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A More Perfect Heaven
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A Concise Explainer
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Publisher's Summary
In her graceful, compelling style, Dava Sobel chronicles the history of the Copernican Revolution, relating the story of astronomy from Aristotle to the Middle Ages. In its midst will be her play, And the Sun Stood Still, imagining the dialogue that would have transpired between Rheticus and Copernicus in their months together. As she achieved with her best sellers Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, Sobel expands the bounds of science writing, giving us an unforgettable portrait of scientific achievement.
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Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars24
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4 Stars13
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars23
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4 Stars14
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3 Stars11
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2 Stars6
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- John
- Boulder, CO, United States
- 09-01-12
Interesting but Not Perfect
What did you like best about A More Perfect Heaven? What did you like least?
I enjoyed the placing of the Copernicus story in context in history but would have preferred more discussion of the science. My copy also had some weird editing with some sentences repeated randomly throughout the book. The narrator was very good. All in all an interesting book.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- nnoit
- 11-29-11
Too much about Copernicus' daily life
I was disappointed in the story. Less science - too much about his daily life - which was rather boring. However, the current thinking (at that time) was well described and shows what Copernicus was up against. But, overall, a real let-down from her earlier work - Longitude - which was excellent.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- David Maher
- 09-14-17
Enjoyed the history, hated the play
I was really enjoying the background on Copernicus' life, especially for the light it threw on the era. Suddenly the history I was listening became a rather awkwardly put together play about Copernicus's meeting with Georg Rheticus. Annoying because the fictionalized version obscures rather than reveals. I feel like I wasted my money because now I need to get another, actually non-fiction, account of the events.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- David B. Rossetter
- 11-22-11
Good, but not her best.
I enjoy all Dava Sobel's work. But this one was not as riveting. Confusing formats with a play within the story. Not geared as well for audio.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- David
- Gardiner, NY, United States
- 11-22-11
Good, but not her best.
I enjoy all Dava Sobel's work. But this one was not as riveting. Confusing formats with a play within the story. Not geared as well for audio.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- D. Landau
- Toronto, Canada
- 05-06-13
Illuminating and creative
The play idea worked well, sandwiched between the historical retelling. I learned quite a bit. Maybe wish more was done on how this shook the worldview, and on his methods, but still good.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Peter
- Australia
- 02-27-12
More than just a Perfect Heavan
What did you like best about A More Perfect Heaven? What did you like least?
This is a great immersion in history that puts much into perspective - about religious struggles, European political history and importantly the challenging emerging sciences
Who was your favorite character and why?
Copernicus comes across as a pretty remarkable and just person who was probably quite radical for his time - not only with his heavenly theories but his attitude toward justice and his treatment of others
Did Suzanne Toren do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
Suzanne I found a little hard to listen to but I did get used to her style after awhile. She wasn't the easiest.
Was A More Perfect Heaven worth the listening time?
Yes this book is pretty fundamental in terms of its coverage of history - a very good listen.
Any additional comments?
The play in the middle of the work was one of the best parts of the book - the book really came together with the play.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- Tomball, TX, United States
- 02-10-12
Too Much "Gossip" in a Book About a Great Man
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Less
What three words best describe Suzanne Toren’s performance?
It's OK.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
The play in the middle was the best part. I like it. But the surrounding material was a let-down: I wanted more science, math, and philosphy.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Steven
- Torrance, CA, United States
- 12-12-11
I gave up.
What would have made A More Perfect Heaven better?
I purchased this book based on my previous listens of
0 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Edward
- 09-09-14
Not as good as I'd hoped
Is there anything you would change about this book?
Longitude was a masterpiece, but this sadly isn't. Sobel takes (it seems) every last scrap of archive material, and then tells a story largely about the religious politics of the day.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful