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audaciaray's review against another edition
4.0
I saw Adam Gopnik speak about Darwin and the Evolution of Human Goodness at the 92nd Street Y a few weeks ago, and I was impressed by his sense of humor and his affection for Darwin, so I picked up Angels and Ages.
His affection for both Darwin and Lincoln - not just as public figures and cornerstones of modernity, but as men - is at the core of this book. The book is basically a love letter to these two important men, but it's also thinky enough to be something more than a pure fanboy piece of prose.
I especially appreciation the work on Darwin and Lincoln as family men, and the stuff about both men's relationships with religion is really intriguing. Both men struggled with religion and its impact on their professional lives; both were non-believers who had family members who were avid believers - Gopnik does a great job of teasing this out.
Though the chapters bounce back and forth between Darwin and Lincoln, I felt like there was a bit more Darwin in the book, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Gopnik is a good and accessible writer - I keep laughing at the images he conjures of Darwin's kids assisting him with his worm experiments.
His affection for both Darwin and Lincoln - not just as public figures and cornerstones of modernity, but as men - is at the core of this book. The book is basically a love letter to these two important men, but it's also thinky enough to be something more than a pure fanboy piece of prose.
I especially appreciation the work on Darwin and Lincoln as family men, and the stuff about both men's relationships with religion is really intriguing. Both men struggled with religion and its impact on their professional lives; both were non-believers who had family members who were avid believers - Gopnik does a great job of teasing this out.
Though the chapters bounce back and forth between Darwin and Lincoln, I felt like there was a bit more Darwin in the book, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Gopnik is a good and accessible writer - I keep laughing at the images he conjures of Darwin's kids assisting him with his worm experiments.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
an interesting parallel is drawn between abe lincoln and charles darwin, both born on the same day. what i found interesting is gopnik's analysis of both men's writing. he gives excellent observations about appeals, syntax and various literary devices. it makes me want to seek our darwin's writing and read a book about him i've had on my shelf for years.
danchibnall's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoy Adam Gopnik's writing style. It's clear and fun, like drinking a refreshing beverage. My first read of his, "Paris to the Moon", was a great recounting of his family's time in France. This book was also very well done, except the ending just kept going.
Gopnik attempts, with great success, to show how Lincoln and Darwin were linked together in history through their great accomplishments. The author does lavish quite a bit of praise on these men and they deserve it, but he does include a bit of the negative sides of their personalities and defeats. However, it's not the most balanced approach. I wasn't reading this thinking, "Man, I wish I knew more about the dark sides of these guys" but rather just wishing that he wasn't so gushing at times.
Despite that, his analysis of their lives was great. He showed how the deaths of their children affected them and how their personal quirks, hobbies, and desires made them the men they were. Darwin played his bassoon for earthworms to determine if they could hear, and Lincoln would walk around the Soldiers' Home reciting scenes from "Macbeth" and other Shakespeare favorites.
The last chapter has some more essential information about the two men, but Gopnik blows the dam wide open when he has trouble trying to find the end. It kind of reminded me of the end of the last "Lord of the Rings" movie when you think it's over, but it's really not. The writing is still high quality and the points he makes are not without their sound reason and logic, but he keeps going, and going, trying to not end the book. It was an odd, yet well-written ending.
Overall, I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn a little more about Lincoln and Darwin but doesn't want to read the thousands of volumes that have been written about them.
Gopnik attempts, with great success, to show how Lincoln and Darwin were linked together in history through their great accomplishments. The author does lavish quite a bit of praise on these men and they deserve it, but he does include a bit of the negative sides of their personalities and defeats. However, it's not the most balanced approach. I wasn't reading this thinking, "Man, I wish I knew more about the dark sides of these guys" but rather just wishing that he wasn't so gushing at times.
Despite that, his analysis of their lives was great. He showed how the deaths of their children affected them and how their personal quirks, hobbies, and desires made them the men they were. Darwin played his bassoon for earthworms to determine if they could hear, and Lincoln would walk around the Soldiers' Home reciting scenes from "Macbeth" and other Shakespeare favorites.
The last chapter has some more essential information about the two men, but Gopnik blows the dam wide open when he has trouble trying to find the end. It kind of reminded me of the end of the last "Lord of the Rings" movie when you think it's over, but it's really not. The writing is still high quality and the points he makes are not without their sound reason and logic, but he keeps going, and going, trying to not end the book. It was an odd, yet well-written ending.
Overall, I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn a little more about Lincoln and Darwin but doesn't want to read the thousands of volumes that have been written about them.
redroofcolleen's review against another edition
2.0
With such interesting subject matter as Lincoln and Darwin, this should have been a home run. I made it about 2/3 through before I was bored out of my mind. Angels or ages - who cares?!
livruther's review against another edition
i just got bored. would like to finish someday
stoicloofah's review against another edition
4.0
In "Angels and Ages", Adam Gopnik analyzes the lives, rhetoric, and impact of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. He argues that modern society was shaped by their beliefs not only for their content but by the way they presented it.
I think he makes an interesting argument, but I think it's enjoyable because the reader is waching him work through his ideas. At moments, he admits how the connection is a strain, and he pulls in a lot of different evidence to figure through his thesis. His writing can be somewhat dense, but he does try to explain the biggest jumps. There are loose ends and unanswered questions, but it almost makes it more compelling in that he recognizes that life isn't always so clean.
I myself am not from a religious background, but I can see how the other reviewers felt that he diminished religion in their lives. The book does take a strange turn at the end as he ties together their lives and speaks about the tension of their ideas and religion in modern society. He's very careful to call out the aspects of religion that he finds coherent with their beliefs and those that he disagrees with, but it's a close call. It seems hypocritical that he praises Lincoln and Darwin for their ability to take new ideas and present them in such an accessible manner to avoid strife, and yet, Gopnik himself rounds out with a conclusion that by its topic alone (and not its content) would alienate a lot of readers.
Overall, I found the book very interesting, though it required a lot of concentration and re-reading to understand. Read an excerpt if you're unsure: it's pretty much the same style and content all of the way through.
I think he makes an interesting argument, but I think it's enjoyable because the reader is waching him work through his ideas. At moments, he admits how the connection is a strain, and he pulls in a lot of different evidence to figure through his thesis. His writing can be somewhat dense, but he does try to explain the biggest jumps. There are loose ends and unanswered questions, but it almost makes it more compelling in that he recognizes that life isn't always so clean.
I myself am not from a religious background, but I can see how the other reviewers felt that he diminished religion in their lives. The book does take a strange turn at the end as he ties together their lives and speaks about the tension of their ideas and religion in modern society. He's very careful to call out the aspects of religion that he finds coherent with their beliefs and those that he disagrees with, but it's a close call. It seems hypocritical that he praises Lincoln and Darwin for their ability to take new ideas and present them in such an accessible manner to avoid strife, and yet, Gopnik himself rounds out with a conclusion that by its topic alone (and not its content) would alienate a lot of readers.
Overall, I found the book very interesting, though it required a lot of concentration and re-reading to understand. Read an excerpt if you're unsure: it's pretty much the same style and content all of the way through.
ghahn3's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
I am very mixed about this book. It is full of interesting information and observations, but it keeps returning to glib dualities that oversimplify the richness and reality of the topics discussed.
rdebner's review against another edition
2.0
While the subject matter was interesting, and in general I find Gopnik to be a very fine writer, I had trouble following the overall thread of the narrative.
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