book data
87 ratings, 3.49 average rating, 17 reviews
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published
1993
by Penguin (Non-Classics)
binding
Paperback, 288 pages
isbn
0140172459
(isbn13: 9780140172454)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 123)
What I like most about this book is really a matter of personal preference. It's the inside look into the characters--the socially awkward, yet celebrated intellegensia. This is probably becuase I'm a socially awkward, wanna-be intellectual. I imagine most goodreads members fit the same profile, so likely as not, you can take this as an endorsemnt.
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Goldstein's penetrating coming-of-age novel The Mind-Body Problem , about an orthodox Jewish woman's sexual awakening at college. How original! I loved this book with its vibrant language and intelligent, yet humorous, observations of human nature, science, religion, academia, love/lust etc...The main character, Renee Feuer - a beautiful philosophy graduate student drop-out and wife of a "certified" mathematical genius , is so elegantly presented with her conflicting self-perceptions,...more
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Renee Feuer is a spirited but floundering Princeton graduate student when she first catches the eye of living math legend Noam Himmel. Their courtship is an intellectual one, spiced with heady discussions on philosophy and math with an occasional dash of physics thrown in. Once the blush of new romance wears off, however, Renee finds intellectual theory wanting as she struggles to come to terms with orthodox Jewish upbringing, her own sexuality, and the husband who is physically present but men...more
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Read in January, 2008
I found this to be a bit creepy and weird, and I don't love the motif of woman as succubus. Or of finding your identity in someone else.
Also, I'm a little tender about the whole "Barnard women are sluts" thing, but it was definitely an interesting read.
Also, I'm a little tender about the whole "Barnard women are sluts" thing, but it was definitely an interesting read.
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Okay this author also wrote a really cool biography of Goedel that I can recommend. You'll see a lot of the Princeton anecdotes from this book repeated.
If you don't mind first novels that contain copious autobiographical details, then I could recommend this book.
If you don't mind reading books where the female character subconsciously tries to establish herself in the larger world through romantic relationships with men, I could recommend this book. I'm not saying we simply shouldn't t...more
If you don't mind first novels that contain copious autobiographical details, then I could recommend this book.
If you don't mind reading books where the female character subconsciously tries to establish herself in the larger world through romantic relationships with men, I could recommend this book. I'm not saying we simply shouldn't t...more
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Read in November, 2008
Half of it is a survey of the history of philsophy, but I related to the character so much, and I liked the writing so much, that I didn't mind all those references I didn't get and explanations I hadn't asked for.
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Read in April, 2008
Set in the late 1970s, the story is narrated by Renee Feuer, who was raised as an Orthodox Jew but has thrown off those boundaries once reaching college. While studying for her masters in philosophy at Princeton, she meets Noam Himmel, a mathematical genius 15 years her elder, and the two soon marry. Only then does she discover what it's really like to live with someone who is obviously brilliant but often dismissive of other points of view and completely clueless about surviving in the real wor...more
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I really enjoyed this book - it was written so naturally I felt like I was at home. The conflict was intriguing though in some ways I felt it could have been explored more deeply, and the ending seemed a little too neat and tidy for my taste - but she was an enjoyable narrator and the philosophy stuff was interesting to contemplate. In some ways I felt like this book was a response to Lady Chatterly's Lover (though I know it was very autobiographical) and there were many parallels though this ...more
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Read in January, 1998
Worth the read just for her descriptions of Princeton and its WASP culture -- dead funny and dead right.
Other readers have objected to how the narrator defines herself in terms of men. I took it as further commentary on how male power manifests itself at Princeton and institutions like it. The character does wrestle with this, and there are moments of liberation to savor, even if some cringe-worthy thoughts and actions persist. Isn't that how it goes, with personal transformation?
Other readers have objected to how the narrator defines herself in terms of men. I took it as further commentary on how male power manifests itself at Princeton and institutions like it. The character does wrestle with this, and there are moments of liberation to savor, even if some cringe-worthy thoughts and actions persist. Isn't that how it goes, with personal transformation?
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Read in April, 2008
This book was like a window into another world for me, because the main characters are academics in the disciplines of mathematics and philosophy, two areas in which my understanding is severely lacking. Fortunately the author has woven them into the story of a character who is engaging, if sometimes infuriating, and the philosophical questions were interesting food for thought.
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Natalie by:
friendrecommends it for: philsophy/math nerds, men and women
I liked this book, but I don't think it's for everyone. It is like a raunchy romance novel for severe nerds. The simple fact of its existence is, to me, pretty neat. I was around math and physics people a lot, so I found it very entertaining in a "funny interesting" way. I tried to date these guys too...thank goodness, I didn't try to marry one!
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in September, 2008
After reading something else by Goldstein this spring, I found that many of the reviews I read recommended this first novel as her best. With therefore high expectations, I came away from The Mind-Body Problem disappointed. I thought it was elitist and inconsequential.
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Read in January, 2007
Really enjoyed this book. As a mathematician who loves philosophy, this was definitely an intriguing read. The characters were great and the narrative was extremely thought-provoking. One of the "smartest" novels I've ever read.
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Read in October, 2008
This book was just too much philosophy for me I guess. The ending did surprise me a bit. A friend who read it said she appreciated it much more when she heard the author speak.
Yael's mother. I read this before Overture. They're pretty similar to each other, in theme and writing style. Not particularly surprising I guess.
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Read in August, 2007
I know I'm not good about writing reviews -- just don't want to take the time, but this book grabbed me and didn't let go.
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Read in January, 2000
Philosophy -of-mind fiction! How great is that?
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