Rating: 
Summary: "The father...of modern science" had a loving daughter!!
Review: +++++
This six part, 33 chapter book, by Dava Sobel, has two themes running through it:
Theme #1: Decribes thoroughly the life and times of Galileo Galilei (1564 to 1642).
Theme #2: Describes the life of Galileo's daughter (1600 to 1634) through some of the actual letters she wrote to her father.
This is first and foremost a solid, easy to read biography of Galileo. His life is traced from him first entering a monastery before deciding to lead a life of scientific inquiry and discovery. Actual letters or parts of letters (translated from the original Latin, French, or Italian by various experts) by Galileo and others are included in the main narrative. Throughout, we are told of his numerous inventions and discoveries. Perhaps the most sensational is that his telescopes allowed him to reveal a new reality in the heavens and to reinforce the Copernican argument that the Earth moves around the Sun. For this belief, he was brought before the Holy Inquisition, accused of heresy, and forced eventually to spend his last years under house arrest. All the translated papers pertaining to these inquisition days are included and make for fascinating reading.
My favorite Inquisition story is with respect to the June 1633 renunciation or "confession" document (reproduced in this book) Galileo was to speak out aloud. The main point of this document is that the Earth does not move around the Sun and that the Earth does not move at all. After reading it aloud, it is said that he muttered under his breath "Eppur si muove" (translation: "But it does move.")
One of Galileo's daughters born "Virginia" and later appropriately named "Sister Maria Celeste," had the intelligence and sensibility of her father. As indicated by her letters, her loving support, which Galileo repaid in kind, proved to be her father's greatest source of strength through his most productive but tumultuous years. Sobel herself translated these letters from the original Italian. They are expertly woven into the main narrative adding an emotional element to this biography.
This book contains almost twenty-five complete letters and numerous large and small fragments from other letters by Sister Celeste. All letters she wrote begin with a statement showing love and respect for her father. Example: "Most Illustrious Lord Father." The first complete letter is dated May 10, 1623 and the last complete letter is dated December 10, 1633. Those letters Galileo wrote to his daughter have not survived.
Almost 75 illustrations are found throughout this book. They add (besides the actual letters of Galileo's daughter) yet another dimension to the narrative. Two of my favorite pictures are entitled "Moon drawings by Galileo in 1609" and "Sunspot drawings by Galileo."
Another intriguing aspect of this book is a chronology after the main narrative ends entitled "In Galileo's Time." This is not just a timeline of important events that occurred during Galileo's life but includes all significant events (especially scientific ones) between 1543 to 1999 inclusive. For example, what happened in 1687? According to this chronology, "Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation are published in his [book] 'Principia.'" What happened in 1989? Answer: "[NASA] launches [the] 'Galileo' spacecraft [or space probe] to study the moons of Jupiter at close range."
Where did the author obtain all the fascinating information needed to write such an intriguing book? Answer: from the over 130 references found in the bibliography.
I noticed in the book's "Appreciation" section that the author gives thanks to many people. (Dr.) Frank Drake, who helped with the celestrial mechanics found in this book, caught my eye. She co-authored with him the excellent book "Is Anyone Out There?: The Scientific Search for Extraterrestral Intelligence" (paperback, 1994).
Finally, my only minor complaint is with the book's title. As mentioned above, there are two interconnected themes running through this book. Thus, I think a more appropriate title might have been "Galileo and his Daughter."
In conclusion, this book is a thorough biography of Galileo that includes some translated letters from one of his daugters. It is truly, as the book's subtitle states, "A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love!!!"
+++++.
Rating:
Summary: Not only a great man, but a great father, too!
Review: A historical Memoir of science, faith, and love. The book purports to use letters from Galileo's daughter to form the basis of this biography and they are certainly a major part of the book but they are hardly the backbone. Tucked away in a cloister, there is simply no way the daughter could keep up with the intrigue and politics that swirled around this brilliant man except through his letters to her - which, for the most part, are no longer existent. Still, it is a brilliant and vibrant biography because it paints Galileo as a man - often sick, always intense, and forever a dutiful father.
Rating: 
Summary: A original perspective.
Review: Dava Sobel made an excellent job in this book. Family is an aspect of Galileo's life never exploded before (at least not that I know) and totally gives you a different perspective of this controversial and heavily influential individual. Galileo's life, as exposed in Sobel's book, is a very human and touching one. Seeing Galileo from the eyes of his tenderly loving bastard daughter (a nun), evokes such intense conflicting emotions as one might expect only to surge by empathy, a characteristic only obtained when the author makes you compenetrate inside the personage life. A great book, highly recommended for curious people.
