Luminous Bodies: A Novel of Marie Curie

by Devon Jersild

"Devon Jersild’s beautiful novel is alchemic, bringing Marie Curie—the scientist, the lover, the mother, the immigrant, the Nobel Laureate—to life. This tense, moving, riveting story burns it’s historical fiction at its very best."
—Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch

"With a gimlet eye, Jersild . . . spotlight[s] the double standards to which male and female scientists were held and the way Curie, understandably devastated by her treatment by journalists and the public, managed to pull herself back into her research and new discoveries through the force of her will. A colorful re-creation of an incomparable life."
—Kirkus Reviews

In the popular imagination, Marie Curie was all brilliance and unshakeable drive. Luminous Bodies is a tender exploration of the vulnerable woman behind the legend.

In the vein of Georgia (Dawn Tripp) and Matrix (Lauren Groff), the narrative follows Marie from girlhood in Poland to the battlefields of World War I, focusing on her marriage, widowhood, and love affair with physicist Paul Langevin—after which she was ostracized from society and the scientific community. Haunted by self-doubt, she turned to Hertha Ayrton, the scientist and suffragist who drew her back from the brink of suicide.

How did Curie endure all this, and still achieve so much? What sustained her rich emotional, sexual, and intellectual life—and what were the costs? Jersild explores these questions in this radiant novel.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Biographical Fiction

364 pages, Paperback

Published February 17, 2026

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devon Jersild’s beautiful novel is alchemic, bringing Marie Curie — the scientist, the lover, the mother, the immigrant, the Nobel Laureate — to life. This tense, moving, riveting story burns hot: it’s historical fiction at its very best.

[Lael Bagnall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting to be so moved by a book about a very accomplished scientist! Jersild brings to life Curie’s very relatable character. Her struggles as a woman in a heavily male dominated world were beautifully woven into a story about a woman who had experienced challenge and heartbreak and betrayal in many aspects of her life even outside of science.
There is a scene between Marie Curie and her future lover’s wife that is so incredibly written with subtext that it left me breathless. I will think about that scene for a long time after finishing this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I went into Luminous Bodies: A Novel of Marie Curie knowing almost nothing about Curie’s life, and I was quickly transported from her girlhood in Poland to her groundbreaking scientific work in Paris, and into the personal scandal of her love affair with a fellow scientist that ended up ostracising her both socially and professionally.

I really enjoy historical fiction that explores complicated women navigating their worlds, and this book does just that. While I still don’t fully grasp the science (shrug), I loved seeing how Curie balanced brilliance and ambition with doubt, mistakes, and vulnerability. It’s fascinating to watch someone so intelligent wrestle with the consequences of their choice, and also infuriating to see how differently she was judged compared to the men that surrounded her.

I also appreciated the threads about her friendships with fellow suffragettes and women in science. Those glimpses felt fresh and human, showing another side of her life beyond the lab and the headlines.

That said… I think the writing could have flowed a bit better. There were moments when I got pulled out of the story because the pacing felt uneven, or certain scenes lingered too long without adding to character or narrative momentum. But even with that, I came away enjoying it. It’s a compelling portrait of a brilliant, flawed, and endlessly fascinating woman.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marie Curie represented to me from what I knew of her great achievements in science all women who dared to be independent. Jerslid’s paean to Curie goes beyond that and gave me a whole new perspective to see a woman who was passionate in love and life beyond her passion for science.

This is fine and splendid historical fiction. I loved how the author brought Curie to life from her childhood in Poland to her great love for Pierre Curie and then to her scandalous affair with Paul Langevin after Pierre’s death which “strangled” her reputation. While her scientific achievements are part of the story, this book delves into Curie’s psyche and relationships - family, friends, her daughters, Pierre - to give the woman a more rounded character.

As the book shows Curie had bouts of depression but she weathered through them to pursue her scientific work. She also had loving relationships with her daughters, Irene and Eve, that helped Marie in her moments of great sorrow. She was deeply in love with Pierre too - Pierre seemed like a sweet and wonderful man - and his tragic death at a relatively young age broke her heart. Paul Langevin and his wife were to me were the vipers in her life. Langevin’s wife played the long suffering wife card which Langevin played into. Marie made a poor choice in him.

This is a character driven novel and Marie’s character is beautifully fleshed out. I enjoyed the read immensely.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Paul Dry Books for allowing me to read this fine ARC.
#luminousbodies
#devonjerslid
#pauldrybooks.

[Johanna Markson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Novel about Marie Curie, her scientific research and the personal scandal that rocked France and the scientific community.
A two time Nobel Laureate, Marie was a Polish woman who came to Paris to follow her dream of pursuing research in Chemistry. She fell in love and she and her husband began working with Radium based on her research. Their findings ultimately led to the invention of x-rays. Marie taught and researched in the heart of the French intellectual and scientific community at the dawn of the 20th century.
She was a passionate woman in all things, which eventually let to a scandalous affair with a married man.
The author spends a lot of time inside Marie’s head. Sometimes too much time focused on her worries and concerns about her struggles as a woman in a male dominated field and world, as a mother caught up in her career, and as a lover deeply connected to the men in her life.
That inner turmoil doesn’t take away from the fact that it was great to finally understand who Madame Curie was. Why she’s so famous for her achievements. It was also interesting to learn about her hardships. Being a woman in a man’s world is never easy.
All in all a good read.

