An Audience for Einstein (2006 EPPIE Award Winner)
by Mark Wakely
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mark WakelyEdition: Paperback
Published: 2005-01-31
ISBN: 1594260966
Number of pages: 176
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Mundania Press LLC
Book Reviews of An Audience for Einstein (2006 EPPIE Award Winner)
Book Review: Surprisingly disappointing.
Summary: 1 Stars
With all the positive reviews, I thought this was going to be a good book; the description seemed promising. It was surprisingly poorly written, given all the wonderful reviews and awards. Normally I don't write negative reviews for books, because I imagine novels speak differently to different people. This is not a question of taste, though. Also, I feel obliged to warn other potential readers not to be too misled by the other reviews. Apologies in advance if my review comes off as overly harsh.
First of all, the characters are not well developed and are inconsistent throughout the book. I had a hard time imagining any of them, because they were not believable. For example, as another reviewer mentioned, the child Miguel does not act anything like a child, or even a human being. What he understands and does not understand about the memory implantation procedure seems to have no bearing on what's been told to him. His willingness to get into a strange man's car and then undergo a surgical procedure seem downright bizarre for a child who has been living on the streets (street kids don't tend to be a particularly trusting bunch).
Second, and related to the first, the dialogue was stilted and incoherent. There were several points when a character's response did not seem to be related to the previous line in the dialogue; dialogue moved awkwardly toward particular points that the author wanted to make. What characters said was awkward even divorced from surrounding dialogue; their lines did not flow, or sound like normal human conversation. Third, the plot itself is uninteresting an unsurprising. There's no mystery as to what is going to happen. It was not particularly deep or thought provoking.
Finally, some reviewers seemed to attribute this simplicity of writing to the fact that this is a young adult novel; I have to disagree. As a parent and one who works with young adolescents, I have read many young adult novels, and they can address serious issues thoughtfully, with an interesting plot line, and with good writing. For example, Adam Canfield: Watch Your Back! discusses issues of race, class, privilege, free speech, bullying, stereotyping, and a host of other issues; it is also well written and interesting. Writing for young adults is not an excuse for the flaws in this book.
The questions of facing one's own failing and mortality, and how to value a life, are important, and it was ambitious of Mr. Wakely to address them; unfortunately, he has not succeeded.
Summary of An Audience for Einstein (2006 EPPIE Award Winner)
Professor Percival Marlowe is a brilliant, elderly astrophysicist who's dying, his greatest achievement still unfinished and now beyond his diminished means. Doctor Carl Dorning, a neurosurgeon, finally discovers a secret method of transplanting memories from one person to another, thanks to Marlowe's millions. Miguel Sanchez, a homeless boy, agrees to become the recipient of Marlowe's knowledge and personality in this unorthodox experiment, enticed by Dorning's promises of intelligence, wealth and respect, but dangerously unaware that his own identity will be lost forever. What results is a seesaw battle for control of Miguel's body, as Marlowe learns to his dismay what his lifetime of arrogance and conceit has earned him. And when Marlowe stumbles upon the shocking procedure Dorning used in desperation to succeed, the professor does what he must to defeat Dorning and redeem himself at last.Professor Percival Marlowe is a brilliant, elderly astrophysicist who's dying, his greatest achievement still unfinished and now beyond his diminished means. Doctor Carl Dorning, a neurosurgeon, finally discovers a secret method of transplanting memories from one person to another, thanks to Marlowe's millions. Miguel Sanchez, a homeless boy, agrees to become the recipient of Marlowe's knowledge and personality in this unorthodox experiment, enticed by Dorning's promises of intelligence, wealth and respect, but dangerously unaware that his own identity will be lost forever. What results is a seesaw battle for control of Miguel's body, as Marlowe learns to his dismay what his lifetime of arrogance and conceit has earned him. And when Marlowe stumbles upon the shocking procedure Dorning used in desperation to succeed, the professor does what he must to defeat Dorning and redeem himself at last.
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