Customer Reviews

Madame Curie: A Biography

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Madame Curie is a touching and honest biography. It tells the perserving story of Marie Curie, a native Pole who would seem out of place in France and--being a woman in a more prejudice timeframe--in the scientific community in general. Although this was the case, it did not stop her from becoming one of the most prolific and important scientists in the realm of physics and chemistry.

Within this book is held the tale of a woman who worked almost every single minute of her life in either the laboratory, the classroom, or her own home. But she never faltered under pressure and endured inhospitable laboratory conditions (she was originally working in a shed to help discover radium, the element that created the field of radiation cancer treatment and spurred the field of nuclear science.

As a biographer, Eve Curie remains factual in content, allowing the reader to form an unbiased opinion of her mother. She buttresses the book with personally letters to and from Marie Curie, which add a first hand account of certain aspects of her mother's life.

A must read for anyone looking for a heartwarming story.

This book brought forth to me the human side of a great scientist. As a daughter, wife, mother and not the least as a patriotic citizen of a country that was being wiped out due to tyranny. I cried every time I read the book. Especially twice -- when Pierre Curie dies and when Madame Curie addresses the gathering of students. A book I cannot forget.

The book is a reprint of the biography written by Marie Curie's daughter, Eve Curie in 1937. It is a book which should be read by all - especially aspiring scientists. Marie Curie was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in France, the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize and the first person to receive two Nobel prizes. The work she accomplished under the most difficult situations for a scientist is truly inspiring. When asked why she and her husband, Pierre Curie did not patent the procedure for extraction and purification of radium, something which would have made them very wealthy, she said "No, It would be contrary to the scientific spirit." How refreshing, since in today's world the first thought of scientists is patenting their discoveries.

This is one of the books that will remain closest to me...the kind of book I would definitely have on my own children's bookshelf. I unfortunately had to stop reading the book midway because the library wanted it back, and I was also going to be out of town. Three months later, I still felt compelled to go back to the library and finish off the remaining two or three chapters.

The book is a detailed account of Marie Curie's personal and professional life. And who better to tell this story than Eve, her own daughter. The genius in Mme. Curie was a direct result of her dedication to hard work and an amazing work ethic. From a peasant Polish family, she faced many challenges and postponed her own education and worked for a wealthy family to help pay for her older sister's education. Such was Marie's spirit and selflessness - which extended to her research and her work in science.

Her creation, radium, was the ultimate criminal that led to her untimely death, when she felt she still had a lot to accomplish. The lady was indeed a noble gift to the science world.

Excellent work by a woman writer who is also the daughter of Madam Curie. I would recommend this book to all young women. It is an excellent account of a great woman who made a mark on history when (supposedly) women had little freedom or power. Miss Curie (the writer) exhibits a great deal of love and devotion to her mother, yet remains objective.

Marie Curie never gave up in life. This book is truly well written and full of wisdom and great-doing. Bravo to the whole Curie family. Yours is one of true splendour!

Anyone who is interested in reading the truly fascinating life of a great scientist must read this biography by her daughter Eve Curie. I discovered a very intelligent, curious, courageous woman who totally devoted her life to science and to mankind.This woman risked her life for the quest for truth. Her devotion to her family, her love and admiration for her husband Pierre, her personal sacrifices to conquer adversity serves as an inspiration to future generations. No other woman has eclipsed her legacy! This book formed the basis for the movie "Marie Curie" starring Ava Gardner and Walter Pidgeon. G.M.Robert, Toronto, Ontario

This re-reading of Eve Curie's biography of her mother was, for me, a visit with a dear old friend. Some books embed themselves in my mind, and this is one of those books. Decades after my last reading of it, I discovered that I still knew some of its sentences by heart.

Who was Marya Sklowdowska? The baby of a Polish intellectual couple's family, born into a nation occupied and oppressed, who was taught to love freedom. A devoted sibling who worked as a governess to help support her older sister, Bronya, so the latter could study medicine in faraway Paris, even though it meant putting off her own journey there to study physics - the subject that fascinated her. A dedicated student who became an equally dedicated scientist, and then the wife and working partner of another scientist: Pierre Curie.

The co-discoverers of both polonium (named for Marie Curie's always fiercely loved native land) and radium worked as a team, and became Nobel laureates as a team. Early widowhood devastated Marie, but it did not stop her from carrying on that work. She accomplished incredible things during a lifetime shortened by her discovery's then largely unknown dangers, and she spent that lifetime holding true to the ideals she had shared with Pierre.

I have read other biographies of Madame Curie, including a recent one that drew on materials even her daughter could not use. This remains the most readable and the most moving. First published in 1937, it remains in print well into the 21st Century for good reason.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle"

In this Biography I was very pleased and liked the way the author expressed how Madame Curie was going through difficult times and overcame them. It was inspirational and gave me the yearning to do something magnificent. While reading this book I thought it was somewhat dull at first, but then became very interested and wanted to read more. This book is one that will make you want to be the best you can be. It opened my eyes and made me realize that anything is possible. It gave me a new understanding and taught me a lot pertaining to the subject of science. I never really was a fan of reading science books but when I started to read this book, I became surprised as to how much I really enjoyed it. The author did a great job with the journal entries and I believe that added a special touch to the biography. The accuracy and the fact that you know Madame Curies point of view was amazing and really added a great touch. This is a book for all ages and should be read by everyone.

My mother gave me this book when I was about twelve years old. And, still now this book serves as a constant inspiration ...