Customer Reviews

Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother

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In writing Kepler's Witch, Conner creates a biography through which the reader can not only learn about one of astronomy's most central figures but also explore the issues related to being both a person of science and a person of faith. This may be the strongest point of the book. It leads the reader into a consideration of how Kepler's faith affected his life and work as a scientist and vice-versa.

The story is told a bit repetitively which I assume is done to help the reader keep the developments in Kepler's life in proper historical perspective as they are deeply intertwined with the events leading up to and involving the thirty years war. Personally, I didn't find this approach bothersome as it helped me develop and keep the connections straight. Those seeking just a pure telling of the Kepler story, however, might find this approach tiresome.

I thought the book took the right approach in balancing scholarly detail with popular writing to present the story of Kepler, his life and his mother in an engaging and interesting way. While I recommend this book to any student of astronomy whether professional or amateur as well as those interested in the history of the time, I feel that those with an interest in the ongoing discussion of the interplay of science and faith will find it a deeply thoguht provoking book.

Wonderfully crafted biography of Kepler! I especially enjoyed the detailed and well researched historical and political background and Kepler's struggle to incorporate his ideolgy and spirituality with his important work as a scientist. Peppered with little known facts about life in 16th and 17th century Europe, illuminations about witchcraft and heresy trials, and fascinating translations from Kepler's own hand, "Kepler's Witch" should be on every bookshelf.

...this book is very poorly written. The author seems to be trying to capitalize on the success of Dava Sobel's "Galileo's Daughter," trying to interweave the personal life, scientific work, and the political and religious aspects of Kepler. Instead, each of these aspects are discussed, but they seem to have very little interconnection. Many reviewers complain, rightly, that the writing is repetitive and chaotic; it seems like two books interspliced: one about the political and religious history of Germany and Austria (over the period of Kepler's life), and another about Kepler. But other than covering the same time period, these stories are unrelated.

In addition to being poorly contructed, the book features prose that is often distractingly awkward. Although I got a lot out of this book, there seems to be little, if any, original scholarship. The notes are also fairly sparse, and it is tough to tell the pure speculation from the loosely-documented conjecture from the established history.

I would dearly like to read a book that tackles the connections between Kepler's religious views, his personal life, the politics of the Counter-Reformation, and his work. This book simply talks about each of these, without relating them. This is most unfortunate, as the publication of this will probably make any future books about the same subject much more difficult to publish.

On the plus side, the book has nice illustrations, a beautiful cover, and is well-bound.

Reading this book gave me a very clear picture of just how inseparable religion and politics were in 17th century Europe. Ditto for astrology and astronomy. And like Gail Reid-Gurian noted in her review, I got a similar sense of just how little things have changed over time. Indulging in superstition and gossip are still favorite pastimes today. One noteworthy change for the better is the reduction in infant mortality. I lost track of the number of children and family Kepler lost to illness, there were so many.

I especially liked the personal letters of Kepler that were placed at the beginning of each chapter. They lent a perspective that can be gained no other way.

On a lighter note, I chuckled out loud over the image of King Friedrich and Queen Elizabeth forgetting the baby back in the castle as they fled an invading army and sent a Baron running back to retrieve the infant. What a story! This is a very worthwhile read on many levels.

Kepler's Witch is excellent reading. It is a well researched and poignant account of a man of science who suffered much with the deaths of members of his family, his mother's trial as a witch, and financial anxiety, and still maintained his faith in both his religion and his science. This book is a great read for those people who don't read history.

Jim Connor has written a brilliant work of history, biography, and politics. Before I read the book, I had heard of Kepler but knew little about him. Now, I feel like I've gotten to know one of history's most important figures. Especially compelling for me was my eerie sense as I read the book that a lot of Kepler's life-issues are going on today, as if Connor had written contemporary history. Kepler could have lived in 2004, with our intrigues, our witchhunts, and our confusions about who we are and who we hope to be.

I picked up this book for two reasons: One - it was recommended to me by a friend that teaches Mathmatics; and Two - the cover of the book sparked my interest. As I started into the writings, I felt the beginnings of the passion that I felt in my University Days when I stumbled onto new knowledge and new possibilities in learning. I loved the first week or two of every semester, because most of my class choices were stimulating and exciting (I got my degree in Science - Biology, Agriculture - and most of my core Science classes thrilled me, especially in the beginning.) That's what this book feels like - finding yourself immersed in subject material that you never thought about and knew nothing of. Oh, I remember Math lecturers talking about Kepler, but his was a name that you tried to remember for an exam and you try to tie together what theories he was known for, and you don't really understand or care or know anything about Kepler the Man. This book opened up a lot of interest for me. I know that I now want to read more about the Reformation, the Counter Reformation, German History, and definately more about Kepler's role in today's ongoing sciences - Astronmy, Optics, and Calculus. Excellent book! worth Reading. Stimulating without being pretentious and the author has a sense of humor that bleeds through out the story. Thanks for a good read.

I learned a lot of information about Kepler, Kepler's family, the thirty-years war, and the counter-reformation. The writer's prose was very readable; however, the book lacked cohesion. The book had very little information concerning with Kepler developing his scientific theories and his search for harmony. The author jumped off on bunny trails for scores of pages without mentioning Kepler. He would write about the thirty years war and the political machinations that led up to it. He would then return to the witch trial of Kepler's mother. He would then breifly spend a little time on Kepler developing his theories and how it relates to his faith. The book seemed repetitious at times. Maybe bacause the witch trial went on for so long, but the book returns again and again to that same topic and how worried and frantic Kepler was.

I had a hard time finishing it. The book was a hard read. At the end, I had a hard time placing all the pieces together. The topic was fascinating and the author did provide some interesting tidbits, but the narrative thread was hard to follow.

Connor does a fabulous job of making Kepler's world fascinating. This provides an excellent account of living during the counter-reformation, which I had little knowledge of beforehand. He also does a great job analysing Kepler's thoughts and placing them in historical context. However, the book is poorly written because he uses tonnes of inappropriate metaphors, uses sentence fragments, as well as organisational issues. Most of these show up in the last half of the book and it appears as if the editor ran out of steam half way through. It is definitely worth reading but a second edition could improve it greatly.

The critic who says Conner is telling two stories at once is right: this is a "life and times" biography. That is, the author finds the life of Johannes Kepler and the polarized, tumultuous, superstitious, expanding world he lived in equally fascinating. He made both subjects interesting for me, too. And unlike some readers, I think he joined them in a well-written, sometimes impish, sometimes melancholy, and always intelligent story.

Conner spices the narrative pot with pungent observations and quotes: "(Kepler's mother) was a little mad, but only a little, which was far more dangerous than being (like her rival) an abortionist and prostitute." "Kepler argued that astronomy is natural to humanity, as natural as singing is to songbirds."
"The harmonies were arranged in phalanxes of ever more complicated patterns coalescing into a great cosmic symphony, a music so profound that it harrowed the heart and set fire to the soul." Kepler: "'It hurts my heart that these three great blocs have ripped at the truth so terribly that I am left collecting it piece by piece, wherever I can find them . . . God already has rewarded our warring Germany with lamentation.'"

Kepler was born a Lutheran and a "catholic" Christian, and remained faithful all his life. Yet the Lutheran church excommunicated him, and the Catholics chased his family from town to town. The 16th Century being the time for witch trials as well as science (see Stark, For the Glory of God, for helpful ideas about how the various goings on in Kepler's time related to Christianity), Kepler's mother was tried as a witch, while he set science on a course to the stars. Conner tells both stories well and I think connects them well too.

It is obvious Conner likes and respects his subject. Kepler was a scientific genius, and more, a kind and sensible Christian in a world where religious professionals forgot the virtue their Lord said was the soul of the Law and the Prophets. "My conscience commands me to love an enemy and not harm him . . . I ought to be an example of moderation and mildness for my enemy . . . then at last may God send us the dear desired peace." Growing up in a rather harsh and loveless home, a settled family life collateral damage to every new fad in social perversity, he managed to love God and man, and cultivate a cheerful curiosity at the world and our mysterious fellow-travelers that dance across the night sky. As Chesterton said of another Medieval figure (Francis?), Kepler lived in a small world, but a big cosmos.