Obtained through freecycle.

From The Denver Post:
"History comes alive as Sobel alternates the narrative on scientific discoveries with lively descriptions of the societies in which they were set...Galileo's Daughter is a remarkable work for the beauty of the writing and the clarity of the time and relationships it creates."

From Newsweek:
"Galileo's Daughter is innovative history and a wonderfully told tale."


International Bookring
I'm not going to get to this for a while so I'd like to send it out into the world to gather some readers. I'm hoping it will eventually return, so this one will be a bookring rather than a ray.

Please journal when you receive it, again to share your thoughts after you've read it, and one more time when you send it on. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it.

Mailing order:
jeskawest (WA) (prefers USA)
MaryZee (MD) (prefers US/Canada
amidabutsu (Canada)
bucklesbook (Canada)
Bookgirrl (Canada)- Book is here
KiwiinEngland (EU)(anywhere)
Hayes13 (Italy) (wants to be near the end)
easterngirl71 (IL) (US only) (near end)
- back to me

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I'll be mailing this off to jeskawest to start its journey. Hope you enjoy it!

Just received this today! Will start reading it asap so it can go on to the next person in line.

Unfortunately this took me longer to read than I thought it would. But I have finished, and will have it on its way to MaryZee to continue the bookring soon.
I have read The Planets by Dava Sobel, which is what led me to read Galileo's Daughter. I was not disappointed. Sobel is a wonderful storyteller, and she does a beautiful job of telling Galileo's story. Much of his life is told through the letters he received from his eldest daughter, a nun named Suor Maria Celeste. She was a great support to him throughout his trials, even though she never left the convent she lived in. Their closeness is central to the story, although it is obviously also about Galileo's discoveries, and his efforts to remain a good Catholic while studying science.
I will now have to get a copy of this book to add to my personal collection. It is one I would recommend to anyone interested in history or science.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sent this away this morning via US Mail to MaryZee for continuation of the bookring.

This arrived safely today. I should be able to start on it in a couple of weeks and will update here when I do.

7/4 - Starting on this now. Should have it finished within a couple of weeks. Just pm'd the next person for their addy.

This wasn't quite what I was expecting, since I assumed it was historical fiction (one of my favorite genres) I do enjoy reading nf about science, as long as it's not too dry. I wasn't really in the mood for non-fiction right now, but since it was a ring I decided to try to push my way through it. That must have been the right approach, since I finished it in a week. I think having the interjection of Suor Maria Celeste's letters helped break up the narrative just enough to help the story flow along. I do wish we had the alternative view of Galileo's letters to her. This book did prove surprisingly readable and overall, I enjoyed it after all.

Thanks for sharing Guinneth. I'm off to pm Amidabutsu for the 2nd time.

7/15 update - Mailed off to Amidabutsu today.

got it in the mail today.
have one book to finish before i start this one (by this weekend i'd say)

so it took a little longer than expected, and then i was away for a bit. i will be sending it shortly to the next in line.

i really liked the book, it felt a little more of a story than a biography. it was well written, and i learnt many things about galileo galilei and his times. a very pleasant read.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

sent to the next in line.

Sorry, but I found this book uninspiring. No offence to those who have enjoyed it, or to those about to read it (my daughter, Bookgirrl is next on the list).

PS: I DO love the old etchings, maps, etc.

Caught last night from Bucklesbook. Always interesting to see different reactions to the same book. I am wondering if I'll be in the YEAH, or NAY camp...we'll see....

Well...I found it REALLY HARD WORK to get through this book. There were parts that were great: fascinating glimpses of the times, the amazing brain of Galileo, his multiple inventions - including even an early thermometer....but some parts I skimmed over, as there was too much detail.
Also, I hope I don't offend anyone, but I was seething at the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church by the end of the book. Banning Galileos' work until 1822? Are you kidding? By that time, Galileo had long been proven to be correct. The Church had such a terrifying grip on people. Urban's treatment/attack on Galileo was personal, petty, only done to boost himself (how holy is THAT??) How cruel was the treatment of illustrious, brilliant, devoutly Catholic Galileo.
Another bone to pick: I realize that the nuns of that time took a vow of poverty, chastity, humble living etc., but I really got tired of Galileo's daughter knocking herself over the head. ("I am not worthy" "I am nothing") Suor Maria Celeste was well read and highly skilled. No wonder it took so long for women to get out of the kitchen.
I did like G's sly comment about his last book. "Who, me? Gosh, I have NO idea how Two New Sciences got published by those Dutch people!" LOVED that part.
So...off to Kiwiinengland. Please change the "book is here" line on the list when it arrives

It has arrived, and I guessed that it had a rather long journey because of the "Happy St Patrick's Day" message on the envelope.

Thanks for posting it across the sea Bookgirrl.

Dear KiwiinEngland: Did you go to the Amsterdam Convention? I just got back from it. Yes, we were delayed by the $%#& thing from Iceland! Glad the book got there OK; if we don't select the "the slow boat to China" mail option at the post office, it costs about 18 pounds to send!!

Bookgirrl: Alas the Icelandic ash meant I couldn't get over. I do have a personalised "Amsterdammed" logo on my bookshelf though. And I am going to go to the Swindon Unconvention (all going well).

It would have been great to see you in person at the convention - those volcano gods certainly picked an inconvenient time to play!

Thought I should do an update, so people don't think this book has been lost.

I'm halfway through, and although I am finding this a very slow read am enjoying most of it. It is fascinating to read some of the ways society was structured back then (who would have thought so many females from the ruling families ended up as nuns!)

Reading this book is like reading a text book for a course you signed up for "interest only" and realising that there isn't a test at the end. When reading the book I found it very interesting, but whenever I put the book down I had no desire to pick it up again.

I'm still about 100 pages from the end, but am sending it on for the next reader to try.

I am posting this on to the next person in the ring. I hope they find it as interesting as I did (which was very interesting, even if I didn't manage to finish it.

Arrived this morning, safe and sound. Will get to it as quickly as I can. Thanks for sending it, Kiwi.

I really enjoyed this, even if it did not speak much enough about the daughter. I found it intriguing, but it left me with more questions than I had when I started.

Sending this book back to Guinneth. Before it was shipped here I had found that I had picked up a copy of this book at a yardsale and so I would no longer need to borrow this book. But I do want to thank you for putting me last and for not being worried that I was not going to give your book back to you. Thanks so much:)