Rating: 
Summary: A spectacular book
Review: This ranks among the best books I have ever read. Even if you have no physics background, you WILL understand the laws of the cosmos. Brian Greene is a brilliant physicist, but where he surprises and excels is in his storytelling, analogies and chronological narration. His analogies and brilliant ... causing me to chuckle very often throught the book. Another exciting aspect of the book is that Brian Greene not only explains the fundamental laws of the universe, but actually presents them in a manner that enables the reader to understand how the masters may have concieved of these monumental laws. There is nothing intimidating about the book - no mathematics, no equations, and no high-falutin physics jargon.AN ABSOLUTELY MUST READ FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE ... you will be 100% more educated after reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I ever read
Review: That effusive header describes perfectly my feeling about this book. I've read a number of science books, and quite a few physics books, but no one explains reality like Brian Greene. The man's writing is shockingly clear. He seems able to take any aspect of the topic and explain it without holes, without glossing over the facts, and without losing the reader. I'd read several physics books before picking this one up, and only wished I'd read Greene's book first. It's not an easy read; you have to work to get the most out of this book. But he makes it possible, where so many other science writers only try. If you have a science background, you'll love the way he explains things, and surely find yourself recommending the book to others. And if you're new to physics, this is the book that can put it all together for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Debated Theory. Great Book For Intro To Current Physics.
Review: Because this book is a couple years old, it doesn't contain anything of the latest debate between "loop quantum gravity" vs. "M theory" (what string theory is evolving towards). However, it still remains an excellent point for physics newbies to have an "on ramp" to the state of modern physics. Author Brian Greene provides a friendly and enjoyable explanation of how the Newtonian, Einsteinian & quantum schools collide to bring us the search for the current Holy Grail of physics: the search for an answer to gravity. Don't let this book's dense subject matter deter you from buying it and working your way through it. It's written in a very clear language with metaphors & illustrated ideas that will jump start you into an understanding of physics that your college professors may have unnecessarily complicated, and, even if you only have a rudimentary understanding of physics, it will bring you up to speed. I found myself gaining a whole new perspective on ideas I'd been introduced to before. I also found myself understanding things in a much clearer sense to the point where I felt confident that I could continue in physical sciences without being bowled over by conceptual rhetoric after reading this. The Elegant Universe's greatest achievement is how it puts discoveries INTO PERSPECTIVE as to WHY they matter & how they're interdependent upon each other in a way that beginners can understand. When I first bought this book, I got into a debate with a physicist in one of my history classes about the value of it. He mocked the idea of this work lauding superstring theory as the "Theory Of Everything" while I felt that it wasn't TRYING to be the answer, just an introduction to speculative thinking in this field. Two years later, I feel more than ever that I was right.
Rating:
Summary: Intellectually Challenging and Rewarding-Outstanding!
Review: This book was the first book I ever read on physics at all, not to mention quantum mechanics and relativity and string theory. Brian Greene does an OUTSTANDING job of explaining the often abstract concepts. His examples and analogies are perfectly placed and very useful for the beginner; he's a natural teacher and an eloquent writer. The beginner will have to chew on the concepts, possibly even look to another source or a textbook for a clearer picture just because the concepts are definitely challenging. Though understandable to a beginner for the most part, a person with a strong mathematical background will get much more out of it. This is the best book I have ever read and would recommend to anyone without hesitation. It will change the way you view the world; it will awaken your intellectual curiousity; the enthusiasm is contagious. Beware though, you won't be able to put it down once you begin! I will always be in debt to the author for introducing me to a topic that I have actively pursued a deeper understanding of to this day and may well make a career of!
Rating:
Summary: Great for those with a casual interest in physics
Review: This book sat on my shelf for a year, beacuse I thought it would be too heavy, too abstract, and too difficult. I finally picked it up and realized how wrong I'd been. This is a very accessible book that explains clearly the circumstances leading to the development of String Theory (first 135 pages are devoted to laying out the landscape before ST came along). I'm really enjoying learning from Greene's clear examples and easy-to-understand concepts. As a fellow writer, I know how hard this is, and he's achieved it masterfully.
