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Half Life

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Half Life

By: Jillian Cantor
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
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About this listen

 A brilliant sliding-doors reimagining of the passionate life of the first woman to win a Nobel Prize – and the life Marie Curie might have led if she had chosen love over science.

Poland, 1891. Marie Curie (then Marya Sklodowska) was engaged to a budding mathematician, Kazimierz Zorawski. But when his mother insisted Marya was not good enough, he broke off the engagement. A heartbroken Marya left Poland for Paris to study chemistry and physics at the Sorbonne. Marie would go on to change the course of science forever and become the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

But what if Marie had made a different choice?

What if she had stayed in Poland, married Kazimierz, and never attended the Sorbonne or discovered radium? What if Marie had chosen her first love and a life of domesticity, still ravenous for knowledge in Russian Poland where education for women was restricted, instead of studying science in Paris and meeting Pierre Curie?

Seamlessly entwining the lives of Marya and Marie, Half Life is a powerful story of love and friendship, motherhood and sisterhood, fame and anonymity – and a woman destined to change the world. Biographical Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Biography Heartfelt

Critic Reviews

‘Explores not only the fascinating inner life of the famous scientist Marie Curie but also the life that might have been if she’d chosen love over science in her early years … This thoughtful, compelling story delves into issues faced by modern women, while inviting readers to ruminate on their own life choices and the domino-effect of those decisions.’ (Marie Benedict)
‘A dazzling must-read. A poignant exploration of ambition, family, gender and love. A tender, nuanced and inspiring novel for anyone who's ever been torn by conflicting passions and loyalties; in other words, a book for all of us.’ (Jean Kwok)
‘Thought-provoking, skillfully written and hard to put down.’
‘Cantor has created an absorbing biographical novel and performed an engaging riff on the “what if” ponderings we all experience.’
‘In a time when many of us are more tuned in to scientific advances than we've ever been before, this reimagining of what might happen if pioneering scientist Marie Curie had taken a different path is just what the doctor ordered.’
‘Cantor’s details of language, customs, and how people interact in those times and places are spot on.’
All stars
Most relevant
Thank you Jillian, you simultaneously educated and entertained us with the life storey and what if of Marie Curie. How clever to write a non-fiction and fiction book without loosing us but keeping us engaged at every passing chapter. Cassandra Campbell elevated our audio experience with her beautiful accents of the french and polish characters! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

A beautiful rendition of Marie Curie

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I knew little about Marie Curie and thoroughly enjoyed this historical novel with a parallel story of what might have been. I did take a while to work out what was going on. Maybe it would have been easier as a book. I had initial reservations about a North American narrating this but was impressed by heritability to drop into a French and Polish accent. She also added personality to the various characters. I rate this book highly both for it's historical accuracy and feminist perspective. Itscdibjrct a true heroine of her time. I am in awe of this female icon. The author creates convincing and vibrant personalities. This turns MC into a real person to whom we can relate and makes what she did professionally even more meaningful.

Interesting perspective of a remarkable woman.

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This historically factional - what if for life choices - was interestingly done. I feel the Author's note may have been more useful at the beginning as the back and forth between the chapter with different protagonist was confusing to keep track of between listening intervals as their lives became more and more closely aligned. 🤔 Perhaps in a visual text, pages can be referred back to...

Determination and dedication

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Wow what a grate book I love the facts and fiction mix wasnt she an amazing Person Thank you Jillian & Thank you Cassandra Cambell for reading to me I really appreciate that 💜💜💜💜💜

Half Life by Jillian Cantor

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I could not get further than the first couple of chapters in this book. I am always interested in historical fiction but there is so much to-ing and fro-ing between Marie's Polish love interest and Pierre Curie that I just lost count of where we were in the story- which progresses with mind-numbing slowness, containing nothing of interest historically or otherwise. A reluctant return.

Sluggish

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