Intuition
by Allegra Goodman
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.97 You Save: $9.03 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Intuition
Book Review: Embarrassed to be caught in public reading this!
Summary: 1 Stars
I forced myself to read this for a class. It was much like choking down spoiled milk. Goodman takes what could have been an excellent plot about ethics in research, and turns it into a soap-opera-style romance novel. She skips around the plot by bringing in extraneous characters. Who cares about Kate or her literary fanatics (she and her sisters have the exact same personality, by the way - how creative)? Half the book is just quotations from Donne and other literary work. Every now and then, Goodman lays out a pseudo-strange relationship between Sandy and Marion, the latter of whom is apparently a goddess to her husband - all highly unbelievable.
Goodman does not bother to pick a main character. She makes it easy for herself by jumping from character to character with a third person omniscient perspective - everybody's thoughts get a say in this novel. But because of this, the storyline gets muddled with feelings and motives, to the point where the case of cheating is smothered with flowery descriptions and ridiculous romantic language. Also, there's no one to root for, since no character gets fully developed - the reader ends up hating all of them.
The story ends up being anti-climactic, with the cheaters getting no just desserts, and there is no revelation as to why. Sure, science students could probably fathom why, but those unfamiliar to the field are left confused.
This is one book that you can judge by its cover - pink, girly, and just plain terrible. Why else do you think Amazon sellers are pricing it so cheaply? Leave it on the shelves for Goodman fans.
Book Review: captivated my intellect and imagination
Summary: 4 Stars
I typically read legal books for work or legal fiction if any fiction at all. One day, nonchalantly perusing books, Intuition caught my eye. Something about the subject matter caught my attention and I took a chance with both an author and subject I knew nothing about. Other reviews give a good summary of the story line. To them I want to add what I believe makes this book a great read.
The story is believable. Even for those not versed in academic, medical research the characters and plot seem real. The climax is suspenseful, although not like a murder mystery where one might feel a sense of accomplishment by figuring how the research became flawed. Intuition is about much more than the intriguing scientific forensics. Goodman adds insights into music, poetry, scientific process, public versus private funding issues and government accountability that add intriguing dimensions to the storyline.
In addition, I think the books is solidly well written. Goodman demonstrates a remarkable vocabulary, distinguishes characters without resorting to trite stereotypes, and displays language mastery in her use of allegory and metaphor.
Goodman's scientific world is not a clear battle of good versus evil but a variety of people in conflict because they are doing what they believe they should. Multiple strong personalities each following a path they believe to be true. Is that the same as intuition? Or did only the protagonist follow intuition?
I am glad I followed my own intuition and picked up this remarkable book.
Book Review: Shades of Gray
Summary: 5 Stars
Here's the thing: Scientists are human. Some might even bend the truth about their discoveries. Why would they do that? They do it for the same reason a baseball player might take steroids or why a student might cheat on a test. They do it because it makes them look good, for a promotion, to pay the rent, to survive, to get that grant they need to continue their work---if funding runs out, experiments might stop. It's the sort of human frailty that says `I can't report these numbers. My intuition tells me, this procedure is going to work. Who would know better than I? Am I not the world's expert on this particular chemistry? Wasn't I tops in my class? I'm telling you, this is going to work. I just need more time. I'm so close to discovering a cure. A cure for cancer! This can save millions of lives. Anyway, I'm not really lying; I'm just not going to report all the negative stuff, not just yet. I need a bit more time.' Get the picture? Now, throw in a whistle blower. Whom are you going to root for? Before you answer, note that the whistle blower is also human. Moreover, she's a scientist. Now what? You guessed it. This picture is neither black nor white. It's gray. Welcome to the world of Allegra Goodman. In her world, everything is gray. Gray is where Goodman shines. Look through her special viewfinder. Look deep. Stay with it. If you do, you'll see that her grays can reveal a truly amazing kaleidoscope of human emotions.Book Review: A very well-written book, but not for those who want a fast-moving plot
Summary: 4 Stars
I actually picked this novel up from a shelf at work (where we swap books) and expected this to be badly written popular literature. I think the cover is very misleading; this is extremely well-written. That said, it a very subtle plot, so it is not for those who love Michael Crichton, as another reviewer said. However, that reviewer compared Goodman to Jane Austen, which is not at all accurate, either. Jane Austen used a lot of humor, and she also utilized some dramatic plot shifts. You won't find either of those things here.
Goodman's plot shifts very subtly, as the balance of power swings. Nothing dramatic really happens. This is a novel more about personalities (none of whom you really root for whole-heartedly) and science. I found it very interesting, although it wasn't the typical sort of novel I read. There was a part of me that kept waiting for something to happen, but slowly, I realized that I had been pulled into the novel's plot, and that the writing and development of the characters had sucked me in. As I mentioned, none of the characters are 100% likeable, but that's probably pretty realistic about people in the workplace.
Book Review: a scientist's point of view
Summary: 4 Stars
The great philosopher Karl Popper once likened the scientist's condition to that of a blind man who enters a black room in search of a black hat that might not even be there. Although the target of many controversial comments this grim image closely describes the unpredictable enterprise of individuals who venture into science. Ms. Goodman's book has the merit to detail this "truth" into the lives, passions, and all that human kind comes with of a research group striving for success and survival. The so called ivory tower has rightly been opened up in these years of justified public demand for results and for accountability of those spending taxpayers' money. But the ball remains in the scientists' hands, and with that all the burden and limited success rate that come with it. This novel is simple yet very introspective, and the Author has been quite good at detailing the life of a scientist, from its inception to glory via the infamous years of severe post-doctoral training. This is a meritorious effort that describes the scientist's pain in the times we live. It will be up to the lay people to grab its implications or not.