Rating: 
Summary: An interesting book on an interesting topic and time
Review: Despite the title, the book is not about Galileo's daughter. While her correspondence with her father figures prominently throughout the book and details of her life factor into the story, the book is largely a biography of her father, the preeminent Renaissance physicist and astronomer, Italian Galileo Galillei.Dava Sobel manages to capture her subject from a more intimate prospective than many biographers by using correspondence, mainly that from his daughter Virginia (later Sister Maria Celeste) to illuminate the more personal aspects of his life. None of the great man's own letters to his daughter remain--the author opines this was because the sister was not allowed to possess anything and such letters might therefore have been destroyed or removed to another location--so his replies are unknown except through references made to them by the sister. The details of Galileo's life as a youth and as a scientist were known to me to some limited degree through other reading and by means of a play based on his life that I attended at the Children's Theater here in Minneapolis, but the author's book more clearly develops the scientist's life as a family man, devout Catholic, and confidant of the world's contemporary intelligentsia. For me the most interesting aspect of Galileo's story is still the ordeal he was subjected to as a result of his astronomical observations and beliefs. The author makes it much more obvious that this was no insignificant event in the scientist's life, using Sister Maria Celeste's letters to illuminate the precariousness of the scientist's political situtation and health.
She also makes it clearer that much of the issue was inspired by political events outside of the country that impacted the Roman Catholic Church and its hierarchy, which is something of which I had been unaware. Having undergone an earlier losing confrontation with the inquisition, the scientist had actually discussed his proposed scientific play with the Pope and had submitted the manuscript to not one but two official scrutinies. He had made the changes they required and gone to press, when enemies within the religious and academic communities, both in Italy and abroad, conspired to ruin him by bringing charges of heresy against him. At this time, Pope Urban VIII was involved in an expensive war with various political entities in Europe over the control of the Holy Roman Empire and over the issue of Protestantism in the contended territory. His capacity to "protect the faith" was being called into question by the discontented in Italy who were being pressed to finance the furtherance of the war, and he needed to prove to them that he could in fact stand firm on religious questions. Galileo managed to get in the way, just at that point in history. Urban, who was himself scientifically inclined and fairly open minded, was also an astute politician caught between a rock and a hard place. Ultimately he had to have known that what was being discovered by the world's scientists would be proven fact in the end and could not be indefinitely supressed. He was probably aware as well that the heresy of which Galileo's work was accused was more of a literary technicality than anything. But he also had to protect his reputation and that of the church in order to maintain its integrity as an institution during a difficult time. To his credit and that of his peers, up until Urban's time much of science had been speculation and philosophy and "truth" and "reality" were defined by the reputation and status of the proponent of the theory and not by objective data. Equipment used to quantify scientific proposals was just only beginning to be invented during Urban and Galileo's lifetimes and was very new, untested, and not widely understood. The telescope, microscope, thermometer, and barometer were all devised at this time. Furthermore, many charlatans had used mechanical devices to defraud and delude their victims. That one might look through a telescope like Galileo's and see exotic and unexpected things that might well prove to be untrue, seemed entirely logical given the status of science and culture at the time. An interesting book on an interesting topic and an interesting time in history.
Rating: 
Summary: Misnamed, but deeply interesting
Review: This is a book about Galileo, not his daughter. The inclusion of some of her letters to him and discussion of her life as a cloistered nun add a valuable perspective to the picture we're given of life in that culture, but she is not the focus of the book by any means. That being said, this is a fascinating story, well researched and well written. Galileo's troubles with the Catholic church, and the new and growing schism between science and Church philosophy, are presented in clear detail without bias and lend some insight into the struggles still making headlines today on such issues as how schools shall teach evolution vs. creationism. This is an excellent read for a layperson who wants a better understanding of how physical sciences evolved (sorry, no pun intended) from philosophies into the practices of observation, experimentation and direct measurement that we know today. By any lights, Galileo's work was revolutionary (again, no pun intended!). I'm left wanting to read more, however, about the history of the cloisters and what daily life entailed for women in convents at that time.