[Olivia Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for a historical fiction, and I always find it so interesting to read a historical fiction from the point of view about a real historical figure rather than from the point of view of a fictitious person.

Marie's story was so interesting, and reading about her life outside of her scientific discoveries made a fuller picture in my mind of what she might've been like. However, I also appreciated that while there was a focus on her personal life, the novel always looped back around to how her career impacted and affected her life and choices.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book, and my only critique is that the chapters are on the longer side, which can be an intimidating factor for some readers! Overall, I would recommend this book and keep an eye out for any future releases that Devon writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Paul Dry Books for sending me an early copy of this novel!

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luminous Bodies is an upcoming historical fiction novel that covers the life of Marie Curie up until the events of the First World War. I will admit that before reading this book the only things I really knew about her were he achievements in the science field. This novel goes to great lengths of exploring not only her role as a scientist, but also her role as a wife and mother. I will say this novel was a very wonderful read!

This book focuses on Marie's early childhood years up to her marriage to Pierre Curie. The two had a wonderful marriage which resulted in two daughters. However, after his death she has an affair with a married man named Paul which causes some harm to her reputation. But despite this she manages to keep moving forward in her field.

Overall if you are looking for a novel that shows the human side of a historical figure this is a novel you should pick up!

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devon Jersild manages to mingle the story of Marie Curie’s life within a romantic and dramatic novel. Although I am no fan of novels about famous people like the famous scientist, especially the first half of the book is nice to read. Jersild fills the gaps in the research with her interpretation of the romantic feelings as well as the dramatic situations. From Marie’s upbringing in Poland, a first engagement with the son of her polish employees, where she worked made over going to Paris, meeting Pierre, with the son of her polish employees, where she worked made over going to Paris, meeting Pierre, Pierce’s death, his death, falling in love with Pierre’s most left scholar pole, and all the tragedy to follow, Jersild fill the gap with emotion.
I can definitely recommend reading this, if you like fiction about famous personalities. .

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Devon captured the mind of a scientist so well - the dedication, the exhilaration of discovery, the creativity, the preoccupation with the subject.... The book also captures well what it was to be a woman in science, and a woman in general at a time when roles were clearly defined and women were still not able to vote. Curie was on the cutting edge in so many ways that Devon captured. At the same time, the emotion in the telling is clear and you understand what it meant for Curie (although the fictional version) to love and experience loss.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting overview of Marie Curie's life, focusing more on her as a woman and her relationships and the roles she played - wife, mother, scientist. She also faced a lot of scrutiny due to her relationship with a married man.
This was lacking a little bit in terms of a hook, but I'm glad I read it and learned more about Marie Curie as a person.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

[JONATHAN L SMITH · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visit with pMarie Curie

A beautifully written, compassionate novel about the dedicated scientist and complex woman, Marie Curie. I felt transported back in time, as if I were sitting down to drink a cup of jam tea and share confidences with my dear friend, Marie. Through her honest perspective, Devon Jersild uncovers common ground for anyone striving to serve the greater good while seeking connection in the face of personal loss.

[Liz]

Great book. Explores the life of Marie Curie; not only her scientific achievements and discoveries but also her emotional life. As a woman she had an arduous path to recognition and rewards for her brilliance. She was also held to strict and outdated standards in her private life. Her stubbornness, innate drive and some very dear life-long friends helped her find her way when the obstacles seemed insurmountable.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) Marie Curie was clearly a remarkable woman, and this novel provides insight into how tremendously groundbreaking her work was - especially as a woman. That said, by the end of the novel I had little understanding of the nature of her scientific breakthroughs, and I found the relationship with her lover a little heavy going.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Luminous Bodies" is an historical novel about Marie Curie.

The focus in this novel are on Marie's childhood and her marriage to Pierre Curie.

I think it was a nice novelisation of Marie Curies life.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

[Sylvia. Blau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. Extensive research. I did not understand all of the chemical aspect, but the lives of the people involved was very interesting. The book was also very well written. I recommend this book very high.

[Nancee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+, beautifully written

[Benzilneurosurg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent enough telling of a remarkable human being. Captured the hypocrisy of the times.

[Laura Sterkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Marie Curie is a familiar name and yet I knew so little about her life. Interesting account.

[Mainlinebooker · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF…too much description of physics material and not enough about her life as a woman in a man’s profession

[Luisa Peñaflor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book stuck with me for a lot of reasons, but primarily, I loved how close we come to feel to Marie; almost like a friend, professor, mom, or daughter. The prose is gorgeous and gave me such an insight into her inner life that, for many women who achieve extraordinary things, is often somewhat ignored or looked at with contempt or judgement in comparison to male figures. I also really enjoyed the historical romance element. It felt like falling in love, although I kept wanting to talk to her through the book and tell her no, hold back! Of course, that dramatic irony is built into historical fiction and part of what makes it so enjoyable. All in all, I give this book 5/5 and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a character driven narrative that's hard to put down.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers - Paul Dry Books – for giving me access to this book via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

What an interesting woman Marie Curie was. This novel made me want to learn more about her both as a person and as a scientist. It was a nice novelisation of her life, and I liked to mix of format between flowing text and letters. Made the pacing nice.