Customer Reviews

The Comet Sweeper: Caroline Herschel's Astronomical Ambition

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This book can be credited for giving a well-paced review of the life of Caroline Herschel, and her career in both music and astronomy.

However, having read other books about Caroline Herschel, including her Memoirs and from a book "The Herschel Chronicles" written by William's granddaughter, my own interpretation of Caroline is different from that of Claire Brock's.

Brock's Caroline Herschel is bitter and resentful towards people around her. Brock's CH suffers from cynical manipulation and restrictions while living at home with her mother in Hanover Germany, and also while living in England with her brother William.

I find from the non-Brock readings a different Caroline. I find a woman whose early life in Hanover certainly did feature restrictions upon what she may learn and do, but that such was not the case while she lived in England.

To my mind, it appears an odd assertion from Brock that one member of the greatest astronomical team in history should feel so bitter and resentful towards her research partner.

Indeed one can find in Caroline's Memoirs statements of tremendous admiration towards her brother: both his industrious nature, and his accomplishments.

In summary, the Brock book is sufficient for a concise account of Caroline Herschel's life. However, it would appear that Brock has a political axe to grind, attempting to portray her subject as someone mistreated by every person she met.

Unhappily, Brock's bias serves to undermine what is otherwise a good biography of the brilliant astronomer, Caroline Herschel.

Caroline Herschel is a fascinating scientific pioneer as well as the overshadowed runt of a litter of German musical/military children, and this biography presents plenty of documentary evidence to back up its assertions. It is accurately and admirably researched from the source material, fascinating to read and easy to digest.

The book is easy to read in one sitting, despite its size and heft. The paper is so thick and the margins are so large that a condensed edition would be more appropriate.