Another wonderful story from Marie Benedict, Her Hidden Genius! I loved this story of Rosalind Franklin who was a brilliant scientist and who worked on and became the one who discovered DNA and it's strands and it's make up. Because she is a woman in the 1950's, working in the labs of a "man's world", she must be smarter, quicker and stand up for herself, which does remarkably. This is a lovely story about a female scientist who had to fight for herself and her work and she does it very well.

Thanks to NetGalley for opportunity to enjoy and learn as I read Her Hidden Genius. Having enjoyed some of Ms. Benedict’s prior books, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, The Other Einstein, I was excited to read the story of Rosalind Franklin.
The name "Her Hidden Genius," struck me as read because I am embarrassed to admit I knew very little of Rosalind Franklin. I enjoyed reading this book and could almost feel like I was walking the same streets as Rosalind Franklin did. I cannot imagine how it felt being a woman whose brilliance was discounted, and ideas taken from her. Reading this wonderful book I developed a profound respect for Rosalind Franklin and the impact she made on our history. Marie Benedict weaves fiction with facts and gives life to Rosalind Franklin, with respect and tenderness to unveil the genius she was.

Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict is an excellent historical fiction that focusses on the life of Rosalind Franklin. I just loved this book!

I have been a fan of Ms. Benedict for some time and have read, and loved, every one of her books. Obviously, I was super excited that she has written yet another gem that highlights the beyond fabulous Rosalind Franklin.

As a Biology major, I have obviously read, researched, and learned about not only this impressively intelligent woman, but also how her groundbreaking discoveries towards the structure and overall makeup of the double helix (genetic material) that helped create the foundation of Genetics in general.

She was a fascinating, complex, and beyond under appreciated woman that was well before her time. It has always been so heartbreaking to me to see her not be fully recognized for all that she discovered and sacrificed for the progression within the fields of science. She was forever fighting an uphill battle due to her gender, politics, and colleagues (rivals), and she also paid the ultimate sacrifice for her research.

I am so glad that over the last few decades, more light has been shed on this wonderful woman and all that she has rightfully contributed towards the advancement of so many pivotal and fundamental concepts within so many fields within biology/physics.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Sourcebooks Landmark for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 1/25/22.

Three stars for Marie Benedict's forthcoming novel, HER HIDDEN GENIUS, out wherever books are sold January 25th, 2022.

I love the theme of Marie Benedict's historical fiction novels -- shining a light on forgotten women in history. Her Hidden Genius is a welcome addition, and highlights Rosalind Franklin -- a chemist whose work was crucial to DNA and more.

Rosalind Franklin likes to keep her head down and focus on the science. When she discovers groundbreaking research, she wants to make sure it's absolutely for certain before sharing the big news. But what happens next will prove it was still a man's world.

This novel had an interesting subject matter, but the scientific jargon in this novel was a little clunky and it made it hard for me to be immersed into the story. The story seemed to drag on and I just felt a little bit indifferent about this book.

I will share the title with our blog audience. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Her Hidden Genius by author Marie Benedict.
The book is divided into three parts from Paris 1947, London 1951 and London 1953. Rosalind Franklin was a research scientist specializing in crystallography. She overlooked the danger from over exposure to radiation and would suffer from it. Her work helped solve the mysteries of DNA.
I must interject that I was a zoology major in college and very much interested in genetics. If you’re not, you’ll have to skim through the science itself and read about how a woman had to work harder to succeed. Science was a man’s world and they would steal her records and publish her results in their names.
Rosalind was an attractive Jewish woman who came from a well to do British family and there is a story to be told.
To Marie Benedict fans, if you are willing to overlook most of the research, the story is interesting.
This book publishes January 25th, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy of Her Hidden Genius in exchange for a fair review.

