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An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer's Life
A gripping narrative of the love and betrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, told through the lives of three unique women. Set against a dramatic backdrop of war, spies, and nuclear bombs, An Atomic Love Story unveils a vivid new view of a tumultuous era and one of its most important figures. In the early decades of the 20th century, three highly ambitious women found their way to the West Coast, where each was destined to collide with the young Oppenheimer, the enigmatic physicist whose work in creating the atomic bomb would forever impact modern history. His first and most intense love was for Jean Tatlock, though he married the tempestuous Kitty Harrison—both were members of the Communist Party—and was rumored to have had a scandalous affair with the brilliant Ruth Sherman Tolman, ten years his senior and the wife of another celebrated physicist. Although each were connected through their relationship to Oppenheimer, their experiences reflect important changes in the lives of American women in the 20th the conflict between career and marriage; the need for a woman to define herself independently; experimentation with sexuality; and the growth of career opportunities. Beautifully written and superbly researched through a rich collection of firsthand accounts, this intimate portrait shares the tragedies, betrayals, and romances of an alluring man and three bold women, revealing how they pushed to the very forefront of social and cultural changes in a fascinating, volatile era.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2013
22 people are currently reading
459 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Streshinsky
9 books7 followersShirley Streshinsky is a novelist, biographer,and journalist who has been widely published in the U.S. and abroad.
Her non-fiction books include the biography AUDUBON, LIFE AND ART IN THE AMERICAN WILDERNESS. Her first book was AND I ALONE SURVIVED, based on the experience of the sole survivor of a small plane crash in the Sierra Nevada mountains, (with Lauren Elder), Literary Guild selection, Reader's Digest condensation, 18 foreign editions, and NBC movie for television; and OATS! A BOOK OF WHIMSY (with Maria Streshinsky).
Her historical novels include: THE SHORES OF PARADISE, GIFT OF THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN, A TIME BETWEEN, and HERS THE KINGDOM. All were published originally in hardback by Putnam and paperback by Berkley, there were several editions in Europe, and three were best sellers in paperback. These titles along with the Audubon biography are all being reissued by Turner Publishing in 2013.
In a career that spans 40 years, Streshinsky's articles have been published regularly in such magazines as Redbook, the Ladies Home Journal, the Los Angeles Times magazine, and Glamour. Her travel stories have appeared in Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and scores of other publications. She has contributed to American Heritage, Preservation Magazine, AARP The Magazine and The American Scholar.
Her travel essays have been featured on National Public Radio's Savvy Traveler.
She is the recipient of the Society of Magazine Writer's Award for Excellence; the National Council for the Advancement of Education Writing award; she was cited by The Educational Press Association of America for "superlative achievement in features."
Streshinsky is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She was married to the late Ted Streshinsky, a photojournalist with whom she often collaborated. They have three grown children. She lives in Kensington, California, not far from the Oppenheimer's home at 1 Eagle Hill.
Her non-fiction books include the biography AUDUBON, LIFE AND ART IN THE AMERICAN WILDERNESS. Her first book was AND I ALONE SURVIVED, based on the experience of the sole survivor of a small plane crash in the Sierra Nevada mountains, (with Lauren Elder), Literary Guild selection, Reader's Digest condensation, 18 foreign editions, and NBC movie for television; and OATS! A BOOK OF WHIMSY (with Maria Streshinsky).
Her historical novels include: THE SHORES OF PARADISE, GIFT OF THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN, A TIME BETWEEN, and HERS THE KINGDOM. All were published originally in hardback by Putnam and paperback by Berkley, there were several editions in Europe, and three were best sellers in paperback. These titles along with the Audubon biography are all being reissued by Turner Publishing in 2013.
In a career that spans 40 years, Streshinsky's articles have been published regularly in such magazines as Redbook, the Ladies Home Journal, the Los Angeles Times magazine, and Glamour. Her travel stories have appeared in Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and scores of other publications. She has contributed to American Heritage, Preservation Magazine, AARP The Magazine and The American Scholar.
Her travel essays have been featured on National Public Radio's Savvy Traveler.
She is the recipient of the Society of Magazine Writer's Award for Excellence; the National Council for the Advancement of Education Writing award; she was cited by The Educational Press Association of America for "superlative achievement in features."