Rating:
Summary: Lucid, Moving Biography of The Father of Modern Science
Review: Dava Sobel's extraordinarily readable biography of Galileo is as much a portrait of the mind of a genius as it is a tapestry of Renaissance Italy. What infuses this masterful book with life, however, are the quirky, intelligent letters written to him by his daughter. Cloistered in a convent from the time she was a young girl, Suor Maria Celeste's loving correspondence to her father reveals the human side of Galileo. But the scope of Sobel's book encompasses more than the sum of its parts - in the final analysis, we are treated to the inner workings of a surprisingly "modern" approach to science (not least of which was the concept of a sun centered planetary system) in the face of malevolent censorship by the Catholic church. When Galileo is condemned of heresy, Sobel's book illuminates the political machinations behind the church's case, so that we understand the motivations (some of them nasty and personal) that fueled the fire. More importantly, we feel for the all too frail Galileo, under house arrest in the twilight of his life, and cheer when the centuries finally celebrate the genius that he was. I won't spoil the ending for you, but it is a genuinely moving surprise. Brava Dava Sobel!
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Summary: More than a Loving Daughter?s view of a Good Catholic
Review: Dava Sorbel (in case you wondered, it's s a woman) has written a thoroughly entertaining and gripping account of Galileo Galilei's life from an unusual angle. This is based on the surviving letters from his eldest child to the astronomer and scientist; from her there are 124 extant letters, but not one of his remains. (However, there are numerous of his other writings and correspondence that the author also draws upon, both directly, and indirectly). Even from the letters alone, it quickly becomes apparent that the reader needs to suspend ideas of parenthood and morality as we would know them. This is seventeenth century Italy, and completely different rules apply.Suor (or Sister) Maria Celeste took orders in the convent of St Clare at the age of 13, and the tone of her letters is of sheer reverence of her father, and there is a joy in her performing menial task for him, her brother and others in the family. The vow of poverty that Virginia (her name was changed upon entering the convent) took was real, and sometimes there is more than a hint of begging in her letters to Galileo. She also at times was given the responsibility of sending begging letters to possible patrons on behalf of the convent. Intricate details of everyday life are given throughout; the account of the plague in central Italy in 1630 is particularly good. The continual return to such matters follows the ebb and flow of the letters. Often, letters were sent with some items that had been prepared, and there are requests to send a basket back, or some similar items. Details of convent life are an important backdrop to the writings of Galileo, and Suor Maria Celeste understood both (she helped make fair copy of some of her father's writings prior to publication). Sorbel also takes a stance on the trial of Galileo in 1633, indicating that it is so unlikely as to be impossible that the man uttered "Yet it does move" or something similar at the end of his trial. The trial not only gave Galileo anguish, but also his daughter. In spite of everything, Galileo considered himself to be a good catholic. In the book that was to be placed on the banned list by the papal authorities, Galileo attempted to divert criticism by having a hypothetic dialogue between exponents of a geo-centric world order, and those of a sun-centred system. "Dialogue on the Two Chief World System: Ptolomaic and Copernican" was to remain on the Papal list of Prohibited Books until 1835! Galileo was concerned about more than just a sun-centred universe; telescopes, the moon of Jupiter, sunspots, tidal flows and the motion of pendulums are just some of the matters that he wrote about. These ideas are presented in clarity, sometimes exposing what now seems the crazy ideas of his contemporaries. (Consider that one cardinal could see the image of Jupiter's moons using a telescope, but believed that the telescope itself had introduced the image. Another theory was introduced in order to retain the Aristotelian view that everything outside the orbit of the moon in a geocentric universe is unchanging.) I hope that this well researched and historically accurate book inspires readers to explore other recent books from the History of Science. Be warned, however; not all will meet the excellent standard of this volume. It excels for the background material that has been drawn upon, and for the compelling nature of the read.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Work Better Titled: "Galileo and His Daughter"
Review: Despite this book's title, it is more a biography of Galileo enhanced by actual letters from his daughter than a biography of the daughter herself. Yet, the lives of the two were specially connected. She was every bit a part of his life; he composed the major part of hers. Sister Maria Celeste (the daughter) lived the majority of her life restricted to the grounds of a convent outside of Florence. She only saw Galileo when he came to visit her. Consequently, her letters to her father take the form of a omnipotent narrative. The author capably intersperses these letters to relate periods in Galileo's life. Although his letters to his daughter have unfortunately been lost, this fact, in my opinion, actually increases the intrigue of the book. Galileo lives through his actions and through the words of his most loving observer, his daughter. Beyond this basic framework, the book provides a compelling tale of Galileo's scientific discoveries, his struggles with the Catholic Church, and his personal fortitude. Galileo is presented as the pioneer of a new methodology in scientific discovery - learning through observation, postulation, and experimentation; not mere philosophical meandering. His struggle for acceptance of what is observable, instead of what may be theoretically preferable, is a struggle that continues to this day. At the same time, the author details interesting aspects of the daughters conventary lifestyle, and illustrates the political and social issues of the time. Most importantly, however, final judgment regarding Galileo, his character, and his treatment by the church is left to the reader. This book is well-deserving of all its praise and certainly worth a read.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing Perspective
