The Planets
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
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نقد و بررسی
NEW YORK TIMES science reporter Dava Sobel shares her lifelong fascination with the planets of our solar system in her latest book, detailing not just the scientific data about rings or atmosphere but the legends of Mercury racing across the sky and the histories of our knowledge of each planet as well. Listeners will hear Sobel's excitement in Lorna Raver's narration, which steers clear of dryness to bring alive the joy of learning. In Sobel's voice, she sounds like she's eagerly sharing a favorite pastime. Listeners might not take up planet watching, but they'll certainly pick up a few facts about the solar system we live in. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
Starred review from July 25, 2005
Sobel's purpose in this lovely and personal volume is to show us the planets as she sees them. Writing in quite a different mode than in her best-selling Longitude
and Galileo's Daughter,
Sobel offers intimate essays inspired by the planets in our solar system, which she describes as "an assortment of magic beans or precious gems in a little private cabinet of wonder—portable, evocative, and swirled in beauty."
She frames each essay in a different light, using a particular planet as a stepping stone toward a discussion of larger issues. Her "Jupiter" essay becomes a meditation on astrology, while her essay on the Sun, which relates the actual birth of the universe seemingly ex nihilo, evokes the Genesis account of creation in both its themes and the cadence of its language.
Put simply, Sobel's conceits work (even, remarkably, the essay on Mars written from the perspective of a Martian rock) because each beautifully frames its planet. An essay that begins with the story of Sobel's grandmother coming to the United States as an immigrant, for example, sets up the author's musings on the odd nature of Pluto as somewhere in between "planet" and "other." This resonant and eclectic collection—informative, entertaining and poetic—is a joy to read. Agent, Michael Carlisle.
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