In becoming a scientist, Claire Cyrus hopes to escape the fate of her dead father, a brilliant but critically unsuccessful poet whose poverty and bitterness derailed her own strong talent for verse. Soon after moving from England to take up her first job in a start-up biotech company in the Netherlands, she finds herself an outcast in her strange new environment, shunned by her jealous colleagues and moving only on the fringes of the expatriate community. But when she makes an accidental discovery in the lab, her life will never be the same again. The Honest Look is a tale of passion, betrayal and a devastating secret that threatens to bring down careers, a company and a widely accepted scientific theory. Unfolding in the modern corporate laboratory, where the idealism of advancing knowledge and the uncompromising reality of profit margins exist in uneasy truce, this is a story of how people with various stakes in a common endeavour react when its integrity is called into question, and how these reactions can be shaped and warped by denial, greed, hatred and love.
The Honest Look
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
 |
| |||||||||||||||
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
Cell biologist and novelist Jennifer L. Rohn has written another taut, suspenseful story about a young scientist s journey to find oneself. ... whether literary or scientific, the reader can enjoy this book for many reasons: the scientific and ethical dilemmas, the conflicted romances and resulting complications, the Dutch landscape and lively portrait of Amsterdam, and the presence of poetry intertwined with proteomics and corporate intrigue. The story is witty, zingy, and fast paced. It is credible and compelling. I cannot say anything more than read this book and enjoy the suspenseful thrills. You will be gratified that you did. Cell Press --Cell Press
Set in the high-stakes world of biomedical research, this fast-paced novel is populated by strong characters facing difficult choices, driven by twisty plotting and compelling writing... After you ve finished, you ll snap the book closed in satisfaction, realizing that scientists are human, just like everyone else. Whether you are a scientist, a mystery buff or you simply enjoy immersing yourself into a tightly-written story, you will enjoy this thought-provoking thriller. Nature.com blogs --Nature.com blogs
It is refreshing to read a book set in a realistic scientific background...Of particular relevance to a lay readership should be the excitement of a serendipitous finding an occurrence by which many scientific breakthroughs are made and the major scientific event that defines the plot of the story...The Honest Look is a good read, with a plot this is challenging, realistic but not difficult to follow. --Proteomics
Set in the high-stakes world of biomedical research, this fast-paced novel is populated by strong characters facing difficult choices, driven by twisty plotting and compelling writing... After you ve finished, you ll snap the book closed in satisfaction, realizing that scientists are human, just like everyone else. Whether you are a scientist, a mystery buff or you simply enjoy immersing yourself into a tightly-written story, you will enjoy this thought-provoking thriller. Nature.com blogs --Nature.com blogs
It is refreshing to read a book set in a realistic scientific background...Of particular relevance to a lay readership should be the excitement of a serendipitous finding an occurrence by which many scientific breakthroughs are made and the major scientific event that defines the plot of the story...The Honest Look is a good read, with a plot this is challenging, realistic but not difficult to follow. --Proteomics
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Jennifer L. Rohn (1967-) was born in Stow, Ohio, received a BA in Biology summa cum laude from Oberlin College in 1990 and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Washington, Seattle in 1996. She moved to London for post-doctoral scientific training and then to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for a stint in a start-up biotech. She is currently runs a cell biology lab at University College London. An avid reader, Rohn had always wondered why there were so few scientist characters in mainstream literature. Coining the term 'lab lit' to describe novels with scientists as central characters, Rohn launched the website LabLit.com (http://www.lablit.com) in 2005 to help promote the use of science and scientist characters in mainstream fiction and to illuminate the world of scientists and laboratory culture. While living in Amsterdam, she wrote two novels about scientists - Experimental Heart, which was inspired by her exploits as a young cancer researcher in London and was published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York in 2008, and The Honest Look, set in a start-up biotech company in the Netherlands and published by CSHLP in 2010. In addition to her activities as a practicing scientist and novelist, Rohn is also a part-time science writer and journalist, broadcaster and sci-lit-art pundit. Her writing has appeared in places including Nature, The Guardian, and The Times, and she has also been featured on TV, radio, podcasts and as an expert in science films. She blogs about the scientific life at Mind The Gap (http://occamstypewriter.org/mindthegap/) and tweets as @jennyrohn - learn more on her website (http://jennyrohn.com).
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As an ex-lab rat, I remember discussing with a colleague the need for "lab literature" that would combine the craziness of the biotech corporate environment with the thrill of scientific discoveries. Jennifer has done just that, and so much more! I was hooked after reading "Experimental Heart" and read "The Honest Look" as slowly as I could...just to make it last longer.
I'm looking forward to her next book. Don't wait too long, Jennifer!
I'm looking forward to her next book. Don't wait too long, Jennifer!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After reading and thoroughly enjoying "Experimental Heart" by Dr. Jenny Rohn, I had little doubt that her most recent novel, "The Honest Look" (Cold Spring Harbor Press), would be another great book featuring the author's characteristic "lablit" genre--and I was not disappointed. In fact, "The Honest Look" even reaches beyond "Experimental Heart" in a number of ways. First, Rohn has generated a superb cast of realistic characters with whom scientists and laypersons alike can empathize and identify. Dr. Claire Cyrus, is a brilliantly human heroine, with her eclectic mixture of motivation, talent(s), insecurities and sometimes poor judgment. Claire is a multi-dimensional figure standing tall above the written page, as are many of the author's other key characters. "The Honest Look" is not a thriller--but rather has a cleverly-crafted and well-developed plot that shakes Dr. Cyrus and stuns her Biotech company. But aside from the cunning plot and the intriguing personal relationships that Rohn brings to life, she manages to portray science in all of its beauty and imperfections. This is a fascinating novel that every scientist will enjoy and identify with, and a novel that creates a wonderful window that will allow non-scientists a superb glimpse at the exciting and real-life world of scientists at work and play.
By Ricardipus
Format:Paperback
Dr. Rohn holds the distinction of being the author of the first novel ever published by the venerable Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, her debut "Experimental Heart". In her second novel, "The Honest Look", Rohn once again applies her own experiences as academic post-doc, industrial research scientist, and out-of-work foreign national residing in Amsterdam, to create a rich pageant of characters in and around a Dutch biotechnology company. The introduction of Claire, a brilliant academic scientist, to the profit-driven corporate culture, creates tension on many different levels. As she struggles for acceptance, taking solace in the seclusion of her own laboratory, we begin to uncover just exactly what is going on in the research program surrounding her. Ultimately, she must make some difficult choices, as she works to understand her own feelings for her co-workers, her role in the company, and the tension between her creative and analytical sides.
Throughout the book, Rohn's familiarity with the city of Amsterdam shines through, in beautifully observed details. And like the author, Claire is also a foreigner, struggling at times to understand the culture and character of her Dutch colleagues. Like "Experimental Heart" before it, there are aspects of romance, mystery, and a murky undertone of corporate espionage for good measure. Ultimately satisfying, "The Honest Look" draws you in with its engaging characters and keeps you riveted until the end. An excellent read, highly recommended.
Throughout the book, Rohn's familiarity with the city of Amsterdam shines through, in beautifully observed details. And like the author, Claire is also a foreigner, struggling at times to understand the culture and character of her Dutch colleagues. Like "Experimental Heart" before it, there are aspects of romance, mystery, and a murky undertone of corporate espionage for good measure. Ultimately satisfying, "The Honest Look" draws you in with its engaging characters and keeps you riveted until the end. An excellent read, highly recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beethoven's Ninth when the First (Piano Concerto) would have done...
Ms. Rohn has done a wonderful job of describing the obsessive personalities typical in laboratories in my experience (literally 53 years, 37 as department chair). Read more
Published 3 months ago by Robert S. Eisenberg
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two cultures ... and then some!
The cultural divide between the worlds of science and arts has stirred much debate since CP Snow diagnosed it in the 1950s. Read more
Published on November 24, 2010 by Michael Gross
