by Dava Sobel
Eh. 2.5 stars or so for me, meaning "it was okay", as goodreads indicates. There's nothing really new here, and the writing styles (varying greatly from planet to planet) are self-indulgent. The author is playing around with ideas, using as many dramatic verbs as possible, trying out personificat...
A lot of people love her prose style, but I didn't enjoy it. Some authors can blend personal reflections with non-fiction; I didn't think Sobel pulled it off. This would be a good introduction to the solar system for someone who isn't very familiar with it. In the absence of enjoyable writing, there...
Sobel does a good job of integrating science, mythology, history, and literature in this informal overview of the solar system. While educational, Sobel's style is quite readable. I found this book difficult to put down, and would definitely recommend it.
This is a nice pleasant book to read, but I don't think it is the author's best. I found Longitude and Galileo's Daughter to be better books overall. Part of the reason that I did not think as much of the book is the chapter on Uranus and Neptune where she uses a long letter as the way to carry the ...
I rather enjoyed this little book! It explains the planets and solar system in everyday language while drawing on history, myth, science fiction, art, literature which makes what could be dry, boring material come to life and enjoyable to read. There is nothing earth shattering in the info covered i...
With her blockbuster New York Times bestsellers Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel used her rare and luminous gift for weaving difficult scientific concepts into a compelling story to garner rave reviews and attract readers from across the literary spectrum. Now, in "The Planets," Sobel br...
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