The Other Einstein

by Marie Benedict, Mozhan Marnò (narrator)

بانو اینشتین داستان زنی است در اسارت دنیای سلطه‌گر مردانه؛ زنی که هوش و استعداد و نبوغش در سایة پررنگ همسرش، آلبرت اینشتین، نادیده مانده است. زنی که در بیست سالگی بر خلاف اغلب زنانِ همدوره‌اش، در رشتة فیزیک ادامة تحصیل می‌دهد و پس از آن با دانشجویی به نام آلبرت آشنا می‌شود و حاصل زندگی آنان شهرت آلبرت است و در حاشیه قرار گرفتن همسرش. چقدر از ایده‌های اینشتین حاصل اندیشه‌ها و افکار همسرش بوده است؟ چرا باید یکی در سایة دیگری فراموش می‌شد؟ آیا دو نابغه در یک خانه نمی‌گنجند؟

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, Audiobook, Adult, Romance

Audio CD

First published October 18, 2016

About the author

Marie Benedict is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Queens of Crime, The Mitford Affair, Her Hidden Genius, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, The Only Woman in the Room, Lady Clementine, Carnegie's Maid, The Other Einstein, and the novella, Agent 355. With Victoria Christopher Murray, she co-wrote the Good Morning America Book Club pick The Personal Librarian and the Target Book of the Year The First Ladies. With Courtney Sheinmel, she co-wrote the first in a middle grade historical adventure series, called The Secrets of the Lovelace Academy.

Her books have been translated into thirty languages, and selected for the Barnes & Noble Book Club, Target Book Club, Costco Book Club, Indie Next List, and LibraryReads List.

Up next is the March 24, 2026 release, DAUGHTER OF EGYPT, the sweeping tale of a young aristocratic archaeologist — Lady Evelyn of Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey — who unearths the truth about a forgotten female Pharaoh, rewriting both of their legacies forever.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book.

Perhaps it is just me, but I think I hold writers of historical fiction to a different standard than other fiction writers. If a historical fiction writer is creating a story about real people (as opposed to creating fictionalized characters set during a specific era or historic event), then I expect that the big details about that real person's life will be correct. Otherwise, readers can come away with a view of history that is entirely incorrect. (This is one of the reasons I don't care for Philippa Gregory's work)

Benedict's novel carries a story line that isn't consistent with historical research (Her author's note is built on ideas like "maybe," "perhaps," and "we don't know.") Were the allegations true, it would be a whopper. A much more interesting book would have been to follow the true story of Mileva's life -- a brilliant scientist in her own right (the only female studying at the Zurich Polytechnic at the time Einstein was getting his degree) who had to give up her scientific ambitions when she became a mother.

Aside from my issues with the book's misrepresentation of the truth (yes! I do know this is fiction) the book was a bit of a slog to read. Far too much time was spent on Albert & Mileva's courtship, before getting to any interest or tension in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Angela M · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always a dilemma for me to rate books about the woman behind the famous man and I usually wonder just how much influence they have and this was no exception. Even though this a fictionalized account, I have have questions about how much is real, how much is imagined more so than in other novels of this kind. What I know about Einstein can be summed up easily. He was a brilliant scientist, famous for E=mcsquared equation , the theory of relativity and by all pictures I've seen, he had unruly hair. I knew absolutely nothing about his personal life so I knew nothing about his first wife Mileva Maric who was a brilliant scientist in her own right . I went in really with no preconceived notions about who he was as a man and certainly none about Mileva.

Over the years it appears that there have been questions raised over whether Mileva contributed to Einstein's work, without getting credit. The claims are considered unsubstantiated by accounts, but the premise of this story is that it is true, making Albert Einstein a less than appealing person, actually pretty cold and calculating. Mileva is treated miserably, having to go off and have their child on her own ; deal with the child's death by herself and robbed of recognition for scientific publications and of the Nobel prize. All of this may be true but it might not be .

The author outlines her research which appears to be fairly extensive but yet she says "Similarly, the precise nature of Mileva's contribution to the 1905 theories attributed to Albert is unknown, although no one disputes that, at a minimum, she played the significant part of emotional and intellectual supporter during this critical time. But given how Mileva saw the world and how desperately she must have loved her daughter, isn't it possible that the loss of Lieserl could have inspired Mileva's to create the theory of special relativity? Answering through fiction the seemingly unanswerable questions in Mileva's life - exploring the 'what ifs' - is what makes writing The Other Einstein so interesting to me ." Also, it is not substantiated that the child died but may have been given up for adoption.

I mostly read fiction and have no problems accepting stories as they are presented but when doubts are expressed in the author's note about the validity of the premise , I had a hard time with it. I will say that it is interesting from the perspective of how difficult it was for women in universities and especially in the sciences in the late 19th century. This has gotten rave reviews so this is very possibly just me . I may have to think twice before I read another novel of this type. Three stars for the early chapters where we see Mileva's brilliance and determination, her touching relationship with her father , and also for the depiction of the time and a glimpse into the sometimes difficult road of scientific discovery.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this advance copy.

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who was Mileva Maric? If it wasn't for Marie Benedict's novel titled The Other Einstein, many readers like myself would still be in the dark about Albert Einstein's first wife. Benedict's extensive research shows us that Maric was an accomplished physicist in her own right (during a time when female scientists were almost unheard of), but after suffering several personal blows, she was relegated to history's back-burner, while her husband basked in the world's limelight.

In this story, you will learn about Maric's possible contributions to Einstein's theory of relativity, what happened to their first child, a daughter born out of wedlock, and Einstein's fluctuating feelings, sometimes charismatic, sometimes abusive, towards this little-known woman.

Time to shed light on Mileva Maric! A fascinating narrative!

[Always Pouting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mitza Maric has dreams of being more than a wife, a brilliant physics student she plans to pursue a degree in 1896 and is the only female in her classes. Mitza is also disabled and has never expected any man to ever be interested in her and want to marry her. When she meets Albert Einstein though things begin to change and she rethinks the life she has pictured for herself, ending up caught between her ambition and love.

The book was well written and I did like Mitza, and I know we've all had the representation talk before but really it is cool knowing about women scientists and especially one with a disability. I had never heard of her before though it's not a surprise when her own career became side railed to Einstein's, but I actually don't know much about the time period when women first started being admitted into colleges and being able to contribute in academia, so it was interesting. I did find the book to be really slow though and I got bored through out it again and again. I guess it's mostly because the life of university students isn't all that interesting and like her going back and forth between school and trying to keep her friends and manage her love life wasn't something unusual or fun to read about.