Streshinsky is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She was married to the late Ted Streshinsky, a photojournalist with whom she often collaborated. They have three grown children. She lives in Kensington, California, not far from the Oppenheimer's home at 1 Eagle Hill.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 5, 2018
An Atomic Love Story is a story about three women that each was destined to meet a young J. Robert Oppenheimer, the enigmatic physicist who would be called the father of the atomic bomb. The first woman was Jean Tatlock, Oppenheimer's first real love, the second women were Kitty Harrison who he married and the third women was the brilliant Ruth Sherman-Tolman, who was married to a fellow physicist, even though there is no proof that they had a love affair, but they were very close friends for sure.
This book was not that easy to read, I had a bit of problem getting into it, especially since I had some trouble in the beginning separating the women stories from each other because the book shifted its focus from them all the time, instead of reading about one woman throughout her upbringing we got some info about her, jump to next, and so one and if you don’t have much knowledge about them before you read this book as I didn’t, then it can feel a bit too much info, too many new people all the time. This brings me to problem number 2, all the people! Relatives, friends, and scientists (and, of course, scientist friends) show up through the book and I felt it was a nightmare keeping track on everyone.
But I still found the book interesting, a bit heavy to read sometimes, but Robert Oppenheimer was such an interesting person to read about and it was a great approach this book to read about three women who all had an impact on his life. I especially found Jean Tatlock fascinating and it was devastating to read about her death.
I recommend this book for people that would like to know more about Robert Oppenheimer!
Thank you Turner Publishing Company and Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!
This book was not that easy to read, I had a bit of problem getting into it, especially since I had some trouble in the beginning separating the women stories from each other because the book shifted its focus from them all the time, instead of reading about one woman throughout her upbringing we got some info about her, jump to next, and so one and if you don’t have much knowledge about them before you read this book as I didn’t, then it can feel a bit too much info, too many new people all the time. This brings me to problem number 2, all the people! Relatives, friends, and scientists (and, of course, scientist friends) show up through the book and I felt it was a nightmare keeping track on everyone.
But I still found the book interesting, a bit heavy to read sometimes, but Robert Oppenheimer was such an interesting person to read about and it was a great approach this book to read about three women who all had an impact on his life. I especially found Jean Tatlock fascinating and it was devastating to read about her death.
I recommend this book for people that would like to know more about Robert Oppenheimer!
Thank you Turner Publishing Company and Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!
March 7, 2024
girls with strange interests in oppenheimer unite 🤓🤘
October 8, 2013
I won this book through Goodreads first reads giveaway. An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer's Life was a gripping and powerful read. What captivated me at the very beginning was the time period that three women were making extraordinary differences and were on a road that would intercept Robert Oppenheimer's life. The social classes that were hinged on so much more than what so many of us think impacted a greater world. The brilliance of not only Robert Oppenheimer, but some of these women could easily border on what some may consider insanity. The sexual revolution began long before so many history books care to note. Spies that were done on purpose and possibly non less direct. Betrayal was all over this novel, you waited to see who was going to betray whom and what effect that would leave. I commend the author on the research that was put into such a wonderful novel. This read has changed and altered my views on women before me, and for that I am grateful. Thank you for writing such an extraordinary novel.
October 13, 2013
I had the good fortune (here on GoodReads) to win an uncorrected proof copy of An Atomic Love Story - the Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer's Life by Shirley Streshinsky and Patricia Klaus. It is an engaging tale of the life and loves of Oppenheimer, the man who directed the Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb.
Streshinsky and Klaus have taken on an ambitious task of telling the narrative of the four characters who's lives are intertwined. It is a rich history that spans most of the 20th Century. War, suicide, love, divorce, longing, loss, Communism, the Red Scare, the Bomb, and more are all here.
So much has been written about Oppenheimer but none of the other histories takes on the tales of the other figures too. For me, especially early on in the book, it felt as if the different threads of the figures were a bit much to keep track of. As a reader, you knew their lives would eventually intertwine but it presented you with a lot of people and relationships to keep track of. Eventually, it all comes together and the people and their relationships are just as important as the stage of history they play out on.
Streshinsky and Klaus have taken on an ambitious task of telling the narrative of the four characters who's lives are intertwined. It is a rich history that spans most of the 20th Century. War, suicide, love, divorce, longing, loss, Communism, the Red Scare, the Bomb, and more are all here.
So much has been written about Oppenheimer but none of the other histories takes on the tales of the other figures too. For me, especially early on in the book, it felt as if the different threads of the figures were a bit much to keep track of. As a reader, you knew their lives would eventually intertwine but it presented you with a lot of people and relationships to keep track of. Eventually, it all comes together and the people and their relationships are just as important as the stage of history they play out on.
