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The Other Einstein A Novel Marie Benedict Books

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The Other Einstein A Novel Marie Benedict Books

Not a great deal is known about Mileva Mari''s scientific contributions, since her husband, Albert Einstein, was careful to relegate her to the shadows. At twenty, the Serbian-born Mileva (known to her family and close associates as Mitza), attended the Polytechnic Institute in Zurich, where she excelled. She also befriended other young ladies who were determined to become professionals in their fields. Everything changed, however, when Mitza fell under the spell of her classmate, Albert Einstein.

"The Other Einstein" is Marie Benedict's fictional portrayal of the relationship between Mitza and Albert. At first, the two valued and admired one another; Mitza especially enjoyed the high-level intellectual discussions she had with Albert and his inner circle. Unfortunately, many obstacles kept the pair apart, including Albert's inability to find steady employment; parental disapproval; and Albert's self-centeredness and reluctance to make a commitment. The story is told from Mitza's perspective, and most readers will identify with the heroine's anguish at having been teased by classmates because of her pronounced limp; her desire to please her father, who pushed her to study for an advanced physics degree; and, when Albert ultimately convinced her to put him first, her frustration at sacrificing her own fulfillment to further her husband's ambitions.

Although Benedict bases this poignant novel on extensive research, she admits that her narrative is largely speculative; it is NOT history or biography. Still, the author effectively recreates the atmosphere in Switzerland, Serbia, and Germany during the late 1800s and early 1900s—a time of class-consciousness and snobbery; sexism; anti-Semitism; strict standards regarding proper behavior between courting couples; and exciting breakthroughs in various disciplines. Mitza's plight infuriates us, not just because she may have been denied credit for her ideas, but also because she tried, in vain, to be a proper wife to an egotistical and childlike husband. "The Other Einstein" is a heartrending account of a brilliant woman who wanted to do her duty, but instead sacrificed her soul.


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The Other Einstein A Novel Marie Benedict Books Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! One of my favorite book styles is to take a lesser known character or event from history and develop a story around it. I enjoy an in-depth researched story, whether it is fiction or non-fiction. The Other Einstein is historical fiction. Warning if you are a major fan of Albert Einstein, he is not very appealing in this book. Actually, he is portrayed as quite an ass!

This book follows the life and career of Mileva Maric, who will eventually become Mrs. Einstein. She is a Serbian girl who has great skill in mathematics and physics. Her father encourages her education, partly because she was born with a limp and the family believes no one will marry her. With her father's help and encouragement, she is accepted at university in Zurich Switzerland. She lives in a pension with three other brilliant girls who are in the city to attend universities. She is the only female in her physics class and the professor does not hide his contempt. Mileva works hard and excels beyond her male peers. Albert Einstein is one of her classmates and he is clearly smitten with her. She resists at first because she wants to be taken seriously as a scholar and because she does not want to derail her education. Albert wears her down, despite the warnings of her best friend Helene. Also, Helene meets and eventually marries a man, thus breaking their pact to remain single and career focused.

Albert and Mileva have a wonderful courtship and he treats her as an intellectual equal. They work together. He also pressures her to adopt a Bohemian lifestyle. By Bohemian, he means have sex out of wedlock. She becomes pregnant and has a daughter. She is unable to graduate and does not earn her degree. At this point their relationship slowly disintegrates. Albert is unable to find work, partly due to his arrogant attitude. He refuses to meet his daughter and she dies very young. The death deeply affects Mileva. Albert later marries her, despite the opposition of his family and they have two sons. The relationship sours further.

The premise of this story is that Mileva is the one who actually discovered and articulated the Theory of Relativity while she was mourning for her daughter. Albert and Mileva co-write the paper, though he removes her name without her knowledge. He publishes all their work under his name and gives her no credit. He also becomes an increasingly bitter, nasty, egotistical, and vindictive man. Mileva wants a divorce, but that is not an easy thing in the early 1900's.

Mileva's real role in the Theory of Relativity is unknown. Among scientists and scholars, some believe she was a sounding board for Albert, others believe that she did the mathematical equations for his theories, and some believe she is the author. I enjoyed this book because I learned about science at the turn of the 20th century. I was enraged at the treatment of women, especially the way that intelligent women were belittled and looked upon with suspicion. There were several times when I was internally screaming at Mileva to grow a spine or at least bash Albert in the head with a book! In other words, the characters and the story evoked strong feelings for me. And that is a sign of a good book!
I did end up liking the book overall and was especially happier about the turn of events at the end of the story. However, I felt the book to be a bit boring and almost repetitive and whiny in regards to Mileva, Einstein's wife or the Other Einstein.

When Mileva falls for the persistent Einstein, she is taken in by his affable charm, but he does show his selfish side fairly quickly especially when their daughter becomes gravely ill. It really seems as if he cares about no one except himself never meeting his own daughter and only caring about when Mileva will return to take care of him.

Once she returns to him and throws her feelings of sorrow into science, they jointly write many journal articles and theories together with her writing the Theory of Relativity practically alone. Once again, he shows his shelfishness by asking for her name to be removed form all work when he submits it to publishers. But yet he constantly refers to her as "only thinking of herself".

Mileva and eventually their two sons often feel neglected by him and although she has merit to be discouraged, much of the book seemed to be whining to me. It may be because I am a modern woman and wanted her to defend herself the entire time taking credit where credit was due and kicking his selfish tush to the curb. With that being said, I was relieved that she finally saw the light and made decisions the second half of her life that finally benefitted her. I knew virtually nothing about the personal side of Albert Einstein so it was enlightening in that way and also made me interested to read a biography of his and Mileva's life.
Not a great deal is known about Mileva Mari''s scientific contributions, since her husband, Albert Einstein, was careful to relegate her to the shadows. At twenty, the Serbian-born Mileva (known to her family and close associates as Mitza), attended the Polytechnic Institute in Zurich, where she excelled. She also befriended other young ladies who were determined to become professionals in their fields. Everything changed, however, when Mitza fell under the spell of her classmate, Albert Einstein.

"The Other Einstein" is Marie Benedict's fictional portrayal of the relationship between Mitza and Albert. At first, the two valued and admired one another; Mitza especially enjoyed the high-level intellectual discussions she had with Albert and his inner circle. Unfortunately, many obstacles kept the pair apart, including Albert's inability to find steady employment; parental disapproval; and Albert's self-centeredness and reluctance to make a commitment. The story is told from Mitza's perspective, and most readers will identify with the heroine's anguish at having been teased by classmates because of her pronounced limp; her desire to please her father, who pushed her to study for an advanced physics degree; and, when Albert ultimately convinced her to put him first, her frustration at sacrificing her own fulfillment to further her husband's ambitions.

Although Benedict bases this poignant novel on extensive research, she admits that her narrative is largely speculative; it is NOT history or biography. Still, the author effectively recreates the atmosphere in Switzerland, Serbia, and Germany during the late 1800s and early 1900s—a time of class-consciousness and snobbery; sexism; anti-Semitism; strict standards regarding proper behavior between courting couples; and exciting breakthroughs in various disciplines. Mitza's plight infuriates us, not just because she may have been denied credit for her ideas, but also because she tried, in vain, to be a proper wife to an egotistical and childlike husband. "The Other Einstein" is a heartrending account of a brilliant woman who wanted to do her duty, but instead sacrificed her soul.