I also am not sure about the historical accuracy of the book though the author said she researched it well and it is fiction. Even though it is fiction I don't think the scene where Mitza comes up with relativity was done well at all. I didn't buy it at all. I don't see how death could cause anyone to make a connection like that about time, and the explanation seemed a little iffy. Maybe if we saw more of Mitza sitting around thinking about physics theoretically I would've bought the idea that she came up with it and Einstein stole the idea or I guess took credit or whatever but nah it didn't work for me the way it was done in the book I don't buy it. I can buy Einstein's behaving like a dick though because I always felt like he was kind of a dick.

An okay book about someone who maybe could have achieved something if it hadn't been for a man, typical, but nothing spectacular. Mostly because I'd rather not read fictional accounts about what women may have contributed to their husband's works, I wish we could get more nonfiction books about women whose contributions we know about and yeah I could've done without reading this but I'm not like upset I read it, kind of just indifferent to the whole experience.

[Laura F-W · Rating 2 out of 5]

"What did Watson and Crick discover?

...Rosalind Franklin’s notes"

HAR HAR. While that might not be 100% true, the history of science is littered with brilliant women whose pioneering contributions were ignored, diminished or plagiarised due to sexism. So this fictionalised biography of Mileva Maric, the physicist wife of Albert Einstein who has been rumoured to have contributed towards his theories on relativity, is timely.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t really do it for me. The first 60% is based around Einstein’s courtship of Maric while they are both physics students at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich. Maric is focused on her studies and doesn’t want to be waylaid by romance. But Einstein is doggedly determined. I found the first half of this book really dull. I wasn’t sure what the conflict was meant to be - the book is called The Other Einstein, we know that they eventually get married, why devote so many pages to detailing the minutiae of a courtship when the title tells you how it ends? The pace picked up considerably in the second half, but I still think the first bit could have been significantly edited down.

The writing was inelegant and clunky throughout. Some of the sentences were badly constructed and I also thought the dialogue was self-consciously formal and ‘old fashioned’. There were also some jarring errors which would make anyone vaguely scientifically minded wince, eg, steam (from the chimney of a steam train) being described interchangeably as ‘smoke’ and ‘fog’ in the same paragraph.

But my main qualm about this book is that the science is totally skimmed over. I thought it was meant to be about a brilliant scientific mind who was lost in her husband’s shadow, and yet I got the sense that the author didn’t have the confidence to actually write about science. There are ways of writing about science in fiction in an inspiring, even beautiful, way; but there was none of that here. There are parts in which Einstein and Maric work feverishly on projects and theories together - and yet the actual concepts they’re working on aren’t even mentioned. The author might as well have written ‘and they did some science’. Not only did this make the book feel a bit flimsy, but I also think it denigrated Maric. What should have been a book about a bright female physicist who (allegedly) contributed to one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century, actually became a book about a woman who made some silly life choices and ended up unhappily married and intellectually stymied. The author’s unwillingness or inability to delve into the science Maric (supposedly) worked on actually detracts from the image of her as a brilliant scientist.

Finally, I think the author got a bit drunk on artistic license. Einstein is painted as an absolute bastard and Maric is painted as a complete genius who made MASSIVE contributions to ALL of his theories. In real life, the consensus is that the contributions she made were quite limited, although there are still those that believe her to have done a lot of the maths in the seminal papers published under Einstein’s name. I know it’s a fictionalised account and the author has a right to speculate on what *could* have happened, but I think she goes a bit too far. Einstein comes off extremely badly and I was shocked by the scene in which he hits her , which I think was just gratuitous and doesn’t seem to be based on any historical facts. I feel like people will read this and think it's a factual expose, whereas it’s mostly wild speculation and likely to be highly inaccurate. And that, to me, feels a bit unfair. There are stories out there of women who truly did make massive contributions to science and were ignored (see links in first paragraph) and who deserve to be properly memorialised. I'm not sure that this sensationalised book really helps promote that cause.

(With thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review)

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book at all. I hate books that have potentially interesting stories to tell and then just wreck them. It could have been quite edifying as Mileva Maric was Albert Einstein's first wife and a noted scientist in her own right. She was the only female student at an elite university in Zurich in 1896. She lives in a pension with other bright female students. It must have been exciting to be on your own for the first time and discovering there are other people like yourself who like to learn.

So we discover any of this? No. The four females are jealous of each other when one of them dates. Are there wonderful conversations between Einstein and Maric? There were but there were so many more talks where he thinks up pet names like Dollie, ragamuffin, beloved sorceress, little escapee. Gag me with a stick. This is nothing more than a glorified romance novel.

There are claims that Maric is responsible for some of Einstein's work. It fits into a new theory going around that women were responsible for everything. I think she had input into his work but she was certainly no Marie Curie. As the book goes along she becomes more and more subservient. I found this difficult to believe that a well educated woman would suddenly change to this degree. Also, she had a limp. I think the first 9000 times this was mentioned was sufficient for me to understand that she had a limp that she blamed everything in her life on. Put please quit hitting me over the head with it.

I have to admit my bias here. I had just finished a wonderful book that shook me, moved me and made me think. It was a historical fiction too but on such a different level that it was like comparing Charles Dickens to a children's book. But then I'd have to call it historical fiction instead of what it is, a badly written romance novel.

There are so many great books and so little time, why would you waste a second on this drivel?

[Jilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't get through it. I'm bored. Also, I find it strange when a first-person narration gets all flowery in descriptions because I find it hard to believe that people talk that way in their heads. When I am thinking about the weather outside, I never have thoughts like, "It was dark and stormy with broody clouds and a malevolent fog." I'm more likely to think, "F-ing weather! You suck!" Okay, so I admit I'm not the most quixotic of thinkers. (Word of the day challenge: check!)


I would have hanged myself if I continued reading. BAM!! On fleek with the grammar today, baby!

We've been watching the series, Genius, about Einstein and I know that they tried to be as historically accurate as possible when making it. What I have learned is that he wasn't some lovable nutty professor who was a genius, like we all thought. He was a bad husband, selfish man, horrible father, and philandering jerk who also was a genius. So, I guess that reading this book was probably a bad idea to begin with.

[Suzanne Leopold (Suzy Approved Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mileva Maric was the only female student studying physics at a prestigious university in Zurich in 1896. It is here that she met a young student in her class named Albert Einstein. Albert takes an interest in her, and a romantic relationship evolves between them. This book details how their relationship changes over time


Written in the voice of Mileva, this historical novel is about the difficulties she encountered while married to Einstein. What starts as a young exciting relationship turns into an abusive neglectful one. Mileva sacrificed her own career dreams by catering to the needs of her husband and family. The book delves into how Mileva eventually felt she was living in Einstein’s shadow. It has been speculated that she contributed to the theory of relativity but her named was omitted by Einstein.

This is an interesting story of love, loss and science. Readers are spoonfed real history about Einstein while watching this drama unfold. I came away with a better appreciation for the contribution from both of these individuals.


