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  • Einstein's Dreams

  • Written by: Alan Lightman
  • Narrated by: Grover Gardner
  • Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (34 ratings)

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Einstein's Dreams

Written by: Alan Lightman
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Publisher's Summary

A modern classic, Einstein's Dreams is a fictional collage of stories dreamed by Albert Einstein in 1905, when he worked in a patent office in Switzerland. As the defiant but sensitive young genius is creating his theory of relativity, a new conception of time, he imagines many possible worlds. In one, time is circular, and people are fated to repeat their triumphs and failures over and over. In another, there is a place where time stands still, visited by lovers and parents clinging to their children. In another, time is a nightingale, sometimes trapped by a bell jar.

Translated into 30 languages, Einstein's Dreams has inspired playwrights, dancers, musicians, and painters all over the world. In poetic vignettes it explores the connections between science and art, the process of creativity, and ultimately the fragility of human existence.

©1993 Alan Lightman (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Einstein's Dreams

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Thought provoking

This book is a good read. It offers many theories of time in story form.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting but light.


Interesting yes, but not particularly fresh or memorable. I realise this book is often cited when speaking about time and the possibilities of time in other-physics universes, but it left me disappointed. The style and language is often very fine and the reader well-suited.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Playful, imaginative, absurd

This is a series of short stories that meditate on time - real and imagined. These are the imagined dreams of Einstein as he creates his theories on time.

Beautifully written, often absurd and interesting. While the stories can get a bit repetitive - it is a very enjoyable series of short imaginings. And Chapter 20 - a huge improvement on the idea behind F Scott Fitzgerald's idea for Benjamin Button.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

A disappointment

Each chapter seemed to get more and more pedantic. The style of narrative just doesn’t engage me, it feels flat and uni dimensional. And somehow the characters all seem the same; they are like nameless faceless grey cut outs. Unfortunately I can’t finish it. Sorry to Mr. Lightman, writing a book is no easy feat, but I personally was hoping for something different, intrigued as I was by the premise.

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