Play Book Tag discussion

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman - 4* - My Review

Einstein's Dreams is a book of fiction set in 1905 in Switzerland, when Einstein was working as a clerk before he published his revolutionary theory of relativity. The premise is that each interconnected short story comprises one of Einstein’s dreams during this period. It reads as a series of thought experiments about time. One can imagine a person focused on space and time in his waking life might dream of time moving backwards, time traveling, time repeating itself, moving at varying speeds for different people, stopping altogether, or branching into multiple streams. These vignettes are interspersed with interludes showing Einstein working in the Swiss patent office in Bern, grounding the dream sequences in historical reality.

It is a lyrical blend of physics and philosophy written by a physicist. Lightman uses these scenarios to explore fundamental questions about the nature of time and human experience, including our relationships, ambitions, fears, and understanding of mortality. The author demonstrates through stories how profoundly our lives would change if time operated differently. Lightman translates complex concepts about relativity into scenes that are relatable and comprehensible to a non-scientist. It is a wonderfully creative novella, and a quick read that I enjoyed very much. An understanding of the theory of relativity is not required to appreciate this book.

Love seeing your review as I know I have a print hardcover copy of this book somewhere in the TBR Towers -- owned for a long time. I remember it being a small book, fitting easily in the hand. Need to keep my eye out for it on my shelves. Books like that have a way of being on a shelf right in front of me and I don't 'see' it.

Yes, it's a short one (mine was 174 pages), and really a nice flowing read that provides some intellectual stimulation while also somehow feeling emotionally moving.

Also, for the Play Harder game, it works for "a book written by a scientist."

You might also like in this case The Complete Cosmicomics, a book about science written by a poet with a penchant for metafiction.
Both are among my favorites

I'll check into it, thanks!

My F2F book club read this book a few years back. Very interesting discussion. One of the things I mentioned was "visualizing time." No one else in my book club does this, but I have always done it.