Complete with exclusive photographs of the couple, this moving and engaging memoir written by Stephen Hawking’s first wife covers the turbulent years of her marriage with the astrophysics genius, her traumatic divorce, and their recent reconciliation
Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Jane Hawking’s harrowing and compelling account . . . rings very true." —Irish Times
"A great read." —The Daily Mail
"Jane writes about her former husband with tenderness, respect and protectiveness." —Sunday Express
"This is not a vindictive book, although the agony she went through is palpable; if Stephen’s struggle to keep his mind clear is heroic, so is her determination to balance his escalating needs and those of their three children." —Independent on Sunday
About the Author
Jane Hawking, who was Stephen Hawking's wife for over 25 years, is a writer, lecturer, and the author of At Home in France.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
XXXXX
"While everyone else was praising his [Dr. Stephen Hawking's] courage [since S. Hawking is seriously disabled by a motor neuron disease called ALS, commonly labeled Lou Gehrig's disease] and brilliance [in theoretical physics]...she [the organizer of this event honoring S. Hawking] had said to herself that there must be someone equally courageous behind him or he simply would not be here."
The above is found in this interesting, extremely well written and sometimes humorous book authored by Dr. Jane Hawking who was Stephen Hawking's wife for more than twenty-five years.
Be aware that this book "is a heavily revised version (with new material) of [J. Hawking's 1999 book or memoir called] `Music to the Stars.'" Hawking herself calls this book "the abridged version of the original memoir."
I chose the quotation that begins this review because it's absolutely true! She saw S. Hawking progress from a person that could walk with a cane and talk to a person that became wheelchair bound and eventually could not talk. (He now uses a speech synthesizer.) Through this period of time, she had to oversee and arrange for his 24/7, 365 days a year care that, as chronicled in this book, was an enormous task fraught with hardship and economic difficulty. This was made even more difficult when the Hawking children eventually came along since she was stretched to the limit. At one point, she even had to make a life and death decision! Despite the hardships, she was no slouch. She earned a Ph.D. in Spanish medieval linguistics!
She also saw his meteoric rise to fame after the publication of his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time." Even though there was no financial difficulty now, she still had to be concerned with his care.
This book, to be sure, eloquently describes the hardships and details J. Hawking's impressions. But the book also delves into such things as the following:
British life in general and academic life in particular, history, politics, disability issues, music, the Hawking travels to other countries, personalities of others especially scientists, and science.
This book (excluding the epilogue or "postlude") covers the period before the Hawkings were married in July 1965 to July 1993. The very informative but brief postlude was written in February 2007 where we are told that the author is presented with another "demanding challenge." This postlude includes a May 2007 Post Script.
I should say that at no point in this book is Jane Hawking vindictive toward her former husband.
Finally, roughly in the book's center are almost 30 black and white photographs. My favorite is the very last one showing the author and two of her grown children with Stephen after the presentation of yet another award in November 2006.
In conclusion, in Stephen Hawking's book "A Brief History of Time" he tells us, "I was...fortunate in that I chose theoretical physics, because that is all in the mind. So my disability has not been a serious handicap." This inspiring book by Jane Hawking shows how Stephen Hawking was fortunate enough to have had a good and dedicated wife to help his genius bloom!!
(first published 2007; 4 parts or 57 chapters; postlude; main narrative 405 pages; acknowledgements)
<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>
XXXXX
"While everyone else was praising his [Dr. Stephen Hawking's] courage [since S. Hawking is seriously disabled by a motor neuron disease called ALS, commonly labeled Lou Gehrig's disease] and brilliance [in theoretical physics]...she [the organizer of this event honoring S. Hawking] had said to herself that there must be someone equally courageous behind him or he simply would not be here."
The above is found in this interesting, extremely well written and sometimes humorous book authored by Dr. Jane Hawking who was Stephen Hawking's wife for more than twenty-five years.
Be aware that this book "is a heavily revised version (with new material) of [J. Hawking's 1999 book or memoir called] `Music to the Stars.'" Hawking herself calls this book "the abridged version of the original memoir."