Einstein is known as a genius, but as the saying goes, behind every great man is a great woman.

I am giving away 2 copies on my blog until 11/12



$1.99 on kindle and digital platforms 2/9 https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Mileva Maric, Albert Einstein’s first wife. She also was a mathematician. The book is a historical novel so Benedict has leeway in telling the story. For example, how much did she contribute to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity? Benedict traces Mileva’s life from childhood to the end.

The book is well written, and I enjoyed it while fully aware I was reading historical fiction and not a biography. After reading numerous biographies of Einstein, I was somewhat familiar with Mileva. In many ways this makes history more interesting. If you are looking for something different, I can recommend this book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eight hours and thirty minutes. Mozhan Marno does a good job narrating the book. Marno is an actress and voice-over artist.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being asked by a friend to read Marie Benedict’s novel about the wife of Albert Einstein, I was eager to give it a try. While no Einstein expert, having read only a few pieces about the scientist, I am always up to learn a little something. Benedict offers an interesting mix of fact and fiction in this succinct piece, which is sure to entertain and educate the reader in equal measure. Mileva “Mitza” Marić made a name for herself, relying on some less stringent admission rules to secure a spot into a Swiss university, where she studied and excelled in Mathematics and Physics. While other men in her class scoffed at her presence, one Albert Einstein took a shining to her. Marić willingly spent time with Einstein, happy to help anyone who would treat her as an equal. A Serbian by birth, Marić found herself stuck in an interesting family dynamic; a mother who wanted her to accept her role as a woman and a father who, aware of a physical anomaly, wanted her to succeed in academics. Marić refused to accept that she would forever be a spinster and welcomed Einstein’s romantic interest, as long as it did not impede her academic pursuits. Einstein and Marić continued to work together, building their passion for science and one another through the years. The tides seemed to change when Marić bore their first child, Lieserl. While Marić was hidden away for the birth and a few months afterwards, Einstein pursued gainful employment, all but ignoring his family. Benedict depicts this strain in the relationship throughout, never more poignantly than explaining how Einstein worked and his wife tended to their daughter, while still holding onto a passion for the world of physics. Tragedy befell the family such that the shattered pieces of their foundation could not be properly assembled again, which proved to be a significant strain on them, though Albert and Mitza continued to work through problems of relativity and other topics of theoretical physics. Expanding on their family, the Einsteins found themselves loving their burgeoning brood, though their true passion remained physics. That said, Albert always stood in the limelight, while Mitza slaved away and presented key theories for discussion, only later expounded upon by Albert when he had already made a name for himself. In a story so poignantly titled, Benedict argues effectively that Mileva Marić Einstein may have been the brains behind her husband’s numerous discoveries, in an era where women were seen as less apt and capable. Recommended for those who enjoy learning a great deal during their fiction reading, I can see Benedict has a great handle on the topic and how to present it effectively to readers.

Bendict does well to capture the reader’s attention throughout this book, straddling the line between telling a story and recounting the life of a lesser-known historical figure. While it is impossible to deny that Mileva Marić Einstein remained hidden behind her husband’s shadow, one can hope that this book will help dispel the idea that she was solely a supportive spouse. Benedict depicts Madam Einstein as being dedicated to her interests, particularly physics, letting no one and nothing stand in her way. While she may have been raised at a time when she was seen as a second-class citizen, she never let her passion die out, no matter who stood in her way, Benedict portrays this effectively throughout the piece, tossing in some interesting hurdles outside her being a woman. The courting time between the two protagonists is quite heartfelt and Madam Einstein seems not only shocked that a man might love her, but also leery about giving up all her academic opportunities for a man. When women did not usually stand on their own, Mileva Marić broke the mold and strived to be all she could. Strains in the relationship appear throughout the latter portion of the book, particularly as Benedict portrays Albert as too focussed on his work. Can he be faulted for this? In one sense, surely, for he chooses not to spend it with his family and keeps himself occupied with his work and friendships with other men. While no excuse, one must consider that this was a time when ‘hands-on’ fatherhood would not have been common, so Einstein might not have thought to spend time at home or with his family. Still, Benedict depicts him, as well as some of the other male characters found throughout the narrative, to be aloof and disinterested in life before them. The story worked very well, picking up on key elements of Marić’s life before she married Einstein, with the ongoing thread that she did not want her life’s work to be forgotten or attributed solely to her husband. Benedict using powerful descriptions to portray this, leaving the reader to decide for themselves how to synthesise this information. It not only tells a story of the woman behind her husband, but also seeks to develop the argument that Albert Einstein may not have been the sole thinker in that household to churn out groundbreaking ideas. A wonderfully educational piece that offers a punch for the attentive reader. Easy to digest and comprehend without being flighty or flowery.

Kudos, Madam Benedict, for a great piece of fiction. I’ll have to keep my eyes open to see what else you have that might be of interest.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

AUDIO READ #200 of 2018

Dear Albert Einstein,

You're a total misogynistic asshole. Unless this author created most of this book, which the author's note at the end of the book makes me wonder. Then my apologies.

Regards,

Confused historical fiction fan

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Marie Benedict, and the publishers, Sourcebooks Landmark, for this opportunity.

This is the fictional account of the life of an actual historical figure. Mileva “Mitza” Marić, in 1896, was the only female studying physics at Zürich university and one of the first females to study science at university level in all of Europe. She left home for more liberal Switzerland to achieve said studies and became a scientific genius in her own right. And yet, her renown today is considerably less than her physicist husband, Albert Einstein. There is much debate over the degree of Albert's famed Theory of Relativity that was, in fact, his wife's own work. This explores not only scientific and marital conflict, but the trials of being a ground-breaking and intelligent women living in a conservative and bourgeois time-period.

This novel used Mileva as a spokesperson for a generation of budding intellectual women, who are realizing their independence for the first time, and yet are still largely relegated to the home sphere. They were built for so much more and it is empowering to read, today, how much their fight for equality and their continuation in the face of adversity has impacted our contemporary freedom. If not for women, such as Mileva, our lives today could be quite different. On behalf of women everywhere, who have ever received such treatment, this pained me to read about.

This not only concerned the re-imagining of the life of this brilliant women, but was a wonderfully evocative and atmospheric account of nineteenth century Europe. This was a slow-paced novel with in-depth character studies and attention to minute historical and geographical details. It touched on a multitude of societal and cultural customs without seeming to betray or wander too far from the story and it's absolute brilliance lay in the vivid envisioning and conceptualizing of both a time period and an entire generation of people.

This tells such an important story in such a graceful, expressive and reminiscent way that it is hard not to get sucked into the story of the life of the great Mileva Einstein.

