This was a serendipitous find at $2.98 (hardcover) in the remainder shelves at the Harvard Bookstore. Lightman's other novel ( Einstein's Dreams) had been highly recommended, so I've had an eye out for his work for a while.

Lightman is a good writer. While his work isn't likely to last for centuries, there are no obvious problems with this novel, the lyrical quality of the prose is enjoyable, and Lightman's insight into the scientific mind is striking. I particularly enjoyed Bennett's "apprentice" physics problem (two 'particles' interacting gravitationally) as a metaphor for the relationship between two lovers.