NEWTON S NIECE PB

by Derek Beaven

A reissue of Derek Beaven’s first novel – originally published by Faber – a lavish and richly detailed portrait of the world of Newton and the London of that time. From the disturbing goings-on in a South London mental hospital, the narrator of this daring and ambitious novel hurtles back through the past, to the character of Kit, Isaac Newton’s niece. What unfolds is a story of conflicting male and female universes at the beginning of the eighteenth century, a time when Newton and others were claiming the meaning of the world for themselves and trying to fix it in their grid, an emotional asphyxiation Kit determines to fight against. Full of music and science and politics, Newton’s Niece is a book about disorientation, human life as self-experiment and the nature of Time, a novel that boldly explores sexual politics and the early feminist struggle. ’Magnificent set pieces, a richness of thought, a prodigal and original talent.’ Time Out

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[3ntrop1e]

The author definitely researched a lot into the personal life of Isaac Newton and his alchemy research, as well as his relationship with the Swiss prodigy mathematician, Nicolas Fatio de Duillier. However, there are no clues in history that Fatio ever did anything relating to CSA or sexual abuse of anyone, and I think it is worth mentioning that Fatio himself was a person fond of children; see his correspondence with his sister Alexandrine Lullin-Fatio, his brothers Jean-Christophe and Francois, as well as his grand-niece, the theologian Marie Huber. Although a homosexual man who never married, Fatio spent a lot of time educating the children and grandchildren of his siblings. As for his morality, it was generally impeccable, although during his lifetime there were many unfounded rumours that emerged. Generally, he was a man of no guile, to the extent that he failed to guard his own reputation.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

A rather ambitious, but largely succesful book. A sort secret history with an intriirguing touch of the downright bizzare. Newton, Swift and other luminaries of the time, politics, sex, science, alchemy, time travel. I should try and find Beaven's other books but the shelves aren't exactly overflowing with them.