Review: From the title of this book, I naturally expected it to be a biography of Galileo's daughter, which it is not exactly. I was a bit disappointed to begin with, as the first hundred pages or so are Galileo's early biography. Once his daughter, Virginia (later Suor Marie Celeste) came into the picture, the story became much more interesting. Virginia was one of Galileo's three illegitimate children by the mistress of his early years, Marina Gamba. She eventually married, with Galileo's blessings, and he never lost interest in his children. Due to their illegitimacy which he felt would eliminate any chance of a decent marriage, Galileo had his two daughters entered into a convent at a very early age. The both became nuns at the convent of San Matteo on turning sixteen, Virginia taking the name Suor Marie Celeste and Livia that of Suor Arcangela. The son, Vincenzio, lived with Galileo in his late teens and eventually (after an unpromising start) became a good son to him. This book recounts Galileo's personal and private life, using letters from Marie Celeste to give color to what would otherwise be a black and white, straight forward biography. Their shared love is beautiful to see in her letters--his to her having been lost--and the bits and pieces of every day life that she treats the reader to are thoroughly enjoyable. This is a very detailed and readable history of Galileo, and gave me a much greater understanding of the man, his work and his difficulty with the Church. The conflict he felt between himself and his discoveries comes through very clearly and poignantly in his own words through his other letters. Her faith in him, and in the fact that he was not being heretical, is very apparent. It was interesting to me to see how differently Sobel portrays Galileo's fight was the Church--if her sources are to be believed (and I see no reason to disbelieve) it was not at all what history textbooks would have us believe. As a history major and fanatic, I truly enjoyed reading this book. The alternate perspective of Galileo was refreshing and real--and made sense of a lot that had previously seemed murky to me about him and the Church. The addition of Marie Celeste's letters gave this book personality and took Galileo from a science god to a human being. My only regret is how few letters are in this book, and that the title is a bit misleading. Despite that, if you have any interest in Galileo, this is a must-read!
Rating:
Summary: Science and Love
Review: Galileo Galilei is often called the first modern scientist, who only believed facts if they could be verified by experiment. The story of his scientific discoveries and his near fatal conflict with the reactionaries of the inquisition, is both gripping and tragic. But, Dava Sobel adds to it the poignant story of Galileo's relationship with his eldest daughter, Suor Maria Celeste, a nun of the Poor Clare order in a convent outside Florence. Her voice, which comes to us through her letters, is that of a daughter who loved her father deeply, fully understood what he was trying to do and always supported him in his struggles. From her letters, and other documents used by Sobel, (Galileo's own letters were apparently destroyed), we also get a clear picture of the conditions of life in seventeenth century Europe, and of the developing network of intellectuals who contributed to the enlightenment. In addition to the conflict with the church which dominated Galileo's life, he had to cope with several periods during which the plague ravaged the communities in which he lived, and eventually the death from dysentry of his beloved daughter at the age of thirty four. The reader is not only informed but deeply moved by this most humane book
Rating:
Summary: Your most affectionate daughter
Review: GALILEO'S DAUGHTER is not so much about the astronomer's daughter as it is a biography of Galileo himself told using the insight gleaned from his correspondence with his eldest daughter (a nun, Suor Maria Celeste Galilei) to complement the more traditional historical narrative. The daughter's letters to her father survived: unfortunately Galileo's letters to his daughter did not. Still one gets the impression that their relationship was warm and we catch glimpses of the human and personal side of Galileo.
As biography and as history, GALILEO'S DAUGHTER succeeds admirably. It is a very readable and engaging book and encompasses Galileo's early life up until the time of his death. In addition to its insight on the personal life of the man, the book details the scientific questions that consumed Galileo as well as the political and religious atmosphere of the time that seemed alternatively to work both for and against him. Ultimately, the pope betrays Galileo, his former friend, and the heartbreaking history of Galileo's persecution and confinement unfolds.
Throughout, Galileo's daughter shares the joy in his triumphs as well as the tragedy of his downfall, and her letters add touches of humanity to the history. I highly recommend GALILEO'S DAUGHTER as a work of history. Those expecting a novelization of the life of Galileo, however, may be disappointed.
Jeremy W. Forstadt
Rating:
Summary: fascinating glimpse into personal history
Review: I can't give this excellent book a full 5 stars because the title is misleading, and there aren't enough letters in the actual book. My interest was piqued by the title, but it took a bit to get to Maria Celeste's part of the biography. Overlooking that, this is a carefully researched presentation of the great man and his humanity, as shown through his communications with his cloistered illegitimate daughter. A fascinating book, all told.
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