March 18, 2018
This is the third biography of Oppenheimer that I’ve read: and the most unusual in that it focuses not on him directly, but on three pivotal women in his life—his lover Jean Tatlock, his wife Kitty, and his dear friend Ruth Tolman [who was rumored to be his lover as well, although the authors conclude that she was not]. The authors did exhaustive research, and they did uncover one or two new things I hadn’t read elsewhere. But on the whole, I was disappointed. I have always wanted to know more about Jean especially, and why Robert’s relationship with her was so important to him that although he never married her, he continued to see her and to love her after he was married, a father, and the director of the atomic bomb project at Los Alamos. This book doesn’t really answer my question, but perhaps it’s not possible for anyone to do that. Jean apparently turned Robert down twice when he proposed, so it wasn’t as if he refused to marry her. But I didn’t get a vivid sense of Robert’s relationship with her. Perhaps it’s simply not possible for anyone to know what really transpires in private between two people in love.
The authors give a balanced and I would say sympathetic treatment of Kitty Oppenheimer, who was disliked by many of Robert’s friends and associates. We learn more about the events of her relationship with Oppenheimer than we do either Jean or Ruth Tolman, and I felt I understood Kitty better than I did the other two women at the end of the book. She was someone who felt she deserved more from life than she ever received, not even as the wife of a famous physicist. She was desperately unhappy, I think, and so she drank too much and neglected her children and was sometimes cruel to those around her. But I still didn’t get a sense that I had met Kitty in the pages of the book. I felt the same distance from her that I did Jean. And as for Ruth, both her llfe and her relationship with Robert remained opaque to me.
Perhaps I’m expecting too much from a biography. Or perhaps the authors bit off too much, trying to profile four people in one book.
The authors give a balanced and I would say sympathetic treatment of Kitty Oppenheimer, who was disliked by many of Robert’s friends and associates. We learn more about the events of her relationship with Oppenheimer than we do either Jean or Ruth Tolman, and I felt I understood Kitty better than I did the other two women at the end of the book. She was someone who felt she deserved more from life than she ever received, not even as the wife of a famous physicist. She was desperately unhappy, I think, and so she drank too much and neglected her children and was sometimes cruel to those around her. But I still didn’t get a sense that I had met Kitty in the pages of the book. I felt the same distance from her that I did Jean. And as for Ruth, both her llfe and her relationship with Robert remained opaque to me.
Perhaps I’m expecting too much from a biography. Or perhaps the authors bit off too much, trying to profile four people in one book.
July 23, 2023
Rather than just a straight cradle-to-grave biography – although it is that too – this one focuses very much on the three key women in Oppenheimer’s life. Each of them really deserves her own biography (perhaps they already exist?) as at the beginning I found it hard keeping track of who was who, not least because there seemed to be so many Ruths amongst the women’s circles. The narrative switched from one to another rather than concentrating on one at a time and I really did quite literally lose the plot at times. However, matters improved once everyone was grown up and they emerged as distinct characters. As well as their lives, we learn a lot about the expectations and restrictions women faced professionally at that era, and how they all had to navigate in what was essentially still a man’s world. Their relationships with Oppenheimer were often troubled although it is clear they each had deep feelings for him. Towards the end of the book I became much more engaged, but the difficult early section prevents me giving this a higher rating. Nevertheless an intriguing and insightful read, well-researched, and a welcome addition to all the many books about Oppenheimer.
November 24, 2023
I almost gave up reading this book. It got more interesting about halfway through, but it was still lacking. It is about Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb and particularly the three women in his life. The first was his first love Jean Tatlock, who would not marry him and died young. The second was his wife, Kitty. The third was his best friend, Ruth Sherman Tolman. Jean and Kitty were early members of the Communist party and Robert's association with them and others were the cause of the House Committee of Unamerican Activities Council's investigations and his eventual removal of his security clearances. Even though this book was not totally about Oppenheimer, it was a very interesting chronicle of the investigations. J. Edgar Hoover was portrayed as a totally corrupt FBI director, lying repeatedly about confidentiality of the hearings, wiretapping everything and making unproven claims about Oppenheimer. His third love, Ruth, was a very good friend and although, there was no proof that they were lovers, I really believe that they were. Oppenheimer's children were clearly neglected and seemed to be unloved. Many suicides in his life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2023
What a very interesting book and I like how the title explained. Robert operahammers with these different women. I like how they did the titles in the book. At every chapter explained how they came about and why they came about. Explain where they came from the history behind it. His true love was jean he kept seeing her after he married kitty. Ruth was also a very powerful woman he knew through physics. These 3 women were very important in his life. Because everyone had a story detail, and it was related back to Robert. Groove studied mental issues. Kitty's family was very wealthy and she was Very manipulate toward a lot of people. You must have been really hard in those days. For these women to be married and mistress to this man Also I like the history behind it too because of the Communist party. And how everybody kind of turned On each other. Your name was pretty interesting too
March 13, 2019
research for Oppenheimer -
January 17, 2017
If you're hugely into Oppenheimer's story, no doubt you'll enjoy this.
