Intuition
by Allegra Goodman
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Book Reviews of Intuition
Book Review: Never doubt your intuition as a scientist.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book, Intuition, is a glimpse into the life of scientists in the beginning of their careers. This is a great book to give friends and family to aid in their understanding of what exactly modern day scientists do, what obstacles are faced, and the overwhelming stress encountered. At the same time, this book tackles a very delicate issue in science, scientific misconduct. Where is the line? The characters in this book struggle to 'make the data fit the hypothesis' and in the end the question is - is this misconduct? One of the characters in this book trusts her intuition, believes what she has seen is misconduct, and challenges the faculty in the laboratory where she works to investigate. The story and ideas can fit many fields, but this is the first book I've read personally that gives the reader a view into the world of biomedical research today. Great read. Highly recommended.Book Review: Don't Judge It By Its Cover!
Summary: 4 Stars
The cover of this book makes it look like this is a chicklit romance novel or something, but I assure you, it is not.
It is a subtle book that examines the ambiguities between people set in the backdrop of the politics of laboratory science. Goodman is a sure-footed writer with a touch of Austen in her. I did take away one star, though, because what begins as a lab-centric little drama sort of explodes into a bigger scene. The expansion of location, environment, and stakes gets a little thin and watery in the last 1/3 of the book.
**Possible SPOILER ALERT**
But one of the things that I liked best about the novel was that one of its themes, which develops beautifully, is women in science. Goodman examines this concept in such a beautiful way that the final tableau is really one of my favorites in a long time.
Book Review: Good story idea, poor execution
Summary: 2 Stars
I really wanted to like this book. At 150 pages, my usual quitting place if I am not enjoying a book, I still didn't. Yet, I continued on. At 250 pages I felt too far gone to quit. I hoped that somehow the story could be pulled together by the end and that all those pages were not a waste of time. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed.
The story in this book took forever to develop. I absolutely don't care for the characters. Correctly handled, "unlikable" characters are my favorite to read about. These aren't those kind of characters. I couldn't care less for simpering, self-involved Robin. The development of Cliff's character is flimsy and I find him boring. I believe the general idea for the book had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, Goodman drained the lifeblood out of it by dragging it on and on and on.
Book Review: Gripping 'Intuition'
Summary: 3 Stars
Working in a laboratory setting can be alternately tedious, enthralling, disenchanting, cutthroat, and rewarding. Goodman's novel covers the spectrum with a well-written style and excellent attention to detail. As a former laboratory assistant (lower than even the lab techs described in the book), I felt the Mendelssohn-Glass cancer research lab, in its scrabble for funding and fame, rang true to life. The novel follows a complex cast of characters through the trials and tribulations that may accompany groundbreaking research findings. Overall, this book was well-written and well-paced. I must admit, I found the dialogue to be a bit over the top at times, but ultimately, it was a compelling work on an interesting and prescient topic.Book Review: Completely furious and totally disappointed. UGH
Summary: 1 Stars
I cannot believe the "universal acclaim" this insipid, unbelievable, uninteresting book on scientific morals and ethics received. Perhaps the publishers had a REALLY swanky "coming out" party for this little number. UGH and double ugh. Obviously it's that or literary judgment has gone by the wayside. I was appalled by the exclamation marks in these paeans of undeserved praise -- since the book is like weak, tepid tea with a bit of mold on the edges. To compare Goodman and this work to Jane Austen is a scandal indeed! The characters are stereotypes of the first water, the events are not believable or so poorly described as to be simply dumb, and the entire production idiotic in the extreme. For SHAME!