Rating: 
Summary: Dava Sobel writes a too-long tale with little drama
Review: Some biographers, through talent and the intelligent use of a pen, can make their subject's life a fascinating and interesting tale. Unfortunately, Sobel does not have that talent, and it shows. She writes an extremely long, indifferent encyclopedia article that does little to stimulate the mind or stir the soul, spending too much time weaving intricate, useless details into the story. For example, Sobel spends almost an entire page detailing Suor Maria Celeste's (Galileo's Daughter) handwriting, and throws a new, irrelevant name into every paragraph while doing little to personalize the relevant names. Sobel takes the fascination and excitement in Galileo's tale and presents it in the most boring, mattter-of-fact way possible. I was forced to read this excrutiatingly dull biography for my English 102 class; otherwise, I would not have finished it. All I really have to say is: I'm sorry Ms. Sobel, because your tale didn't turn out as well as you probably wanted it to, and I'm sorry Galileo, that your life has been manipulated into such a sorry novel.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, perceptive, a story of history with a slant.
Review: I must say right off that this is a historical memoir and though the book is written to include the thoughts and letters of Galileo's daughter, Suor Maria Celeste who chose her name in honor of her fathers celestial interests, it is very much a piece of historical fact. The author has brilliantly researched and added translations and photos of hundreds of documents and items pertaining to the period, including many of the letters written to Galileo by his cloistered daughter. These private thoughts, feelings and fears have been cleverly molded into a story that sheds light on the life of this brilliant man and his futuristic views. A Man before his time, Galileo's belief that the Earth revolved around the sun brought great discord to the Catholic Church's hierarchy. An outstanding mathematician and scientist he was also remembered to be a profound philosopher. I am giving this book 5 stars because it is beautifully constructed and adds substance and passion to a historical figure that was merely another name in a history book. If you are simply looking for a good story you will be disappointed and find it to be dry in spots. If you are the reader who is in search of a book for more than entertainment this is the perfect choice......Kelsana 3/18/01
Rating:
Summary: Celestial Seasonings In An Engaging Bio of Galileo
Review: It's easy to be a little skeptical about the idea behind Dava Sobel's book. It's built on Sobel's translation (the first into English) of 124 letters written to Galileo Galilei, the Renaissance Italian philosopher, mathematician and physicist, by his illegitimate daughter Virginia. Galileo's letters to her have not survived; they are presumed to have been destroyed by the nuns at her convent. But Sobel, author of the 1995 bestseller "Longitude," showing once again her keen eye for the compelling stories that simmer beneath great discoveries, turns this seemingly meager material into genuine historical drama. That Galileo even had a daughter may come as a surprise to many readers. And indeed, he never married. But in an affair with Marina Gamba of Venice he fathered a son, Vincenzio, and two daughters, Virginia and Livia. The daughters were considered unfit for marriage because of their illegitimacy and were placed in convents. Virginia, the eldest, took vows as Sister Maria Celeste, a name she chose in part out of respect for her father's infatuation with the stars. Sobel intersperses factual descriptions of the scientist's life and work with passages from Maria Celeste's letters. As the social burdens he bore as a heretic and outcast increased, so did his bodily afflictions; Maria Celeste's concern for these chronic infirmities -- gout, hernia and ocular infections, among other ailments -- runs as a leitmotif through her letters. She conveys also a timeless caution against the dangers of forest-for-the-trees myopia. As she tells a story about how difficult it was for many people to accept the Earth's place in the solar system, she suggests a simple explanation for why people so often fail to understand their own place in the world: "As participants in the Earth's activity, people cannot observe their own rotation, which is so deeply embedded in terrestrial existence as to have become insensible." "Galileo's Daughter" makes us pause and consider other aspects of our existence of which we may be insensible, and that we should perhaps regard with slightly less certainty.
Rating:
Summary: Not only a great man, but a great father, too!
Review: A historical Memoir of science, faith, and love. The book purports to use letters from Galileo's daughter to form the basis of this biography and they are certainly a major part of the book but they are hardly the backbone. Tucked away in a cloister, there is simply no way the daughter could keep up with the intrigue and politics that swirled around this brilliant man except through his letters to her - which, for the most part, are no longer existent. Still, it is a brilliant and vibrant biography because it paints Galileo as a man - often sick, always intense, and forever a dutiful father.
Rating:
Summary: It Does Move!
