Book Review
Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict
Her Hidden Genius is the best of Marie Benedict! Impeccably researched and beautifully written, this story uncovers the incredible life of a woman history overlooked. (Keep reading for the full book synopsis.)
Reader’s Thoughts:
This story moved me to tears. Her Hidden Genius follows the life of Rosalind Franklin, a woman I had never heard before. And yet, what an incredible and dedicated life she lived!
While this is a fictionalized account, it’s clear that the author underwent an impressive amount of research. The result is a character who has been thoughtfully created and a plot that feels entirely plausible. I also appreciated that the story seemed scientifically accurate while still appealing to a layperson. (As someone with little to no interest in science, I still found this utterly fascinating!)
My one critique was found at the very beginning of the novel. Because this book is based on a real person, there were a lot of facts that were introduced in the first two chapters. This made it a little information heavy to start. However, once I got into the story, I fairly flew through the novel!
It was beautifully written and so wonderfully informative. I finished the book with a lump in my throat and fingers that were itching to Google more about Rosalind Franklin! This read is one that I highly recommend!
This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. ARC provided courtesy of the publisher, Sourcebooks. All opinions expressed are my own.
About Her Hidden Genius:
(From the publisher): Rosalind Franklin has always been an outsider ― brilliant, but different. Whether working at the laboratory she adored in Paris or toiling at a university in London, she feels closest to the science, those unchanging laws of physics and chemistry that guide her experiments. When she is assigned to work on DNA, she believes she can unearth its secrets.
Rosalind knows if she just takes one more X-ray picture―one more after thousands―she can unlock the building blocks of life. Never again will she have to listen to her colleagues complain about her, especially Maurice Wilkins who’d rather conspire about genetics with James Watson and Francis Crick than work alongside her.
Then it finally happens―the double helix structure of DNA reveals itself to her with perfect clarity. But what unfolds next, Rosalind could have never predicted.