For the last four hundred years, Galileo has fascinated and inspired writers, theologians, playwrights, historians, and scientists. As the founder of modern science and the embodiment of the conflict between science and faith, Galileo remains the most fascinating figure of his age. Here James Reston, Jr., presents a lively, dramatic portrait of Galileo, one that not only takes us to the heart of this passionate, embattled, prickly, vain, arrogant, and brilliant man but also paints a vivid picture of Renaissance Italy, of its unparalleled cultural richness and political and religious intrigues. At the center of the story, of course, is Galileo’s discovery of the telescope, which revolutionized astronomy but put Galileo into conflict with the Catholic Church until 1633, when the Inquisition denounced him, banishing him for the last nine years of his life.
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"well done. what i enjoyed most were the way in which the details of galileo's life were presented: going forward as though we were living the unknown from galileo's perspective (rather than reflecting back with biases in place)" — Maggie (4 out of 5 stars)
"well done. what i enjoyed most were the way in which the details of galileo's life were presented: going forward as though we were living the unknown from galileo's perspective (rather than reflecting back with biases in place)"
“[Reston] recreates the era with immediacy by mining Galileo’s journals and letters for dialogue. The use of present tense gives the characters a magnified, flesh-and-blood presence that neatly balances with the Galileo legend.”
“Reston brings this star-gazing, intuitively intelligent, original, articulate, witty, theatrical, self-promoting, cash-poor, and nearly inexhaustible Italian Catholic to life in an involving and, yes, suspenseful narrative. Acquaintance with the facts does nothing to diminish the drama, and Reston’s zealous research…vivid descriptions, and frank indignation over the church’s appalling treatment of his hero enliven every page.”
“A well-rounded portrait…Successfully portrays Galileo’s world, with its colorful group of Renaissance Italians. Readily accessible, the book is an interesting character study and political biography of the great scientist.”
“Riggenbach conveys the drama of Galileo’s capitulation before the Inquisition—a scene of conflict between documented observation and accepted belief so vivid it could easily have taken place in today’s world instead of four centuries ago. Galileo’s was an exciting mind in an era of discovery and tumult, rendered distinctively in Riggenbach’s narration.”
" Fascinating biography of a genius... and interesting to read about the power and politics of the Vatican in suppressing Galileo's scientific discoveries! "
" So much I never knew about Galileo and the Church - very interesting reading. "
" Reston covers a lot of diverse themes during his apologetic description of Galileo's papal conflict with his selling of science. "
" The audio narrator is so unbelievably boring that I just couldn't make it through. "
" Lively and fast-moving, albeit riddled by glaring inaccuracies. One small but telling error: the misinterpretation of Galileo's attitude toward Tasso's poetry, and the misquotation in support of it (p. 42). "
" Great story of Galileo's life! "
" Detailed biography of Galileo Galilei. "
" 3.5. A decent account of Galileo's life and struggle with the catholic church. As mentioned by others, the focus is not on Galileo's science but primarly on Galileo's interactions with the church and other scientest. "
" This should have been more interesting. I really wanted to like this. Maybe there is another book on Galileo out there with some life to it. "
" Very boring. I couldn't finish the book. It was so detailed in his social doings and very little on his scientific activities. "
" He wuz robbed. "
James Reston Jr. is a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The author of more than a dozen books, including Warriors of God and Dogs of God, he lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Jeff Riggenbach (1947-2021) narrated numerous titles for Blackstone Audio and won an AudioFile Earphones Award. An author, contributing editor, and producer, he worked in radio in San Francisco for more than thirty years, earning a Golden Mike Award for journalistic excellence.
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