But in the end, even a renowned physicist is a human being, with all the usual emotional foibles
and conflicts and challenges most of us have. I wasn't any more enthralled by the dynamics Oppenheimer had with two other women than I would be with most any similar person's story; because I didn't see any particular influence they had on his work -- so a complex and brilliant mind felt intense connections to similarly brilliant and complex women -- so what? I found the portrait of his wife Kitty more interesting than anything about Oppenheimer...but then I've never read any other books on him. Also, there were SO many extensive details about peripheral people...I often found myself asking, "How is this relevant"?
But in the end, even a renowned physicist is a human being, with all the usual emotional foibles
and conflicts and challenges most of us have. I wasn't any more enthralled by the dynamics Oppenheimer had with two other women than I would be with most any similar person's story; because I didn't see any particular influence they had on his work -- so a complex and brilliant mind felt intense connections to similarly brilliant and complex women -- so what? I found the portrait of his wife Kitty more interesting than anything about Oppenheimer...but then I've never read any other books on him. Also, there were SO many extensive details about peripheral people...I often found myself asking, "How is this relevant"?
April 11, 2014
Whoa, if you'd want to read a non-fiction book about extremely complex people of the American Elite and how they conducted their lives in the first half of the 20th Century? Then you have it here in spades.
No synopsis of this work here in review, but just some thoughts after reading this highly detailed account of the women in Robert Oppenheimer's life and such a finely chiseled and researched image of Robert himself.
I kept thinking of Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory. If he had honed a quiet, perfect word choice line of deep charismic appeal coupled with an ultimate empathetic listening quality, instead of the rude rather anti-social briskness of that tv program. Robert was a slow, slow maturing male who had one in a million gifts of intelligence, place and opportunity. And not just in the fields of math or physics either. And he piled on during the long run to achieve. And achieve. Despite outside interference and reversals.
It's almost a 4 star- but I could not round it off to 4 because of the complexity and numbers of characters that the author "follows" within the scope of Robert's ladies' lives. Also the approach used to the time frames needing to be followed? Maybe a 4 or 5 star not possible in one volume's length? Kitty alone had a life history and pattern of emotional "attachment" that would make a tome. And possibly even BEFORE Robert. It's just not an easy journey to conceptualize Robert's reality OR pace of relationship at any one time, not without considerable effort. I did try.
All these people living lives of nearly complete personal choice in direction or location or association or occupation! Money never an object. Only illness ever seemed to be any factor in "change" to any of those choices. With central temperament and personal development becoming far more an "onus" for their own lives' paths than monetary or family "obligation"! So much more interesting than similar celebs or touted elites of today too. These had strong work ethics and ingrained sense of duty to personal goals too, every one of them.
Besides Sheldon, Sister Wives kept popping into my thoughts during this read too. I know that sounds completely ridiculous. But someone like Jean would have made a nearly perfect 3rd wife. And being Socialists and Communists in worldview? Perhaps, the idea of different "group" or communal locations was too big a stretch for their era's Puritan backgrounds? They certainly did not have religious or strong child rearing obligations to consider. Jean certainly would never have wanted to be any more than an extremely "part-time" wife- she had too many issues and work of her own from the get-go. And she would have had support and connection of her own level of women too. Which was probably more important to her than traditional marriage by multiples. That and better meds and she could have opened a few more fields herself.
And I also thought about Ruth and her husband too. Within that communal "group" for supportive purpose. And Margaret Mead, and her Benedict within their fields- as they too followed greatly disjointed marriage "commitments". One time Margaret left one husband for another in the middle of a jungle. Highly dysfunctional emotional development!
Well, if you like a name dropper review to a specific era and mindset- you got that here as well. Crème de la crème of American aristocrats progressing in THEIR style and with THEIR values. And I would not say that it was an immoral one as much as amoral- and their judgment was far more on the side of cerebral progress than on other factors. Sometimes beyond any emotional development or depth.