Review: I give this book five stars, because it is absolutely essential reading for anyone wanting a schoalrly, balanced account of "the Galileo incident" at the center of modern science, and modern supposed conflicts between science and religion. Dava Sobel presents Galileo Galilei in a manner too few historians have: as a man of his times; deepy inquisitive, but, more importantly, devoutly Catholic. Galileo did not see a dichotomy between science and true religion (which he felt to be Catholic Christianity). Rather, in his scientific study of the cosmos he saw a reflection of man's sojourn to his ultimate destiny, Heaven. A biography of Galileo, this book is also an autobiography of his oldest daughter, Sister Maria Celeste, a Poor Clare Nun. Dava's translations of her letters are the only ones I know of to have been made into English. Even so, this book is much, much more than a translation of Sister Maria's letters. I say this in case any prospective male readers feel that this book may be a chronicle of feminist manifestos. It isn't. This book, perhaps most importantly, is the most readable account of Galileo's history, and his scientific theories, for the general reader that I have ever read. It's reading is a must for the serious student of science, history, and religion. Be prepared to compare what you think you know, with what actually was, of the Renaissance and the origins of modern science.
Rating:
Summary: Better Title: Galileo AND His Daughter
Review: We read this book as the monthly selection in our bookclub. The book is very interesting, but definitely NOT a FAST read. Several people in our bookclub commented that they felt the book was too long, and not well-edited. Some people had read Longitude, by the same author, and said that it was a better book. Nevertheless, when we discussed what we would have taken out, every person had a different opinion. For each of the things that one person in the group didn't care for, another person in the group enjoyed. So I think it was fine. Some people were disappointed that the book turned out to be more about Galileo than his daughter. But for me, I enjoyed that it was. I felt the last third of the book was the best. I learned a LOT from reading this book. Sobel brings the characters to life. I feel like I know Pope Urban now as a human being. I also know Galileo and his daughter both as human beings, just as if I had met all of these people in my current life. Some people in our group were not interested in the science presented in the book, but really enjoyed reading about all the herbal and plant remedies used during the Middle Ages. The herbal things didn't interest me, but I LOVED the science discussions presented in the book. No matter WHAT your interest, this book is a slow, but very worthwhile read. It stimulated me to want to read much more on many of the subjects that were only touched on in the book.
Rating:
Summary: The Many Sides of Galileo
Review: In her intimately drawn book, "Galileo's Daughter," Dava Sobel brings us the story of Galileo the Scientist, interwoven with letters from his daughter, which allow us to see Galileo the devout Catholic, and kindly father, as well. The letters that his daughter, Suor Maria Celeste, wrote to her father over the course of her life serve as the backdrop and force behind Galileo's life and of Sobel's book. Sobel has carefully translated these letters and brought to light not only the life of Galileo, but the daily life details of a seventeenth century Italian nun. Suor Maria writes, for example, "Here are some cakes I made a few days ago, hoping to give them to you when you came...I am still not well...but by now I am so accustomed to poor health that I hardly think about it, seeing how it pleases the Lord to keep testing me always with some little pain or other" (121). In over 124 letters, we see that Suor Maria Celeste and the nuns of San Matteo are a big part of Galileo's life. Writes Sobel, "Thus, all the while Galileo was inventing modern physics...and defending his bold theories...he was also buying thread for Suor Luisa, choosing organ music for Mother Achillea...and supplying his homegrown citrus fruits, wine, and rosemary leaves for the kitchen and apothecary of San Matteo" (119). In this way we see a Galileo who is deeply involved in the cloistered life of his daughter while at the same time making significant scientific contributions to the world at large. It is at times a plodding discourse due to the significant amount of historical detail she embeds in virtually every page but it is also a delight to have such a plethora of information in one book. Sobel has crafted a wonderful narrative, meticulously researched and skillfully presented. Through her portrayal of Galileo, the reader is taken to that point in time when the schism between science and religion first emerged.
Rating:
Summary: The persistence of evil!
Review: This book gave no depth to Galeleo's look at the world, from science to religion. It is valuable, extremely valuable, as a chronicle of the tyrrany of the Catholic Church. His daughter lived her adult life as a prisoner while her "wardens," the Catholic Church, put teenagers on their thrones, allowed M. Celeste to say penance for her father, closed off anything that promotes rational understanding of the world, and represented what can only be described as the presence of evil on earth. This book should be recommended for today's politicians, and others involved in the promotion of religion. Through this book, the terrible curse of organized religion becomes transparent, as much now as in the 17th century.
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