Light Falls

Space, Time, and an Obsession of Einstein

By: Brian Greene

Narrated by: Brian Greene, Paul Rudd, Peter Ganim, Suzanne Toren, Edoardo Ballerini, Julian Elfer, Kevin Pariseau, Jonathan Davis

Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's Summary

Best-selling author, superstar physicist, and cofounder of the World Science Festival Brian Greene (The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos) and an ensemble cast led by award-winning actor Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) perform this dramatic story tracing Albert Einstein's discovery of the general theory of relativity. Featuring an original score by composer Jeff Beal (House of Cards, Pollock), Einstein’s electrifying journey toward his greatest achievement is brought vividly to life.

The theatrical version of Light Falls was first performed at the World Science Festival in New York City.

Full list of narrators includes Graeme Malcolm.

©2015 Brian Greene (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

An enjoyable deviation from standard Non-Fiction

Short but sweet! Strangely, the pace of story and the wealth of information delivered in that short time seem to gracefully accentuate the fact that Einstein himself packed much into a seemingly short life... Thanks

excellent and thought provoking short piece

This short biographical piece is a bit history plus a bit Brief History of Time in that it shows Einstein's personal development and tries to make his ideas and their implications accessible to the average person. Some examples you've probably heard before, but these are ideas that only benefit from another view. Very good. Will listen again sometime soon. And occasionally Greene has a nice poetic turn of phrase that I like. These are enormous ideas and he's trying to educate us entertainingly.

Accessible, entertaining, enlightening.

Recommended listening. Brian Greene is a great teacher and communicator and guides the listener to a fundamental understanding one of sciences greatest theories.

Entertaining and Informative

This short, dramatic reading of Brian Greene's Light Falls produced by Audible, Inc. describes the path that Einstein took to develop his general theory of relativity. Brian Greene narrates while Paul Rudd, Peter Ganim, Suzanne Toren, Edoardo Ballerini, Julian Elfer, Kevin Pariseau and Jonathan Davis do the voice acting for the involved characters. Paul Rudd plays the part of Einstein. It is based on the Theatrical production of the same name. It is a nonfiction account with accurate quotes from the involved people. If you like audiobooks, are fascinated by Einstein or general relativity, you'll enjoy it. Greene injects some humor at places and the presentation, while accurate and not dumbed down, is engaging and very enjoyable.

Very enjoyable science/history

This very short book was both fun and informative. I have read about Einstein before, but this book was especially entertaining and informative. I enjoyed the focus on gravity and the mix of science and history. Some very concrete examples made the science make sense to me, The music and readers made it especially fun to listen to. I learned a lot about Einsteins theories of gravity. I was left wanting a little more science, but what there was was good! This production was well done.

Every attempt to dramatize this book hurts it

There is something very off putting about a non fiction book being dramatized with actors voices, sfx , and wall to wall music. Also, the last 23 minutes is an interview with Paul Rudd and the author which basically is about how awesome the author is. Who needs it?
While there were some nice nuggets about Eisensteins theories, I'm pretty sure a Great Course or other book handles it just as well.
If you aren't into the material to begin with , no dramatization is going to help.

One of the best stories about Einstein

What did you love best about Light Falls?

The progression of the story is wonderful. You are constantly engaged and you wonder, "What will Einstein do next?" Thematically, how Einstein proved the scientific establishment wrong is what makes this story so amazing.

Any additional comments?

If you want to learn about Einstein and his scientific achievements, I urge you download this audiobook. If you want to learn about how a man was relentless and put in the hard work necessary to succeed, I DEFINITELY urge you to download this audiobook. You will enjoy it that much!

Enjoyed the narrative, not the math

I enjoyed reading about Einstein’s life, work, set backs, and breakthroughs. But the book can get a little sketchy when it comes to the author’s explanation of Special Relativity, and General Relativity. He not only uses too many equations (a difficult concept for an audio book) but at the same time makes assumptions about the reader’s prior knowledge. At one point he writes...even a toddler knows this equation. And he was not referring to E=MC2. Yeah, if your toddler understands Special Relativity, do me a favor and have him send me an email. It is very frustrating when physicists use equations and scientific nomenclature to explain science to a lay audience. I mean Neil de Grasse Tyson isn’t reading this book, he already knows everything that’s in it. Us non physicists meanwhile are trying to get some insight into Einstein’s work and theories, and scientists constantly write like they are writing to other scientists. I mean when you’re trying to tell us that Space and Time constantly warp so that the speed of light remains constant in all situations, don’t just say that and move on likes it’s no big deal and that we all learned about it in the second grade. I don’t know about your school, but mine didn’t teach Einstein’s theories to eight year olds. I also am tired of statements like...so if you were traveling at the speed of light you would see... Okay, first of all I cannot travel at the speed of light, which equals seven trips around the earth in one second. So, how about instead of telling me fantastical things that are impossible to see, you instead explain the theory, and then share how we know it to be true because we have a hundred years worth of experimentation that have proven the theory to be true. And give examples of some of those experiments. So, good story, only fair explanations of the scientific principles involved, and the narration was fine aside from some uneven volume issues.

A pleasant discourse

It was a pleasure to listen through this and learn about Einstein and his work. I would appreciate if the subject of your next one is "Godel". Thank you

Riveting storytelling

I absorbed this story in one sitting with unflagging interest. Brian Greene has put together a lucid narrative of Einstein's intellectual journey that makes sense of the physics for a lay person while conveying the excitement of Einstein's radical discoveries.

Great story, irritating presentation.

I love physics and books about physics, and the story presented here is undeniably interesting. However I found the presentation irritating, with music constantly in the background. This is one that I would probably prefer in written form.