I chose the quotation that begins this review because it's absolutely true! She saw S. Hawking progress from a person that could walk with a cane and talk to a person that became wheelchair bound and eventually could not talk. (He now uses a speech synthesizer.) Through this period of time, she had to oversee and arrange for his 24/7, 365 days a year care that, as chronicled in this book, was an enormous task fraught with hardship and economic difficulty. This was made even more difficult when the Hawking children eventually came along since she was stretched to the limit. At one point, she even had to make a life and death decision! Despite the hardships, she was no slouch. She earned a Ph.D. in Spanish medieval linguistics!
She also saw his meteoric rise to fame after the publication of his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time." Even though there was no financial difficulty now, she still had to be concerned with his care.
This book, to be sure, eloquently describes the hardships and details J. Hawking's impressions. But the book also delves into such things as the following:
British life in general and academic life in particular, history, politics, disability issues, music, the Hawking travels to other countries, personalities of others especially scientists, and science.
This book (excluding the epilogue or "postlude") covers the period before the Hawkings were married in July 1965 to July 1993. The very informative but brief postlude was written in February 2007 where we are told that the author is presented with another "demanding challenge." This postlude includes a May 2007 Post Script.
I should say that at no point in this book is Jane Hawking vindictive toward her former husband.
Finally, roughly in the book's center are almost 30 black and white photographs. My favorite is the very last one showing the author and two of her grown children with Stephen after the presentation of yet another award in November 2006.
In conclusion, in Stephen Hawking's book "A Brief History of Time" he tells us, "I was...fortunate in that I chose theoretical physics, because that is all in the mind. So my disability has not been a serious handicap." This inspiring book by Jane Hawking shows how Stephen Hawking was fortunate enough to have had a good and dedicated wife to help his genius bloom!!
(first published 2007; 4 parts or 57 chapters; postlude; main narrative 405 pages; acknowledgements)
<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>
XXXXX
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was really looking forward to reading this biography. Stephen Hawking has led an extraordinary life, and to hear it from the deeply personal viewpoint of his wife of 25 years held such promise. They married at a time when women had few opportunities for their own careers, yet Jane Hawking eventually attained her own PhD. What would it be like to experience the deterioration of his body while his brilliance and fame expanded? What would it be like to love a man under the sure death sentence of ALS and yet see him outlive any predictions of a brief life? How much would she need to subsume her own life and aspirations in this situation?
The answers were somewhere there in this book, but it was a plodding string of facts, difficult to wade through. It read like a dry history told from a clinical point of view. Paragraphs were unbearably long and there was little difference between the telling of incidental facts and the heart of her story. Jane Hawking's story is compelling, and yet this book is not compelling at all. She wanted the truth to be told of her unique and painful journey before historians rewrote it, but in including every mundane detail of her life, this book became a painfully slow tome to get through. Her editor failed her. Too bad.
The answers were somewhere there in this book, but it was a plodding string of facts, difficult to wade through. It read like a dry history told from a clinical point of view. Paragraphs were unbearably long and there was little difference between the telling of incidental facts and the heart of her story. Jane Hawking's story is compelling, and yet this book is not compelling at all. She wanted the truth to be told of her unique and painful journey before historians rewrote it, but in including every mundane detail of her life, this book became a painfully slow tome to get through. Her editor failed her. Too bad.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ms. Hawking is a very intelligent and articulate woman. Her determination as a wife, mother, and academic shines through in her writing. You also get a glimpse of what it was like to live with a man that you love who has been ailed by such a debilitating disorder all while trying to battle the true love of Physics. In addition to learning about her, you also learn a lot of history. Her book is filled with useable knowledge that at times can change your perspective related to different subjects. Definitely worth the read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read
I've always wondered about Stephen Hawking and his ex wife pretty much tells it like it was. No surprises for me, he was born into and raised by an eccentric yet brilliant family. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Barbara Radigan
4.0 out of 5 stars
A heartwarming and insightful story
Jane Hawking is the long-suffering unsung heroine in Stephen's life. It's a shame that he can't see it. This story is honest and insightful. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Glenda Rendell
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