The Origin: Biographical Novel of Charles Darwin [Hardcover]

Irving Stone (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 743 pages
• Publisher: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd; First UK Edition edition (March 25, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304307904
• ISBN-13: 978-0304307906
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,485,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Darwin's shoes, April 1, 2000

By 

Owen Hughes (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origin (Signet) (Paperback)

Irving Stone is no stranger to the art of lively historical biography. Indeed, he has made it his own particular area of expertise and developed his craft to a thoroughly respectable level. Coming to Darwin after Van Gogh, I knew I was going to be in safe hands. What I didn't know was how Darwin himself was going to affect me. Stone has us walking in his shoes. The very paths he trod, be it the lyme walks along the river near his birthplace or the lava-fields of Peru, are our paths. Such is the skill of the author. I cannot understand why this is not a popular book. It has just about everything going for it: a famous author with a competent pen; an even more famous naturalist as its centrepiece. Can it be that poor old Charles is out of fashion? I hope that these few crumbs may incite a further readership. You will not be disappointed.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charles Darwin, the Human Being!, February 15, 2001

By 

Cindy Margulis (Alameda, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origin (Signet) (Paperback)

Irving Stone gives us a beautiful depiction of the character of the real Charles Darwin, and how he came to his breakthrough scientific insights. Charles Darwin, it turns out, was an immensely likeable character, with an adventuresome spirit, immense energy, a genuine humility, and warm sense of humor. Stone's brilliant portrayal shows us how Darwin was always guided by really examining what he saw and experienced, and letting his questions guide him, through a lifetime of earnest questing for knowledge and understanding. Anyone who doubts that such a devoted scientist could also make such a fascinating literary figure, will be delighted by Irving Stone's illuminating storytelling. Now, we can esteem Darwin all the more for his humaneness, which serves to magnify his genius!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STILL A GOOD READ AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, September 19, 2004

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Origin: A Biographical Novel of Charles Darwin (Hardcover)

I first read this one in the early 80s. I picked if off my shelf again, a few days ago, and enjoyed it all over again. Being a student of the life of Charles Darwin, I have read the majority of the major biographies over the past twenty years. While this work is a fictionalized version of Darwin's life, and is certainly overly simplistic at times, there, nevertheless, is no doubt the author did his homework on this one. For a good simple read, and an understanding of the man Darwin (not his work), I highly recommend this one. Mr. Stone is certainly a master of his craft.