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

While I wouldn't put this among my favorite historical fiction reads, I did end up enjoying this book about Albert Einstein's first wife, Mileva Marić. While the author's other book, Carnegie's Maid, was really heavy on the fiction side, this book was a better combination of facts and stuff that some researchers have theorized to be true. Without a doubt a fascinating woman who is certainly worthy of more recognition for her brilliant mind.

Mileva Marić is not your typical twenty something Serbian woman in the late 1800s. She is the only female studying at Zürich's Polytechnic in a class that features fellow student, Albert Einstein. He takes a romantic interest in her but also is interested in her input while working on his theory of relativity. This book explores what some researchers have come to believe, that Mileva provided much more than just emotional support to her famous husband as she very well could have contributed significantly to Albert Einstein's scientific work.

I had much of the same feelings while reading this book as I had when reading The Aviator's Wife which featured Anne Lindbergh, the wife of aviator Charles Lindbergh. Both Anne and Mileva were accomplished in their own right but were overshadowed by their husbands. And the more I learn about the men, the more I find out they were pretty big jerks. It's nice that with historical fiction books like these, the females are finally being recognized for their talents and not just for being the Mrs. in the relationship.

The book started off strong as Mileva was an easy person to root for because she was entering a world that was essentially a man's club. I did struggle a bit with boredom after the story reached the halfway mark to the point in which I was wondering if this was going to turn into a dud but thankfully the action picked up again in the last third.

I wouldn't say this is a must read and I don't think the author is the strongest historical fiction writer out there but Mileva was a fascinating woman and learning about her, even if some of it was just theories, was fun. I would recommend this book for those who like books about women that were ahead of their time.

[Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an engaging story about Mileva “Mitza” Marić, Albert Einstein’s first wife. Going into this, I knew nothing about Ms. Marić and very little about Mr. Einstein’s personal life.

It seems as though some of Albert Einstein’s work is surrounded in controversy. There is speculation that his first wife helped with his research, however the question is how much help was she? Some say she was simply supportive, others say she partnered with him or worked out the math for him, yet others propose that some of the work was actually hers. Was she a victim of the blatant sexism of the time?

It seems we may never know the truth behind how much of the research was completed by Mileva Marić, but this author took a very interesting view into the marriage and work of the couple. It was fascinating to be brought into the mind of a brilliant and driven woman living in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

It is important to note that this is a work of fiction and Albert Einstein is not presented as a brilliant scientist and loving husband and father. Quite the opposite. However, this is only one viewpoint and one author’s fictional representation of what may have been. It should in no way be taken as a biography and in my mind I thought of Albert Einstein as a fictional character while reading.

I was easily absorbed in this story and really enjoyed it for its entertainment value. I found the author’s writing style to be very engaging. I will be looking forward to more by Marie Benedict.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Initial review:
Excellent story! Albert Einstein is not seen in a positive light in this book at all. I was quite surprised by the story and unaware of this bit of history. It would be interesting to see how much of this story was accurate, as much of it was imagined by the author.

Full review to follow.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a difficult one to read and an even more difficult one to rate. I'm not sure what I'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. I love it purely for its attempt to shed light on Mileva Maric's untold story - a story which just breaks my heart, honestly. The book isn't the most well written or the most engaging, and despite feeling extremely angry, frustrated, and sad while reading it, I am glad that I read it.

One thing I did get caught up on was wondering about the historical accuracy, which usually isn't a big problem for me in historical fiction, but without knowing just how much creative liberty the author took with this story...I don't know. Reading this definitely made me feel a certain kind of way about Einstein, and not knowing whether it's totally justified bugs me lol

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seem to be on a run for disappointing reads right now. This book was offered as an Overdrive special read and I signed up thinking it must be quite good to make the cut. I’m afraid I over-estimated the criteria for selection.

This book seemed to have great wasted potential to me. I knew nothing of the first Mrs. Einstein, and having read this book I dare say I know nothing of her now. I got no sense that this novel was based on any known fact, and I do dislike books that purport to recount history when they are dealing with only supposition. Was she the person who first comprehended the theory of relativity? Did he steal it from her? Was Einstein as cold and perverse as some events in this book would make him seem? Did he feel love for this woman? For any woman? He obviously made love to her, but perhaps it was my inability to picture Albert Einstein as a lover that hampered this read early on for me. The amorous parts (which were mightily overdone with cooing) were almost humorous, the cruelty parts were over the top as well. Perhaps it was my total inability to relate to or care about either Albert or Mitza that finally made this read more frustrating than pleasing. Whatever the reason, I failed to appreciate this book.

One minor fact that did interest me. According to this author Einstein’s son Tete became mentally ill. I have always wondered how close the edge is between extreme brilliance and mental illness. It would be fascinating to know if it was in Tete’s genes.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict was quite the shocker! I've been on a kick to read historical fiction lately, and I'm working way through the author's books. When I learned some of the interesting and unknown elements about Einstein's marriage, it was totally unexpected. I'm sure some/much (?) is exaggerated, and there are probably also several truths people never knew at the time. A bit of abuse? Albert stole credit from his wife on several occasions? A baby before marriage? A child's death? Wow! Written like a page-turner, I was enamored with most of the book purely for the drama and pace... the story itself was strong too, even if it doesn't align with reality. I also hadn't know Mitza was Serbian. I loved the friendships she made at college, and the way in which things transpired in the early 20th century felt spot on. I forgot how different Europe was before the wars too. I enjoyed it a bunch and will move on to her next book now too.

[Mariah Roze · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a teacher and every year we are given a free copy of a book. The purpose is to read the book and then display it in your classroom and encourage students to read it. This year The Other Einstein was the book I received and all my coworkers that participated LOVED this book, so we have decided to meet up before the next school year and have a book club meeting just to discuss this book.

This book was fantastic! I learned so much about Einstein's first wife and her brilliant mind. And all the barricades she had to go through during that time period because she was a women and had an unsupportive husband. I highly suggest this book to everyone!!

"His first wife, Mileva “Mitza” Marić, was more than the devoted mother of their three children—she was also a brilliant physicist in her own right, and her contributions to the special theory of relativity have been hotly debated for more than a century. In 1896, the extraordinarily gifted Mileva is the only woman studying physics at an elite school in Zürich. There, she falls for charismatic fellow student Albert Einstein, who promises to treat her as an equal in both love and science. But as Albert’s fame grows, so too does Mileva’s worry that her light will be lost in her husband’s shadow forever."

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

Even before her marriage to Einstein, Mileva Maric was an interesting woman. For a woman in 1896 to attend a polytechnic institute was an anomaly. Benedict does a great job of setting time and place; of making you understand the prejudice.

However, this quickly falls more into a romance novel. Way too much about Mr. Einstein and her feelings about him. It is interesting to watch as her friends drift away despite their “pledge”.

