Synopses & Reviews
In The Monk in the Garden, award-winning author Robbin Marantz Henig vividly evokes a little-known chapter in science, taking us back to the birth of genetics, a field that continues to challenge the way we think about life itself. Shrouded in mystery, Gregor Mendels quiet life and discoveries make for fascinating reading. Among his pea plants Henig finds a tale filled with intrigue, jealousy, and a healthy dose of bad timing. She has done a remarkable job of fleshing out the myth with what few facts there are (Washington Post Book World) and has delivered Mendels story with grace and glittering prose. The Monk in the Garden is both a classic tale of redemption (New York Times Book Review) and a science book of the highest literary order.
Review
"On the singular facts of Mendel's life, The Monk in the Garden makes easy reading. But as a larger effort to represent Mendel to 21st-century readers, it is deficient." The New York Times Book Review, Joe Cain
Review
"Robin Marantz Henig's superb book...tells the poignant and unforgettable story of a supremely gifted and utterly humble nineteenth-century genius, who founded an entire branch of modern science but died without ever receiving the slightest honor or recognition from his peers." The Oregonian
Review
Charming
engagingly contemplative
Henig creates an evocative picture of life in the monastery and the world of 19th-century natural history that sets the stage for the evolution of genetics. Chicago Tribune
Review
A wonderful book
beautifully written and researched with graceful care. There isnt a false note, and the story moves along with the perfect assurance. Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone
Review
As pleasurable to read as a superbly written travelogue. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Review
A provocative portrait of the modest man commonly recognized as the father of genetics.
Review
This book is a marvel. Laurie Garrett, author of The Coming Plague
Synopsis
The perplexing silence that greeted Mendel's discovery of inheritance and his ultimate canonization as the father of genetics make up a tale of intrigue, jealousy, and a healthy dose of bad timing. Henig now crafts this suspenseful narrative that evokes the monk's life and work.
Synopsis
This charming history of Gregor Mendel vividly evokes a little-known chapter in science and takes readers back to the birth of genetics, a field that continues to make headlines.
About the Author
Robin Marantz Henig is the author of seven books. Her most recent, The Monk in the Garden: The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.