I really felt sorry for Kitty's daughter. I might try to find out what happened to her. Lots of brilliant people make horrendous parents, IMHO. And genius in mind does not necessarily guarantee human connection. This man Robert seems rather unique. An original- and then Leonardo da Vinci popped into my thoughts. Oppenheimer's just a latter version who works within applications to nuclear power that happens to change the entire world.
No synopsis of this work here in review, but just some thoughts after reading this highly detailed account of the women in Robert Oppenheimer's life and such a finely chiseled and researched image of Robert himself.
I kept thinking of Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory. If he had honed a quiet, perfect word choice line of deep charismic appeal coupled with an ultimate empathetic listening quality, instead of the rude rather anti-social briskness of that tv program. Robert was a slow, slow maturing male who had one in a million gifts of intelligence, place and opportunity. And not just in the fields of math or physics either. And he piled on during the long run to achieve. And achieve. Despite outside interference and reversals.
It's almost a 4 star- but I could not round it off to 4 because of the complexity and numbers of characters that the author "follows" within the scope of Robert's ladies' lives. Also the approach used to the time frames needing to be followed? Maybe a 4 or 5 star not possible in one volume's length? Kitty alone had a life history and pattern of emotional "attachment" that would make a tome. And possibly even BEFORE Robert. It's just not an easy journey to conceptualize Robert's reality OR pace of relationship at any one time, not without considerable effort. I did try.
All these people living lives of nearly complete personal choice in direction or location or association or occupation! Money never an object. Only illness ever seemed to be any factor in "change" to any of those choices. With central temperament and personal development becoming far more an "onus" for their own lives' paths than monetary or family "obligation"! So much more interesting than similar celebs or touted elites of today too. These had strong work ethics and ingrained sense of duty to personal goals too, every one of them.
Besides Sheldon, Sister Wives kept popping into my thoughts during this read too. I know that sounds completely ridiculous. But someone like Jean would have made a nearly perfect 3rd wife. And being Socialists and Communists in worldview? Perhaps, the idea of different "group" or communal locations was too big a stretch for their era's Puritan backgrounds? They certainly did not have religious or strong child rearing obligations to consider. Jean certainly would never have wanted to be any more than an extremely "part-time" wife- she had too many issues and work of her own from the get-go. And she would have had support and connection of her own level of women too. Which was probably more important to her than traditional marriage by multiples. That and better meds and she could have opened a few more fields herself.
And I also thought about Ruth and her husband too. Within that communal "group" for supportive purpose. And Margaret Mead, and her Benedict within their fields- as they too followed greatly disjointed marriage "commitments". One time Margaret left one husband for another in the middle of a jungle. Highly dysfunctional emotional development!
Well, if you like a name dropper review to a specific era and mindset- you got that here as well. Crème de la crème of American aristocrats progressing in THEIR style and with THEIR values. And I would not say that it was an immoral one as much as amoral- and their judgment was far more on the side of cerebral progress than on other factors. Sometimes beyond any emotional development or depth.
I really felt sorry for Kitty's daughter. I might try to find out what happened to her. Lots of brilliant people make horrendous parents, IMHO. And genius in mind does not necessarily guarantee human connection. This man Robert seems rather unique. An original- and then Leonardo da Vinci popped into my thoughts. Oppenheimer's just a latter version who works within applications to nuclear power that happens to change the entire world.
August 9, 2014
This book reminds me of college research papers when a student has spent so much time researching a topic that every little bit of information is very important to him/her. Then the student turns it in or gives it to another student to proof and is told cut it in half - way too much unnecessary detailed information. Unfortunately, the cut in half part never happened with this book.
I also had problems reading detailed histories of young people before I was told why they were important to the story and given way too many names and people whose mention and appearance in the book had little relation to their importance to the story.
A lot of the information was interesting, but a lot was forced down the reader's throat that wasn't interesting or necessary.
I also had problems reading detailed histories of young people before I was told why they were important to the story and given way too many names and people whose mention and appearance in the book had little relation to their importance to the story.
A lot of the information was interesting, but a lot was forced down the reader's throat that wasn't interesting or necessary.
May 17, 2016
Meticulously researched, well-written, and wholly engaging. At time a bit confusing and overwhelming with unnecessary detail. The portrayal of two of the three loves is warm and flattering, the third less so, but a beautiful tale of how both academic and non-academic women played critical roles in Robert Oppenheimer's life.
January 21, 2014
Gripping, intriguing, well researched, and told by a master storyteller.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews