Synopses & Reviews
From the author of Pfitz and Music, In a Foreign Language, here is a novel of great intelligence and imaginationD'Alembert's Principle is a fascinating historical triptych about memory and reason set in the rich and lavish world of eighteenth-century Europe. In Crumey's novel, a celebrated scientist, D'Alembert, looks back on his life, the splendor of the Paris salons, and his unrequited love for the woman who spent years deceiving him. Meanwhile, an exiled Jacobite dreams of journeying to the planets, and in a prison cell two unlikely captives discuss love, language and fate.
Like the movements of an elegant musical suite, these three interlocking stories form an allegory of human knowledge, grand in scope and magnificently entertaining. Deft, teasing, and sometimes deeply moving, this remarkable novel perfectly captures the spirit of a lost age.
Review
"[A] beautifully composed work which lets you glide through the story but afterwards leaves you asking questions, looking for connections and puzzling, quite happily, for hours."--
Scotland on Sunday"A highly polished fable, which sustains its learning with wit and zestful confidence."--The Sunday Times
"Stunning...intelligent and intellectual...[Crumey's] best novel yet."--The Scotsman
Review
"The legacies of D'Alembert, Gerguson and Goldmann, a principle, a vision and a story, combine to create a portrait of the 18th century European mind stretched thin between the heart and the stars."--
Los Angeles Times"Inventive, playful...[D'Alembert's Principle is] a confection that is at once elegant, provocative and thoroughly entertaining."--Merle Rubin, The Wall Street Journal
"Proceeding from poignancy to awe to hilarity, the three parts constitute an intellectual treat."--Booklist
Synopsis
As the scientist D'Alembert nears the end of his life, he looks back on his friendships with Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot and mourns his unrequited love for a woman who spent years deceiving him. At the same time, an exiled Jacobite dreams of journeying to the planets, and in a prison cell two unlikely captives discuss love, language, and fate. Meticulously crafted,
D'Alembert's Principle is a fascinating historical triptych about memory, reason, and imagination set in the rich and lavish world of eighteenth-century Europe.
About the Author
Andrew Crumey studied theoretical physics and mathematics at St. Andrews University and Imperial College, and did postdoctoral research at Leeds University on nonlinear dynamics. He is the author of two other novels,
Music, In a Foreign Language and
Pfitz, a
New York Times Notable Book of the Year (both Picador). He lives in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.