The Tenth Muse

A Novel

By: Catherine Chung

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

A recommended book of 2019 from:
Buzzfeed
The Rumpus
Entertainment Weekly

The first thing I remember being said of me with any consistency was that I was intelligent - and I recognized even then that it was a comment leveled at me with as much disapproval as admiration. Still, I never tried to hide or suppress my mind as some girls do, and thank God, because that would have been the beginning of the end.

From childhood, Katherine knows she is different, and that her parents are not who they seem to be. But in becoming a mathematician, she must face the most human of problems - who is she? What is the cost of love, and what is the cost of ambition?

On her quest to conquer the Riemann hypothesis, the greatest unsolved mathematical problem of her time, she turns to a theorem with a mysterious history that holds both the lock and key to her identity and to secrets long buried during World War II in Germany. Forced to confront some of the most consequential events of the 20th century and rethink everything she knows of herself, she strives to take her place in the world of higher mathematics and finds kinship in the stories of the women who came before her - their love of the language of numbers connecting them across generations.

In The Tenth Muse, Catherine Chung offers a gorgeous, sweeping tale about legacy, identity, and the beautiful ways the mind can make us free.

©2019 Catherine Chung (P)2019 HarperAudio

Intriguing story

You don’t need to be a math major to enjoy the story in this book. Once you get past the first chapter or so, the story really picks up and drags you in. Loved the twists and turns in all of the characters lives.

Learned a lot

My favorite reads are those that inform as well as entertain. The Tenth Muse did both, and did them well. The author exposed me to the world of academic mathematicians and the role women have played in developing mathematical theory. The story felt authentic and I feel enriched by having read (listened to) it.

Hang in with this book! Worth the read.

It is an inspirational read for women especially. Description of the choices a smart and ambitious woman makes, along with the consequences and life story with joys and regrets. It is easy to read but took a while to grab my full attention.

Who knew math was so fascinating?

This was an interesting story well told, with skilled jumps between time periods and just the right amount of science and historical insertions. The many difficult aspects of being asian, female and a mathemetician were well-flushed out. I thought the personal relationships were a bit cliche, but overall the book was very attention grabbing to the very end

Now I see why EVERYONE talks about this book!

A truly unique story told about a common problem (prejudice) in an uncommon way. Written with gloriously adept use of poetic prose and fabulous treatment of setting and literary tools like foreshadowing and suspense. I rarely rave about a novel. Wow.

interesting story background

What I liked most about this novel was its unique background - the inner world of high level math. Katherine looks back on her life - as a gifted child and then as a women trying to earn respect in the male world of 20th century math. In addition, there are mysteries about her background, that get uncovered in a move to study in Germany. This book told too much to the reader, and the story emerged in an uneven way. There were some very interesting and engaging parts, but too many slow p[arts in between. Katherine never quite came alive to me. Maybe my interest came from my own background studying math.This kept my interest enough for me to finish it. I had hoped for more.

Amazing

I’ve read hundreds of period pieces. This is easily now in my top five. The story will stay with you and you will savor it.

FANTASTIC!!!

Wow! What a great story The Tenth Muse is. Not knowing the author I bought it because I like the narrator and once started I went through it in one take.
The outline is different, the characters are well defined and very likable, the inclusion of snippets of real-life people in some parts gives the fiction an air of truth making it quite interesting.
It made me laugh, think, stand in awe, and even shed a tear or two. This was a very good book for me!

Great intersection of mathematics and life!

(As posted in GoodReads)
I loved this book! Part of it is that I had always been the one female in math class who not only understood but was excited by all of it! My undergraduate degree is mathematics, and my graduate courses were all either math or mathematics/computer science cross listed! The book itself does not go into mathematics at all, but all of the mentions and political difficulties mentioned were interesting and relevant. My husband – boys ABD for a PhD in mathematics was also tangentially interested.
But the relationships between people, mathematicians, Jews, and lovers was particularly gripping! My Masters thesis is graph theory, and my dissertation – hadn't ever been finished (not done so due to disagreements between me and my advisor and laziness in writing from me) was also graph theory, so it in total was very pertinent to me. The fear of claiming someone else's work or of not being allowed to do your own is VERY relevant, and the possibility of any of that getting in the way of relationships or friendships is unfortunate but real.
Kat's whole history is enthralling and reasonable. It made me feel for her so much, and I kept wanting to say "No, no, no! Don't give it away!" and "gosh, I hope they make it!", so it had me on the edge of my seat for a lot. I finished reading it for book club, but book club isn't until March 1, so I may need to reread it before then so that I can remember names (which I can never do) and details for the meeting at the end of the month…

Unusual and excellent

Really enjoyed the many stories this book contains - and the overarching story that weaves them together. I have no idea to what extent all the details about mathematics are accurate but I liked those too. The language isn’t showy but the construction is masterful and the details rich and imaginative. Narrator was perfect - almost invisible delivery.