I will not redo the liner notes on what this book is about since the publisher can do it better than I.
I will say that I have read all of Marie Benedicts book and I am always seen handing them to patrons looking for easy to read historical fiction, strong female characters, famous women, or something interesting that is not too intense or long. I have given Carnegie's Maid, and the Other Einstein more than I care to admit!
Marie Benedict is a good writer and her books are always about the most fascinating people. Personal Librarian especially resonates with my book club.
That being said, this was my least favorite of her books. I am unsure if it was the scientific jargon, that Ms Franklin isn't as fascinating as the other female leads, or if I just have Marie Benedict fatigue. This book took me way to long to get through for the size of the book.
I apologize, because I like Benedicts writing style and her characters are usually magnificently portrayed.
3*

Another excellent book by Marie Benedict! Rosalind Franklin - like so many women of her time - fought the stereotype of how women should be and act to work in her beloved field of science! Her very short life produced so much - it is only right she receives the credit she was denied while living. This book does just that! Great read - very moving. Would make a great reading group book.

I've always been a big fan of historical fiction and while I've never read anything by Marie Benedict before, I've always heard wonderful things about her. When I was approved to read Her Hidden Genius, I was so excited to read it.

Her Hidden Genius chronicles the story of Rosalind Franklin, a scientist who discovers the structure of DNA and devotes her life to science. It was an incredibly powerful and moving story. I always love a good book featuring a strong, independent woman, and Her Hidden Genius definitely delivers.

The only drawback I had was the story moved along slowly for me. It was still a wonderful read, I just found it didn't hold my attention for long periods of time.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Her Hidden Genius is about a subject that I knew nothing about and a woman whose name I had never heard of. But because I love Marie Benedict’s books, I read this one--and was not disappointed. Rosalind Franklin’s story, while based in science, could be the story of many women who labor in male dominated professions, who silently struggle to be successful in their field and then find the rug pulled out from under them by award seeking men. However, Ms. Benedict tells Rosalind’s story with a range of good and bad experiences and at the end of Rosalind’s life she finds love, friendship with her peers, and some measure of success. I expected to be saddened by the ending (yes, I googled her shortly after starting the book), but the ending is not tragic, but almost joyful and full of hope. Please make sure to read the Author’s Note at the end of the book--I was glad to see Watson, Crick, and especially Wilkins get their payback!!

Rosalind Franklin was a real British-born scientist who was completely dedicated to her work in post-World War II Europe. She was also unfairly underappreciated in her lifetime in a male-dominated, religious and politically diverse academic world. This fictional work has been well and honestly researched by Marie Benedict and created with her talent to make her characters interesting and their perceived lives fully realized. Though written with factual details of Dr. Franklin’s research, especially in DNA discovery and modelling, the story is engrossing and understandable even for a non-scientist. The well-drawn personal interactions of family, friends, competitors, and colleagues make this a completely engaging portrait.

30 years as a science librarian caused me to be aware of Rosalind Franklin and the way she was treated by the scientific community in the mid-20th century. She was known as the "dark lady of DNA," but, as there was really very little published about her, I was so interested to read this book. Although it is historical fiction, and therefore not always factual, it does present a more thorough picture of Dr. Franklin. Interestingly, the actual way that Watson and Crick found out about the invaluable Photo 51 is not completely clear here. I always thought that Watson secretly attended one of Dr. Franklin's closed lectures and then convinced Wilkins to secure a copy. I admire that the author chose to be purposefully unclear, as there is no actual proof of how it happened. I also admire that the author fleshed out Dr. Franklin's entire life, providing solid information about her life in Paris before her DNA work, and her life afterwards, both of which were satisfying times. Thanks very much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an ARC.

This is the historical fiction account of Rosalind Franklin, who essentially discovered the double helix structure of DNA even though others have taken credit for it. It was a little slow going in the beginning, but then it picked up the pace and I found it enjoyable. There is a lot of scientific language used, which takes a bit to get used to, which is maybe why it seemed slow in the beginning.

The author is one of my favorite Net Galley authors. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

This is a very scientific based historical novel based on the life of researcher Rosalind Franklin and her DNA discoveries that are still used in today's science labs. It is the story of a brilliant woman who was fighting to be recognized for her work, who was smarter then all the men she worked with, yet held back in a male dominated career of mysogany and discrimination against women. Rosalind deserves to have her story told as do so many women of science that were overlooked by men in their fields. I applaud the author's efforts to tell her story and she tells it brilliantly. We need more stories of these brilliant women and their contributions to our world.

Marie Benedict explores the life of scientist Rosalind Franklin and her work to uncover the secrets of DNA. Largely unrecognized during her lifetime her contribution to science is remarkable especially at a time when few women were scientists.

