So you think you know Albert Einstein (maybe), but do you know anything about his first wife? You may have never heard of Mileva Maric, but she was a physicist in her own right, and a tremendous influence on Einstein. In fact, it may be that Mileva worked with Einstein on three fundamental papers that were published in 1905 (published under his name only) that eventually led to Albert Einstein receiving the Nobel Prize in 1921.
In 1896, Mileva was the only woman studying physics at an elite school in Zurich. While there, she met Albert, and while she did finish the physics program there, she started a relationship with Einstein which resulted in a child out of wedlock. They did eventually marry, but Mileva put her own career to the side to support Albert.
In this book, Benedict, who has done research on Mileva Maric, explores the story of this woman who was a brilliant physicist in her own right, and whose gifts fell into the shadows once she married Albert Einstein. The author says, in afterword, that some readers "may be curious as to how precisely how much of the book is truth and how much is speculation. Whenever possible, in the overarching arc of the story - the dates, the places, the people - I attempted to stay as close to the facts as possible, taking necessary liberties for fictional purposes." She invites readers to learn more about Maric, and look at the collection of papers and letters about Albert and Mileva here (Princeton site).
I found the book an enjoyable read, although a frustrating one; what happened to Mileva Maric, unfortunately, is not unusual. It was not uncommon for women to put the desires of their husbands for a "dutiful wife" above any of their own ambition, and it also was not uncommon for the few women who dared to study at such a level to be harassed by their male instructors and fellow students. I don't know much about Albert Einstein on a personal level, but this book certainly points out some very unlikable characteristics. I felt the author did a nice job with this historical fiction, bringing Mileva to life, and also giving context and perspective to now only Mileva's life and the decisions that she made, but also to understanding her decisions in her relationship with Einstein.. The actual final conflict between Mileva and Albert comes somewhat late in the story, which was a little frustrating; I would have enjoyed it if the author had brought this into the story a bit earlier and then given a bit of Mileva's story post-Einstein. However, overall, this was an interesting book, and has made me want to learn more about Mileva Maric.
I did find more sites about Mileva Maric, including this one from the Tesla Memorial Society of New York.
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