Sobel’s book deftly explores the science of chemistry and the history of radium, while also following the remarkable thread of Marie Curie’s achievements—which came at a high personal cost ... What sets Ms. Sobel’s biography apart isn’t the timeline or the events of her subject’s life; it’s those women of science whose lives intersected with Curie’s, a cast of brilliant researchers and thinkers that the author skillfully weaves into her narrative.
With rare exceptions, the 45 other women subjects appear in Sobel’s book only as emanations. Sobel names her chapters for them, but tells little of their stories beyond that ... Sobel writes elegantly about science, unspooling Curie’s pursuits in the lab like a mystery. She leaves us less clear how Curie herself viewed the position of women in science.
A monumental task ... Sobel is unable to tell us much about Curie’s relationships with others in her lab ... I suspect this partly reflects the difficulty of writing about someone so emotionally reserved ... Hasty, breathless treatment.
Unabashedly feminist ... Short and well-paced ... Her explanations of the science allow the reader to grasp how one experiment led logically to the next in the search for radioactive elements and particles, and to puzzle or rejoice with the scientists as the results come in.
A vital portrait ... As Sobel vividly tells their tales of valor, diligence, and brilliance, she fuses elements human and scientific to create a dramatic group portrait encompassing passion, struggle, poignancy, and triumph.
Sobel analyzes her subject with care and through detailed historical and personal accounts, following Curie's life from childhood to death ... A necessary reminder of Curie's remarkable contributions to science, and how one person, using the opportunities given to them, can open doors for other people and reshape entire fields. This is an essential read for anyone who values works that highlight women in the sciences.