The first part of the book also is very dry. Despite all the talk of love and longing, I had trouble feeling any emotion. Einstein comes across as a bit of an ass from the get go. Moody, self centered, even when they were students he expected her to do as he asked, even when it meant risking her reputation. Not until after their parenthood and marriage, did the book come alive for me. At that point, Einstein is more than a bit of an ass, he is a full out jerk. I will never think of him in the same light again.

As others have questioned, I have no idea how much of the premise of this book is true. Maric is painted as being smarter than Einstein. So how much of his work was a collaboration? Kudos to Benedict for making the scientific ideas easy to understand for us non-geniuses.

I am rating this book a 3.5. Three for the first half and 4 for the second.

My thanks to netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance copy of this book.

[Shaghayegh · Rating 4 out of 5]

توی چند سال اخیر هروقت کتابی راجع به مشاهیر، نوابغ و هنرمندا خوندم، منو یه قدم به این واقعیت نزدیک‌تر کرد که حس سرخوردگی، خشم، انزجار، فقط برای آدمای معمولی نیست.
هر بار خواستم باور کنم که آدم‌هایی که گام‌های بزرگی در جهت رشد و بهبود جوامع داشتن افرادی فداکار و فروتن بودن به سیلی محکم تو صورتم خورده، و بارها و بارها بهم ثابت شده که زن بودن در هر زمان و مکانی باعث شده توانایی‌ها و استعدادا دست‌کم گرفته بشه.
این کتاب پر از درده، درد زنی که اگه مسیر دیگه‌ای رو انتخاب می‌کرد شاید حالا جایگاهی مثل ماری کوری داشت. زنی که درد غم و فقدان و نادیده شدن رو به جون خرید اما باز هم در جایگاهی که استحقاقشو داشت قرار نگرفت. خوندن کتاب خیلی طول مشید، شاید چون نمی‌تونستم درد میلوا رو تحمل کنم، اما از این به بعد هربار که اسم نظریه‌ی نسبیت بیاد با شک فکر می‌کنم آیا انیشتین ارزش اون همه دیده شدن رو داشت؟

[Jenni Ogden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I began with warm anticipation this novel loosely ‘based’ on what little is known about Einstein’s first wife, Mileva Einstein, and her relationship with one of the greatest scientists in history. There are a number of novels published in this popular ‘genre’ about the woman behind the famous man, some very good. Marie Benedict’s take on the Einstein story began with promise as the two students, Albert and Mileva, began their friendship, their sharing of a passion for science and mathematics (Mileva’s field), and the blossoming of their love. Einstein came across as delightful and eccentric, and unlike many men of his time, not a man who discriminated against intelligent women; quite the reverse in fact. However, in the novel their apparently equal relationship quickly deteriorated when Albert did not include Mileva’s name on his first important papers, in spite of the ‘fact’ that he and Mileva had worked on them together, and indeed that Mileva had contributed more than Albert. The real facts are that although there has been speculation that she might have contributed something to these papers, the resounding and most parsimonious conclusion is that she did not and could not contribute in any significant way, in the sense that there is little evidence that she had the mind and training to think through concepts as unique as these. This is not to say she wasn’t a highly intelligent woman and mathematician, and that her gifts weren’t put on hold by Einstein’s rise to the top, and the beliefs of the day that a woman’s place is in the home, especially once children are born. That is almost certainly true. However there are few people of either sex who could hold a candle to Einstein’s intellectual achievements. So even although this is a novel, I think it strays too far in this respect. The innocemt reader will definitely get the impression that Mileva was robbed of her right as an author on these papers (and of the Novbel prize later). Albert Einstein is far too giant a figure to sacrifice in this way, even in fiction.

However, this is not as serious a speculation as the depiction of Einstein’s treatment of Mileva, as the years went by and he became more famous and she withdrew into the world of motherhood and looking after the home and Einstein. Albert’s increasingly humiliating treatment of Mileva is shocking, and a reader who forgets that this is fiction would be hard put not to revise any positive or even neutral views they previously had of the man who, along with Darwin, is probably the best known scientist the world has ever known. As far as I know there is no evidence for this dark change in Einstein’s personality and treatment of his wife. Indeed it doesn’t fit with what we do know of Einstein from writings of his friends and so on. Of course it could be true, or partly true; we will never know. Certainly there are plenty of instances of powerful men treating their wives badly in private and yet outside the marriage everyone thinks he is wonderful. It is a fact that Einstein had an affair with his cousin and later married her. It is also a fact that he signed a divorce agreement giving all of the prize money of his forthcoming Nobel Prize to Mileva to support her and their two sons (whom he continued to love and spend time with). Neither of these facts suggest the extreme behaviour he displayed towards Mileva in this fictional portrayal. Again my issue is that Einstein is not a fictional character, and to denigrate him like this, even in fiction, is going too far.

The author in her notes at the back does make clear that the facts at her disposal are largely the places the couple lived and Einstein worked, and when, rather than anything more personal. Perhaps the author’s notes should be at the beginning and not the end, so the reader goes into the story knowing this really is Fiction with a very large ‘F’.

The writing was straight forward enough, but did little to make the characters, especially the older Mileva (and certainly not the older Albert!), likeable. Not once did I feel the sting of unshed rears, even in scenes made for an emotional response from the reader. Intellectual responses—anger at Einstein’s behaviour for example, or annoyance at Mileva’s strange decisions, yes, but not empathy for the characters. Although as a fictional story it began with promise, it dragged in the middle and the ending was simply a fizzling out. This was a story that cried out for skillful writing about science, given that Mileva was apparently a woman who was passionate about it. Benedict’s theme was clearly first about Mileva’s disastrous relationship with a powerful man, but no woman with her apparent knowledge of science (a woman who in this novel believed she should be a co-author of Nobel-prize-winning ideas!) would think (or not thnk) about science in the way portrayed here. Benedict made an attemot to bring Einstein’s ideas into the story here and there, but it was clumsy, and clearly the writer had little understanding of the concepts she was attempting to summarize. (She admits her lack of science background in her author’s notes, but this perhaps suggests that either she should have co-written the novel with (or have it edited by) a science writer with a good knowledge of Einstein’s work, or that she should have chosen another subject). The novels “Loving Frank” by Nancy Horan, ‘The Aviator’s Wife” by Melanie Benjamin and “The Paris Wife” by Paula McLain seem to me to be excellent examples of novels based on difficult relationships of women with famous men, where each author’s research or knowledge of the intellectual skills or artistry of the male (and the involvement of the partner with ther work) is written in a believable way.

This is not a positive review, and I’m sorry for that. I wouldn’t have written one at all given that I didn’t find it especially engaging, except for the fact that it is as much about Albert Einstein, and indeed who wrote his papers, as about the little known Mileva. I think other readers should be alert to the extensive speculation behind this novel, and understand that there is little if no evidence to support the other side of Albert Einstein as he is portrayed here.