Rating:
Summary: Top of the class
Review: The book is well-written with descriptions as clear as something as complex as string theory allows. It is undoubtedly one of the best science books of the year. String theory, as might be told from reading other reviews here, rouses great enthusiasm among its adherents while driving its detractors absolutely nuts. Greene, perhaps inadvertently, makes it clear why: The theory holds out the possibility of answering questions about the root structure of the universe, the very fabric of existence, which otherwise seemed unanswerable. Unfortunately, it has been *just*about* to fulfill that potential for 20 years now - and remains so. Bottom line: After reading this book, I understood string theory, both its promises and its pitfalls, better than I did before I started it. What more can you ask?
Rating:
Summary: Can't be an [dumb] and read this book
Review: I am a college graduate with some physics background and this was definatly some hard reading. But that being said, it was totally worth it. The first 4 chapters are amazing at explaining science in a way that really helped me understand. The rest of the book gets harder to follow, but is definatly worth the time
Rating:
Summary: Exciting and Lucid
Review: First of all, I have no specialized knowledge in this field, so any technical objections about this book's content would be lost on me. Having said that, I will now hazard the claim that The Elegant Universe is an excellent book in it's class. Why do I say this? Because finally, after having read several other similar books (such as those by Hawking, Kaku), I feel that I've found a very clear and thrilling explanation of Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, and their developing progeny (String and M Theory). I thought I understood the insights of Einstein, Heisenberg , etc. before I read this book, but I quickly realized that I only faintly apprehended them. Having read Greene's explanation, though, I now feel that I could in turn explain them to others, which I believe is a mark of true understanding. This alone is by far worth the price of the book, but the further insights into String and M Theory are valuable as well. Although I don't understand String Theory in all its intricate detail, this was not the purpose of the book; the purpose was to give a non-marthematical overview of the theory, and on this point Greene succeeds. Overall, Greene's writing is clear and gracious--much more so than Hawking's, in my opinion. Begin reading this book to get a solid grasp on Relativity and quantum physics, and stick around for a good introduction to Superstrings.
Rating:
Summary: Good introduction for general people
Review: This book is not business and not useful to get more money. But, if you know super strings theory, reading this book, you may become different person who is awakened. Don't you want to know why this universe(space-time) and material exists, why quantum theory was generated, or why(not How) gravity exists, before you die? This book answer these question as much as present physicists can with recent result of physics. After all, I prefer these science to business. (^-^;
Semiconductor is based on quantum theory. If you are thinking super strings theory device business, this book is good for introduction. hahaha.....
Writer is explaining, following the policy of "You don't understand truly, if you cannot explain with daily life word". So, this book is intended for un-trained people about mathematics and physics. This book is the map and also history of physics from classical to super strings through relativity and quantum theory.
If you cannot find interest thing around you, please try this.
Rating: 
Summary: Bewildering
Review: I just don't see what other people see in this book. It's been lavished with praise for its lucid explanations, but I found the examples unnecessarily complex and obfuscating. For example, when trying to explain Planck's constant, he constructs some elaborate scheme involving a landlord and the U.S. treasury. In another example, two world leaders are sitting on a train with elaborate rules regarding a light bulb and a peace treaty. I spent so much time trying to distill what details I needed from these examples and sifting through the innumerable mixed metaphors, that by the time I got to the actual science (often three or four pages later), I'd lost track of the point being made. Perhaps the greatest problem with this style is he presents the examples backward. Not explaining what Planck's constant is and how it is used and, once we've established the goal, moving on to the example, Greene instead starts with the example (metaphor, actually) and I have to read through the tedium of how the residents choose to divide rent responsibilities and only later discover which of the example's various parts actually apply. In lieu of this book, I would recommend Michio Kaku's "Hyperspace" which, while not up-to-date on the latest, greatest discoveries like Greene (e.g., M-Theory), is much more direct and provides a great deal of interesting information as to how these theories were found. And the U.S. Treasury department doesn't appear even once.
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