Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith Audiobook

" Yeah! I really like this book! I learned a lot about evolution and a lot about Darwin I probably never would have known. And it made me really like Darwin as a person! What a romantic he was!! "

" This book is about Charles Darwin and his relationship with this wife, Emma. The book begins with Charles contemplating the pro's and con's of marriage, making a list on a piece of paper. He decides that while there are several good reasons to stay a bachelor his whole life, married life is preferable. While considering relatives and friends he knows, he finds Emma, a cousin with quite a different personality than his own. The book continues to illustrate the events leading to their marriage, their differences and similarities, their family and the studies and beliefs of Charles and how they affected those around him. This book is great, especially to anyone with the least bit of curiosity about Charles Darwin and his life. Even strict anti-evolutionists will enjoy learning more about Charles and discover that he may not be the same person that most people think he is. This book would especially appeal to those who enjoy romance novels (such as Jane Austen) because of the focus on Charles's and Emma's relationship. "

" I liked the way this book showed the confluence between religious views and Darwin's developing scientific views. It was interesting for the focus on his relationship with his family. It left a few too many gaps in the scientific development of his ideas. "

" This biography of Charles Darwin and his wife Emma focuses on their marriage. It makes much of the fact that Emma was religious and Charles was a doubter who knew that his theory of evolution would cause controversy. The problem is that the religious disagreement between Emma and Charles never caused any major conflict because they loved each too much to let it. The author does make much of this as a lesson to us all today to just get along whatever side of the creationist/evolutionary divide we find ourselves on. I had been looking forward to reading this book but I ended up finding the author's voice and agenda too intrusive. I also found that while I am quite forgiving -- and often even appreciative -- of sentence fragments and playing fast and loose with other grammatical rules in fiction writing (as I consider it part of the artistic license on the author's part), I expect more serious and correct English in my non-fiction. "

" I love historical fiction and this book conveyed the conflict between Charles Darwin's theories and his wife's religiousness. He accomplished so much even though he came back from his voyage with a lingering illness. Inspiring . . "

" This was very interesting -- although I'm not sure why they think it is a teen book -- adults would be the main audience I think... "

" Glad I read it. Could've been worse. "

" Loved it. Very interesting. "

" Dry reading. Most YAs would not want to read this. "

" Though it took a while for me to get into this title, I did very much enjoy it. The narration was excellent. "

" Just didn't catch my attention. The facts were all there, but the storytelling was not. "

" Loved it!!! You have to like science and history to enjoy it. "

" This book made me fall in love with Charles Darwin a little bit. "

" I have read about Charles Darwin before. This told more about his family and relationships and I liked that. The book I read before was more about his travels earlier in his young adult life and the beginnings of his theories on evolution. It was a tad slow going for me though. "

" I love all things darwin, and this book was no exception. However, there were parts that were redundant that slowed the reading enjoyment. "

" Though I am struggling to read more nonfiction and found parts of the book repetitive, I was moved by the love story of Charles and Emma and in awe of their ability to look past their huge ideological differences. "

" While not a page turner, this book provides great insight into how Darwin's theory evolved. (Pun intended.) It also illustrates how different life was not so long ago. A good way to learn a bit about an important piece of scientific history without too much scientific data. "

" Loved it! Such a positive portrayal of marriage. And who knew Emma Darwin was so good at playing the piano that she took lessons from Chopin?! (Probably lots of people but I didn't know it.) I think that Roslyn Landor did a wonderful narration job too. "

" It reads like a love story! Easy and interesting. "

" Amazingly researched. Heiligman integrates facts and quotes into her narrative absolutely seamlessly. Lovely. Also loved narrator Rosalyn Landor. "

" 4 out of 4 STARS I really loved this book that had a very interesting and real take on the life of the Darwins. "

" A biography for kids. Pretty tame stuff. A little dry. "