The Darwins' marriage was based on love, mutual respect, and compatibility. Emma discussed Charles’s theories with him; she proofread his manuscripts. However, Emma, unlike Charles, was deeply religious. She understood what his theories implied about the role of God in creation, and she was terrified for Charles’s immortal soul. The tension this caused in the marriage mirrored the crisis that would erupt when Charles formalized his theory and finally published The Origin of Species. But it was Emma’s support that had allowed him to prepare for what was to come and to better appreciate the point of view of the opposition.
Charles and Emma uses quotes and excerpts from letters and diaries to provide an entertaining, easy to read, straightforward narrative of the lives of this couple. While full of information, it is written in an engaging style so the reader is never bogged down. The book is also a 2010 National Book Award Finalist and a 2010 Michael L. Printz Honor Book. So you don’t have to take my word for how good this book is!
I read this book a while back, and if you have read any of my non-fiction posts, I have a lot of trouble with non-fiction "bogging down." Lots of repetition and usually too much detail. But I agree with you about this one. I enjoyed it; I thought the story kept moving, and kept me interested. Maybe it was because it was written for younger folks -- maybe I should just stick to middle and high school non-fiction! Nice review. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really interesting, I loved the film abput Darwin and his family so i know a bit about it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it would be wonderful to have you after you have finished Sabrina's challenge. Good luck with it!
I've seen quite a number of reviews of this book around the book blogging world. They always seem to be positive, and I've become rather intrigued by it. I've never seen it in a shop in Australia, I'll have to buy it online with an order sometime I suspect.
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