I have followed Benedict since The Other Einstein came out. Loved it, liked The Only Woman in the Room, absolutely devoured The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. So, I was excited to get this as an ARC from NetGalley .
Sadly, this is my least favorite of all! Too much showcasing of author's research on science, not enough story; the book dragged and didn't hold my attention like the others did. Interesting topic, but slow and, tbh, essentially same story Benedict told in Other Einstein and Only Woman in the Room, just different fields and people.
Doesn't mean I won't read Benedict again though.

*Full review to come closer to publication of Her Hidden Genius!*

I have been a fan of Marie Benedict's historical fiction novels following some fascinating women from history, often ones who has been pushed to the side or not appreciated as much as they likely should have been. Her Hidden Genius focuses on Rosalind Franklin, who was a part of the discovery of DNA. I think Benedict's books continue to get better with each publication because this was a fantastic read that I felt captured Franklin's character extremely well and conveyed the story in a carefully-paced story. I loved learning about Rosalind Franklin and this particular scientific discovery's history, which I only new the basics about before. I would recommend this to anyone interested in historical fiction or women and discoveries from history!

You’ve probably heard of Rosalind Franklin, usually mentioned in the same breath as James Watson and Francis Crick as discoverers of the double helix structure of DNA. That gloss hides important elements of the story: Franklin was an accomplished physical chemist and a leader in x-ray crystallography before she even started to work with DNA. Her photographs, calculations, and observations were crucial for definitively proving the helix form of DNA, and she had no intention of sharing those files with other research groups until she was absolutely positive about her results. Sexism, jealousy, and professional politics combined to create an untenable situation, and the result is her place in history. Her Hidden Genius is a fictionalization of Franklin’s career, drawing heavily on research including Franklin’s personal papers.

The problem with reading fictionalized biographies (or biographies in general) is that you know what’s coming. That doesn’t stop me from reading them, or enjoying them, but you can’t hope for something to come out of the blue and punish those who have wronged your protagonist when that’s not how history went. So when Watson and Crick enter the picture through Rosalind’s main work rival, you know where the story is going and you know there’s nothing that you can do to stop it. I was frustrated by what others were able to get away with, and occasionally had to walk away from the book. It’s nothing against the writing, and the end of the story, where Rosalind moves past what I consider the devastating outcome of her DNA work, did a lot to help ease the frustration.
Recommended for people who want to know more about Rosalind Franklin and/or the reality of being a woman in science in the late 1940s through 1950s.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Another beautifully written novel with engaging and memorable characters. You will be sad when the novel concludes and you are left awaiting the next brilliant prose.

Rosalind Franklin was a brilliant scientist whose meticulous and exacting research led to the discovery of the sequencing of DNA. Author Benedict depicts Dr. Franklin as a bit of an outsider, not fitting in with her wealthy Jewish family for her agnostic view of religion, not fitting in with her female peers as fashion and make up did not interest her and for her dogged determination to be accepted by the male scientists of her day despite the "good ol' boy" system she attempted to crack. Dedicated to her work, Dr. Franklin purposely removed radiation detection devices required by the labs she worked in in order to put in additional hours of research. The drive behind the woman is well documented and the stealing of her lab results and calculations by male scientists who were behind her in making these important discoveries is simply appalling. A book not only about a little known female scientist, but about how women were treated in post-war Europe and England and the terrible cost of making discoveries that would improve life for all mankind.

Her Hidden Genius is the story of Rosalind Franklin a British scientist whose research on carbon, DNA and viruses have been instrumental in understanding both inorganic and organic matter.. Once again, Marie Benedict, has written a fictional novel of a woman who has garnered less recognition than she should have, based on her scientific contributions.

Benedict aptly shows how Dr. Franklin suffered as a female scientist in the 1940s and 1950s, due to extensive social stereotypes about women. She is depicted as a woman, likely on the Spectrum, who valued the methodological objectivity of science and eschewed the politics that stemmed from the race to discover the structure of DNA. The end result is that her research was used inappropriately without citation and she never received the respect she so deserved.

While Dr. Franklin's story is fascinating and tragic, I did find the writing quite slow, and likely would have put the book down if it weren't for the subject. I would recommend the book for this purpose only.