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When We Cease to Understand the World
- Narrated by: Adam Barr
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
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When We Cease to Understand the World
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Summary
Shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize.
A Guardian Fiction Book of the year.
Sometimes discovery brings destruction.
When We Cease to Understand the World shows us great minds striking out into dangerous, uncharted terrain.
Fritz Haber, Alexander Grothendieck, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger: these are among the luminaries into whose troubled minds we are thrust as they grapple with the most profound questions of existence. They have strokes of unparalleled genius, they alienate friends and lovers, they descend into isolated states of madness. Some of their discoveries revolutionise our world for the better; others pave the way to chaos and unimaginable suffering. The lines are never clear.
With breakneck pace and wondrous detail, Benjamín Labatut uses the imaginative resources of fiction to break open the stories of scientists and mathematicians who expanded our notions of the possible.
Critic reviews
A monstrous and brilliant book.
-- Philip Pullman
Wholly mesmerising and revelatory... Completely fascinating.
-- William Boyd
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What listeners say about When We Cease to Understand the World
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-08-23
Curious
I've found this book enjoyable and informative, the author's style resembles one of W.G Sebald.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C.J. de Jong
- 22-10-23
Scientists, brilliant AND crazy at the same time?
Taking a peek in the lives of brilliant scientists, their problems like bad health (tuberculosis), lack of money and lack of support, and still go on working! This book is a source of inspiration!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mooncoin
- 10-03-22
Rambling and unfocused
Is this one book or four? All the real life stories are fascinating but it feels to me that the author had nothing really to say so padded it all out with what I’d call novelistic drivel. I’m guessing he wrote this under contractual obligation.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JP_transactor
- 24-02-23
Innovative and interesting
Unique subject matter. Very interestingly told. Took me so while to get it but once I did I loved it.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- humidake
- 02-03-22
heading is optional but it's not
this fiction, package from fact, should be outline so readers know what is real and what is made up. it's enjoyable to read but so is eating junk food
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1 person found this helpful