an incredible book. I kept expecting the author to run out of ideas for new ideas of time, but it never happened. This book is never repetitive, always amazing. The poetic writing speaks to the soul. Sometimes I was left uplifted, other chapters left me with a feeling of dread that such a place could actually exist. A fascinating book that forces you to think and feel like few others.
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Summary: Literature and science converge
Review: Simple beauty for both sides of the brain. Gives insight into how the great genius's mind may have worked, and makes the reader forever view the world just a little differently.
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Summary: A gem
Review: Lightman has the mind of a physicist and the heart of a poet. This well-written little book takes a fictional peek into the mind of a young Albert Einstein. In the guise of young Einstein's dreams, Lightman speeds time up, slows it down, reverses it, repeats it and bends it all out of shape -- and then examines the impact on human interactions and relationships. The results are imaginative, delightful and well worth your time.
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