Thank you to Netgalley who provided an advance readers' copy of this novel.

[Kellie O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would love to give this fabulous book 10 Stars, so I will!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It's just that great!! I finished this book a few days ago but I only now have the time to write this review. Needless to say, I really loved this book and it also meets one of my challenges for 2024 to read more of my books that I have at home!!

When I think of Albert Einstein, I never really thought about the fact he had a wife and children. In fact, I never gave it any thought at all.A few Christmases ago, my oldest brother gave me a tea mug with the famous picture of Einstein sticking out his tongue 😛! I love that mug, it makes me laugh!!

As Marie Benedict said in the Author's Notes, " The purpose of The Other Einstein is not to diminish Albert Einstein's contribution to humanity and science, but to share the humanity behind his scientific contributions. The Other Einstein aims to tell the story of a brilliant woman whose light has been lost in Albert's enormous shadow - that of Mileva Maric." Boy, am I extremely glad that Marie Benedict did such amazing research on Mileva " Mitza" Maric, otherwise she would have been lost in the footnotes of history. Now her story is told.

This book spans the years beginning in October 20, 1896 - April 4, 1948. Mitza was a beautiful, brilliant, confident and shy woman who loved to work in the Scientific community. She went to the Politectinic School at the University Of Zurich, Germany. Albert also attended this University. Now, one thing that really stood out to me is the fact that Mitza walked with a limp. In those days, this prohibited her from getting married!! Maybe I picked up on her limp because I am disabled myself, not sure. She was teased throughout her life because of this limp, had a hard time making friends and trusting people. She had wonderful parents who encouraged her to do whatever she wanted because of her brilliance. Thankfully, many advancements have been made over the years for disabled people! Eventually, she and Albert dated, fell in love, got married and had children. Their relationship was supposed to be one of shared interests and work together on papers to be published, well, this wasn't the case. He came up with a way to get all the credit by using the name "Ein Stein" meaning ' one stone/ oneness'. What about her name? Where was it? When Mitza found out about this, I absolutely loved what she said. "Albert, we may be Ein Stein, but it's become clear that we are of two hearts." She also said " You are a genius at everything but the human heart."

This is a remarkable story of love, life, joy, sorrow, sadness, happiness, loss and accomplishments! So happy that I read this amazingly beautiful story and I learned about a wonderful lady who I will remember for a long time!! I very highly recommend this emotionally moving book! I advise you to read the Authors Notes to find out how this story came to be.

Enjoy and Happy Reading 💫✨🪄

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did Mileva Mavic, Albert Einstein’s first wife, contribute to developing Einstein’s theories? This subject is hotly debated. What is undisputable a fact that she was a genius in her own way. Brilliant mathematician studying at university when it was unheard of for women.

Mileva Mavic, a remarkable woman of petit frame with genius mind comes from an Eastern European country of Serbia looked upon as inferior to such country as Switzerland where she makes home now. It is October 1896, she starts studying at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic of Zurich. She is the fifth woman to be admitted to this school. Making her way in a male dominated world is not an easy path. But what keeps her motivated are her father’s words: “Be bold, you are a wise one.”

As her male colleagues are only trying to be civil to her, her only chance of finding a lab partner in physics is Albert Einstein, who treats her as equal. Early on, she is recognized by Albert as a brilliant mathematician and physicist.

Their partnership progresses, from lab partners to more than friends and now sharing old and new theories and exploring the nature of light and electromagnetism.

After school years, there is marriage and children, but what hasn’t changed is the passion for science and further collaborations. From collaborations come fruits, but only one name continues to be listed underneath the publications.

It would be interesting to see what this brilliant woman was capable of achieving if she lived at a different time.

It is a revealing story woven with dazzling dialogue that made me laugh many times. Albert asking Mileva about her being so quiet: “…Unusually quiet, I mean. As if an important theory has taken hold. What thought has captured your formidable mind?”

Well-presented time period, from setting the atmosphere with bringing political situation of late 19th century Europe to the advances of Zurich offering the electric street lamps, as well as progressive thinking and open minded universities admitting women, all this woven with café culture and proper etiquette.

If you like this book, you will most likely like this author’s following book The Carnegie’s Maid.

The author brings such famous characters as Einstein and Carnegie (latest book), diving into unexplored waters. Kudos to her for questioning what has been taken for granted.

@Facebook/BestHistoricalFiction

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Other Einstein" by Marie Benedict is the story of Albert Einstein's first wife Mileva Maric. They were students in Zurich in the latter part of the 19th century. She was the only woman studying physics. They were in love, but Einstein used her brilliance to further his career.

After reading the book, I had zero respect for Albert Einstein. After all, he stole her idea for the Theory of Relativity, and took full credit for it. She sacrificed so much for him too. They had 3 children, and when his daughter was gravely ill, he never visited her. They eventually divorced. She was fortunate in having a best friend and confidant in Helene. The style of the writing is one where you do not think you are reading a dull biography.

I truly enjoyed the narrative. - Bob K.

[Connie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mileva Maric, an intelligent classmate of Albert Einstein when they were both physics students at Zurich Polytechnic, was the first Mrs Einstein. It was very unusual for women to be educated at a university at that time, especially in the male-dominated field of physics, but her father recognized her special talents. The book covers the years from their meeting in 1896 until their divorce in 1914. Albert Einstein is portrayed as an unfaithful husband who was insensitive to Mileva's emotional needs. After the first few years of their marriage, Albert offered little support for her wish for a vibrant intellectual life. While her brilliant husband was free to spend his time furthering his career, Mileva was busy as a mother and homemaker. This was probably fairly normal for the early 20th Century, with Marie Curie shown as an exception. The book had an excellent portrayal of women in that era, and the problems faced by women who wanted a career in addition to marriage with children.

The book is fictional, and the author states in her notes that "the precise nature of Mileva's contribution to the 1905 theories attributed to Albert is unknown..." The story shows Mileva in a very significant role, especially in the creation of the theory of special relativity. However, Albert did not list her as a co-author of the papers. Did Mileva deserve credit, or is this just plot device? Readers will have to answer that question for themselves.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Other Einstein, Marie Benedict says she "aims to tell the story of a brilliant woman whose light has been lost in Albert's enormous shadow." Mileva Maric (Serbian, 1875-1948) is an extraordinarily talented female student studying physics at Zurich Polytechnic where she meets young Einstein in class. He charms her, promising a bohemian life of shared scientific investigation which eventually wins her over, but an unexpected pregnancy is not in his plans. In this fictionalized account, Mileva goes home to her wealthy parents to have the baby. Albert never sees the child; he wants Mileva to return alone so his reputation won't be ruined. She leaves the child with her parents where it later dies from scarlet fever. Albert and Mileva are finally married in 1903.

Instead of a bohemian lifestyle, she finds herself in the very traditional role of housewife and mother to the two sons she bears him. Her hopes for sharing in his scientific achievements are soon dashed as time and time again, Albert fails to give her credit for her work and ideas in his published papers.

Einstein's treatment of his wife is contrasted with the relationship between Peter and Marie Curie in which Peter fostered Marie's career from the start and gave her full credit for the research, experiments and theories she had originated. Einstein was also one of Madame Curie's champions, curiously enough.

I enjoyed the early parts of the story the best where we see the young Mileva being encouraged by her father to pursue her studies, blazing a path at university where few woman had gone before. What would she have achieved if she had never met Einstein? I've always admired the famous man but now perhaps a little less.

Recommended for readers who enjoy speculation about 'the woman behind the famous man' such as The Paris Wife or Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.

An arc of this book was provided by the publisher and author through NetGalley. Many thanks for the opportunity.

Chosen as a #big-library-read for June, 2017.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very engaging story about Albert Einstein's very smart and much dismissed wife and partner, Mileva Maric. I never heard of her and reading this story brought her to life. My ideas of Albert Einstein have changed as well. It's a read that had me looking on wiki/internet for more info and images. I love when a book causes me to do that.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jorge Zuluaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

He sido del team Mileva desde hace buen tiempo, especialmente después de ver la extraordinaria miniserie Genius de NatGeo dedicada a Albert Einstein y en la que lo presentan como realmente debió ser: un ser humano imperfecto, contradictorio y al mismo tiempo genial.

Después de ver esa serie, me propuse que en todos los espacios académicos o de divulgación en los que hablará de los trabajos de Albert Einstein, siempre daría el crédito a Mileva por su participación en la concepción intelectual de la teoría de la relatividad y muchas de las otras grandes ideas publicadas por el científico suizo en su annus mirabilis (1905).

No fue una decisión fácil: la evidencia que soporta esta hipótesis no es irrefutable.

Pero tampoco lo es la que soporta la muy popular hipótesis contraria, es decir aquella que afirma que Einstein concibió todas esas idea geniales que vieron la luz en 1905 en el "vacío", mientras compartía su casa con la mejor estudiante de matemáticas y física de su clase y sin que está cruzara prácticamente con él una palabra sobre su trabajo o hiciera contribuciones originales al mismo (¡es ridículo!).

Frente a la imposibilidad de resolver el problema, me decanté por usar el principio de la afeitadora de Ockham: la mejor explicación es la que supone menos cosas: Mileva fue coautora de los artículos del annus mirabilis pero su nombre nunca se incluyó en los mismos.

A pesar de mi decisión sabía que me enfrentaría a la crítica de colegas, estudiantes y amigos, por tomar una posición tan definida (y tal vez una posición oportunista) frente a una situación histórica no resuelta y muy controversial.

Lo que nunca imaginé fue que tuviera la increíble suerte de ver escrita una buena novela sobre la extraordinaria y al mismo tiempo inquietante historia de Mileva y de su vida al lado del hombre-mito que todavía es Einstein. Mejor aún, que esta historia "confirmará" la intuición (o el convencimiento) que muchos tenemos ahora de la contribución no reconocida de la primera esposa del que posiblemente es el científico más famoso de la historia.

¡Y que novela!

Por supuesto se trata de una obra de ficción. Usarla para "confirmar" la validez de una hipótesis es absurdo: la autora parte de suponer la validez de la hipótesis para construir la historia.

Pero hay una cosa diferente en "El otro Einstein".

Marie Benedict, la autora, resume en esta obra una extensa investigación sobre el caso de Mileva que ni yo, ni los que podrían llegar a criticar mi postura (que no es mía, sino la de muchos expertos en el mundo) hemos realizado.

Al leer la novela se da uno cuenta (ella no lo declara explícitamente) que Benedict leyó las cartas de Mileva, se aproximó a la cultura y la lengua Serbia (que cita permanentemente en el libro), visitó los lugares (sus descripciones son muy detalladas) y en general se documento ampliamente usando los argumentos que de parte y parte se han tejido en ambos lados de este debate por décadas.

Sí, es una obra de ficción. Pero una obra basada en una extensa evidencia.

No, no es la última palabra. Pero si un excelente medio (la literatura) para que todos nos aproximemos de manera más humana al posible drama (admitiendo todavía, y solo por decencia intelectual, que podría no haber ocurrido así) que se desarrollo en los años en los que Mileva y Einstein (o Johnnie y Dollie, como se llamaban amorosamente) estuvieron juntos.

El resultado es una historia apasionante y en los momentos climácicos, profundamente dolorosa (les confieso que estuve al borde de las lagrimas en más de una oportunidad; el drama por ejemplo de Lieserl, la primera hija de la pareja, es insoportablemente doloroso). La historia de como una mujer bajita, eslava, no muy agraciada y con una deformidad congénita, víctima, por la misma razón, del bullying de sus supuestos iguales (¡ella los superaba a todos realmente!), pero con un talento innato reconocido para la física y las matemática, cuando al fin estaba cerca de conseguir superar todas las trabas que podía tener una mujer inteligente y distinta de su tiempo, se enamoró del que quizás fue el hombre equivocado.

Los personajes recreados por la Benedict (todos reales) resultan entrañables: Helena (su gran amiga), su adorable papá (¡lo ame toda la novela! ¡que papá!), incluso los amigos de la academia Olympia, hombres que nunca gozarían de la imperecedera fama de Albert Einstein, pero que reconocieron en su momento las capacidades sobresalientes de Mileva, Marcel Grossman y Michel Besso.

La novela está tan bien escrita que te enamoras de Albert Einstein y lo odias más o menos durante el mismo número de páginas, tan solo para obligarte después a recordar que es una obra de ficción y que no, tampoco Marie Benedict, conoció al científico (¡pero es como si lo hubiera hecho! ¡que maravilla!).

La historia pudo ser así y si lo fue ¡que terribles cosas las que tuvo que sufrir Mileva!

Pero también pudo ser distinta, es decir, peor.

Cualquiera sea la verdad, como científico no dejaré de lamentar el talento que pudo desperdiciarse de esta y muchas otras grandes mujeres que vivieron en ese tiempo.

No dejo de pensar lo que podría haber salido de la cabeza de Mileva (aparte de algunas de las ideas que publicó Einstein solo con sus nombre en 1905), si el azar le hubiera permitido desarrollar completamente su potencial, incluso al lado de Einstein.

¿Habrían compartido acaso el premio Nobel del 21? ¿cuántas niñas se habrían inspirado con su historia como lo hicieron y lo siguen haciendo con las de Maria Sklodowska-Curie? ¿habrían llegado los Einstein, trabajando en conjunto como Ein stein (una roca), a resolver más rápido el problema de la gravedad, sumando dos poderosas intuiciones con las habilidades matemáticas reconocidas de Mileva? ¿qué más habrían logrado juntos? ¿cuántos años habría ahorrado la física teórica si esta pareja, o incluso solo ella, hubieran podido pensar los acuciantes problemas de la década de los 20? ¿habría Mileva abrazado la extraña teoría cuántica como se negó a hacerlo Albert hasta su muerte? ¿podríamos tal vez estar hablando del principio de exclusión o incertidumbre de Maric o la ecuación de Maric para describir la evolución de la función de onda cuántica?

Como sea que sea, ¡team Mileva hasta la muerte! (ya me estoy mandando a hacer mis camisetas).

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading various discussions about this book, 'The Other Einstein' by Marie Benedict. For some reason, there seems to be a number of people who are confused about the very nature of this book; so I thought I should begin by pointing out the obvious… 'The Other Einstein' is a novel, a work of historical fiction. From everything I observed when looking at the book, neither the author nor the publisher claim it is a work of non-fiction or a biography.

Note: This novel is centered around several historical facts which are in fact provable…..
* Albert Einstein and his first wife, Mileva Maric, met in 1896 while they were both students in the Department of Mathematics and Physics at the Zurich Polytechnic Institute in Switzerland. Mileve Maric was the only female studying physics at the Zurich Polytechnic Institute at that time.

* Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric began 'courting', fell in love and when Mileva Became pregnant, the two married in 1903. Mileva never completed her education. What became of the Einsteins' first child is a bit of a mystery…. some believe she was adopted and others say she died of scarlet fever. The Einsteins went on to have two more children… two sons.

* Over the years, Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric became estranged and the couple ultimately divorced in 1919.

* Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize for his contribution to Theoretical Physics … in particular, his discovery of the law of photoelectric effect in 1921 (NOT for his theory of relativity). He signed over the Nobel Prize money to Mileva who used the award to care for the couple's two sons.


This novel was written from the point of view of Mileva Maric. Mileva (affectionately called "Mitza" by her family) was part of a well-to-do Serbian family. Mitza's father was always her biggest supporter and had made it his mission to encourage her intellectual development. It was because of her father's love and support that Mitza was on her way to Switzerland to study physics and mathematics. Being the only woman admitted to the Department, she was either viewed disapprovingly or completely ignored by her professors; but Mitza persevered and eventually won the respect of her male classmates and even a few professors. Most especially, she caught the eye of Albert Einstein who pursued her persistently and unabashedly and the two fell in love… despite Mileva's dogged determination to fulfill her goal of becoming a physics professor. But before Mileva could complete her course of study, she became pregnant; and although she attempted to sit for her final examinations, she did not pass and never completed her education. She and Albert married and he obtained work in the patent office but tragically, their daughter succumbed to scarlet fever. Mitza was never the same.. she was cloaked in sadness.

Throughout the years, Albert and Mitza collaborated and co-authored a number of scholarly papers.. although her name never appeared in print. This became a source of increasing frustration for Mitza. Albert increasingly became more famous and sought after by the institutions of higher learning and Mitza had been relegated to live in Albert's huge shadow. … caring for the couple's two children and running the household. Over the years, Mitza realized that her dream of teaching physics to other bright, ambitious young women AND a REAL partnership with Albert, had slowly evaporated. Mitza's sense of betrayal by Albert continued to grow and the marriage.. which had been strained for years… quickly unraveled and the two divorced. Mitza and her two sons returned to Switzerland, leaving Albert behind in Berlin.

If you are a fan of Albert Einstein… not just as a physicist but as a man, you might not enjoy this story. Einstein is not portrayed in this novel in a flattering light. He is portrayed as frequently manipulative in his actions toward Mitza… he solicits her help in working out mathematical equations for work on his theory; promises her a full partnership and guarantees that she will receive credit for her contributions.. but that never happens. When Mitza begins to pull away from him because of what she views as his betrayal, he betrays her in yet another way… by carrying on affairs with other women. All of this is not necessarily true but it DOES have the desired effect of somehow diminishing Albert Einstein in the reader's eyes.

This novel, in the end, was mildly interesting. The premise was a good one. Not much is really known for sure about Mileva Maric. I liked the author's idea of imagining Mileva's story… HER story in her OWN words regarding her life and her relationship with the renowned Albert Einstein. Mileva's story was a story like MANY women's stories throughout history.. the knowledge that upon marrying and having children, their own dreams and aspirations would have to be postponed or deferred indefinitely or perhaps forever, Unfortunately, where this story simply did not work for me was the complete change in Mileva Maric's personality and character after she married Albert and had children. I found it incredible that this woman… one who had had the courage, intelligence and drive to travel on her own from Serbia to Switzerland to enroll in a course of study which had been dominated completely by males.. could so easily and passively give up on herself and her goals and simply acquiesce to everything Albert wanted. To me, THAT Mikeva Maric would NOT have been so easily charmed or placated by Albert's promises and assurances. In the end, the character of Mileva Maric as created by Marie Benedict did not ring true to me.

If you wish to read a comprehensive and beautifully written account of Albert Einstein's life…. including the years of his life he shared with Mileva Maric… I suggest you read 'Einstein: His Life and Universe" written by Walter Isaacson. In addition, at the end of this book the author provides another source which you may find interesting. Princeton University has digitized and made available many of Albert Einstein's papers online. They may be viewed at:

http://einsteinpapers.press.princeton...

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read it for book club but didn't finish it. I was disappointed. Although it was published in 2016, many of the events, conversations, and people are fabricated. Her inner thoughts seem unauthentic, and the author says, "Maybe it might have happened." I received the book from Kindle Unlimited.

Mitza Maric was a brilliant 20-year-old woman. She was the only female among men studying advanced math and physics in a University class in Zurich. She was from Eastern Europe and from a town where her limp was said to have made her unsuitable for marriage. Her conversations with other bright, studious single women she roomed with may have been imaginary.
She met Albert Einstein at the university, and the story became romantic. They married, and her contribution to Albert's theories has become controversial. She was an accomplished physicist. Was she merely a listener who offered encouragement? Did she contribute to his work in progress? Or did she originate his major theories, including his theory of relativity, and receive no acknowledgment? Albert Einstein received all the credit; any involvement she may have had is lost to history. We will never know.

I wish the book included photos. For example, her new friends often criticized Albert's wild, unruly hair. Photos showed that, at the time, his hairstyle was quite normal. It didn't become the wild mess we associate with him until much later. The marriage may have failed, but much of the book seems aimed at diminishing him both as a scientist and a person. This was a fact-based fiction, but it was hard to sort out facts from speculation.