Enchantress of Numbers: A Novel of Ada Lovelace
Book Title: Enchantress of Numbers: A Novel of Ada Lovelace
Book Description: The only legitimate child of Lord Byron, the most brilliant, revered, and scandalous of the Romantic poets, Ada was destined for fame long before her birth. But her mathematician mother, estranged from Ada's infamous and destructively passionate father, is determined to save her only child from her perilous Byron heritage. Banishing fairy tales and make-believe from the nursery, Ada’s mother provides her daughter with a rigorous education grounded in mathematics and science. Any troubling spark of imagination—or worse yet, passion or poetry—is promptly extinguished. Or so her mother believes. When Ada is introduced into London society as a highly eligible young heiress, she at last discovers the intellectual and social circles she has craved all her life. Little does she realize how her exciting new friendship with Charles Babbage—the brilliant, charming, and occasionally curmudgeonly inventor of an extraordinary machine, the Difference Engine—will define her destiny. Enchantress of Numbers unveils the passions, dreams, and insatiable thirst for knowledge of a largely unheralded pioneer in computing—a young woman who stepped out of her father’s shadow to achieve her own laurels and champion the new technology that would shape the future.
Book Author: Jennifer Chiaverini
Publisher Logo:
ISBN: 978-1101985212
Number Of Pages: 448
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Story / Interest
(4.5)
A fascinating account of a trailblazer!
I have enjoyed learning about Ada Lovelace since I first hear of her. The Enchantress of Numbers by author Jennifer Chiaverini is an extraordinary account of the life of the nineteenth-century mathematician and computer pioneer, Ada Byron Lovelace. Appropriate for 10+, this book is a historical account of Ada’s life, her journey during the time period of great scientific and technological advancement, and her meaningful contribution to the world. Through her dedication and ambition, Ada was able to defy the expectations of her time and successfully pursue what she was passionate about despite numerous social and other challenges. Chiaverini succeeds in crafting a compelling story from the life of one of history’s most remarkable women without too much embellishment or exaggeration- she manages to give a realistic and historically accurate version of Ada’s story without losing any of the emotion and momentum attached to it. I feel it is appropriate to rate this book 4.5/5 as there are some parts that are a bit tedious. One of the aspects I love most about this book is that it gives a much-needed voice to an all too often overlooked and underrated figure in history, which can be very empowering for young girls in particular. I also love period pieces and it was interesting to read more about that time in history.
Overall
4.5