An impressively well-researched tale of an important but unjustly neglected intellectual figure.
A historical novel dramatizes the life of a famous 18th-century mathematician.
While growing up in Milan, Maria Gaetana Agnesi shows signs of prodigious intellectual talent at a remarkably early age—by the time she is 5, she is fluent in three languages and demonstrates an extraordinary aptitude for mathematics. Maria’s brilliance becomes a matter of intense public interest, especially since her father, Pietro, pushes her to become a renowned symbol of female intellectual achievement. But at the height of her fame—she even entertains Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI—she becomes physically depleted and finally severely ill, worn out from a relentless schedule of study and public appearances. In addition, she suffers from a dearth of purpose—friendless and unmarried, she finds that her intellectual accomplishments do not help her understand her feelings of sadness. Martin meticulously documents not only Maria’s genius as a mathematician, but also her struggle to find meaning in her life beneath her ceaseless labors. In 1748, she finally publishes a mathematical treatise, Analytical Institutions for the Use of Italian Youth, that is so impressive it earns her a professorship in mathematics and physics at the University of Bologna; she becomes only the second woman ever to be awarded such a position. The author focuses on the first half of Maria’s life—her years as a child prodigy and her maturation into a celebrated mathematician—and devotes comparatively little attention to her later interest in theological speculations and charitable work. But he insightfully renders the tension between intellectual success and moral purpose that plagues Maria. Furthermore, he casts a clarifying light on the challenges even a woman of Maria’s virtuosic abilities and wealth faces in the 18th century. This is an engrossing portrayal of a major mathematician and the prohibitions of the time over which she triumphs.
An impressively well-researched tale of an important but unjustly neglected intellectual figure.Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2022
ISBN: 9781947431478
Page Count: 332
Publisher: Mentoris Project
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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