Book Review

Years ago I had read about Marie Curie so I knew the main facts of her discovery of radium, her Nobel Prize and her subsequent death caused by radium. I picked up Susan Quinn's book Marie Curie: A Life expecting to skim over it to refresh my memory. Instead I found myself spellbound, reading every word from cover to cover.

The first aspect of the book that impressed me was the author's skill in making the historical and social background of the time come alive. For example, she presented the Polish people's frustrated efforts to achieve independence in such a way that the reader understood how Polish patriotism affected Marie's parents, extended family, and Marie's own attitude and experience all her life. Quinn was also aware that in today's equal-opportunity world, her readers might find it hard to imagine how class attitudes in a highly structured society can exert a stranglehold on the thinking and actions of members of such a society. Marie's parents were descended from families who once held an honored and affluent position but who at the time of her birth were without influence and often without financial resources. Quinn shows how Marie's life was shaped by the way she dealt with the differences between class expectations and actuality. Quinn interwove the history of the times with the personal activities and reactions of Marie and the other people in the book so smoothly that she achieved a seamless whole.

Quinn also handled the scientific aspects of the book extremely well. For example, she explained simply but clearly the points about mathematics, physics, and chemistry that were known or assumed in Marie's lifetime. The reader did not need a strong scientific background to understand Quinn's explanations. In addition, as she detailed the contributions that each of the Curies made to the science of their day, Quinn also pointed out how these contributions still help modern-day researchers. These sections might cause young readers to consider further study in math or science.

A third aspect that Quinn presented well was the dominance of men over women in Marie's time. Again and again male researchers received accolades and advancements that were denied to Marie because of her sex. Women couldn't be accepted as being as smart as men, and if they showed themselves more capable an any way, that was even less acceptable. Quinn pulls no punches about this aspect, but neither does she belabor it unnecessarily.

A fourth favorable aspect is that Quinn presents Marie's virtues and faults impartially. One example of the former is Marie's working at a job she hated to help her sister get established in France. Examples of the latter include Marie's poor judgment in having an affair with a married man and her neglect of her daughters.

A minor fault I found occurred when Quinn said something like, "Looking at a picture of Marie at this age one can see..." Often I turned eagerly to the photographic section, only to be frustrated to find that picture wasn't reproduced. Overall, more pictures would have been desirable.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this five-star book. I've already recommended it to a friend. I'll certainly look for more of Susan Quinn's writing.

~ J.P.A, MA English - Bowdoin, ME