Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Published: January 25, 2022
Source: Hardcover via Publisher
Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie and The Only Woman in the Room.
Rosalind Franklin has always been an outsider―brilliant, but different. Whether working at the laboratory she adored in Paris or toiling at a university in London, she feels closest to the science, those unchanging laws of physics and chemistry that guide her experiments. When she is assigned to work on DNA, she believes she can unearth its secrets.
Rosalind knows if she just takes one more X-ray picture―one more after thousands―she can unlock the building blocks of life. Never again will she have to listen to her colleagues complain about her, especially Maurice Wilkins who’d rather conspire about genetics with James Watson and Francis Crick than work alongside her.
Then it finally happens―the double helix structure of DNA reveals itself to her with perfect clarity. But what unfolds next, Rosalind could have never predicted.
Marie Benedict’s powerful new novel shines a light on a woman who sacrificed her life to discover the nature of our very DNA, a woman whose world-changing contributions were hidden by the men around her but whose relentless drive advanced our understanding of humankind.
My thoughts:
I have been a fan of Marie Benedict’s books since first reading Lady Clementine when it came out in 2020. I have since read all her newest releases and purchased her older ones, that are still sitting on my bookshelf just waiting to be read. What I love about her books is how she takes one woman from history and brings her story to life…often someone who’s story has been overshadowed and that is certainly the case here.
What I loved most about this book is that even though it deals with science, the author does such a fantastic job making it accessible to everyone. Whether you are a science junkie or not, you will enjoy reading about Rosalind Franklin and how she was ultimately responsible for discovering DNA and not the men who have been given all the credit.
I think what this book does so well is transport you right into Rosalind’s world. Not only did I feel I was right there with her in the lab, but I also felt her frustrations as she navigated this male-dominated field she was working in. I loved that we get to see just how dedicated Rosalind was to her work, putting that above all else, possibly to the detriment of her health…was it all that radiation exposure that led to her untimely death?
This book does such a fantastic job of portraying Rosalind as a scientist first and foremost, but also as a woman trying to make a name for herself in a male-dominated field. She also had to constantly prove to her parents that her job was meaningful, and that marriage wasn’t the end all be all. Yes, she did have a life outside the lab and made some close friends, but her greatest joy was the achievements she had in that lab and unfortunately, during her lifetime she never got the credit that she was due.
It is so clear the amount of research that the author put into her book and the delicate balance between fact and fiction is just right. I found this book to be incredibly readable and once I started reading it, I was captivated by Rosalind’s story. If you are a fan of strong women, women in STEM fields or just good historical fiction novels, I definitely recommend picking this one up!
