“Of course not, my sweet girl. I wish more than anything in the world that your path was an easy one, that you could have everything your heart desires. But brilliance brings burdens, doesn’t it?” —The Other Einstein


One I've been meaning to read, finally picking up the audio & pairing with my Kindle.

Albert Einstein is considered a genius but this historical fiction account of his first wife Mitza has me contemplating how much of his "work" could have very well been the genius of his first wife Mitza Marc?

Behind every successful man....well could it be possible Einstein, although intelligent, pilfered Mitza work and plagiarized it as his own? This book left me with a lot to think about. What might have been if Mitza hadn't fallen in love with him and he later treats her as nothing more than his house maid.

If this book had gone on for another 100 pages I wouldn't have minded one bit. Now I want to know more about Mitza.

This historical novel is about Mileva Maric, a young Serbian woman who travels to Switzerland in the late 1890s to study physics, at a time when it is highly unusual for a woman to do so. While there, she meets Albert Einstein and eventually marries him. And the book posits that the brilliant Mileva was instrumental in his work, if not responsible for some of it.

I knew nothing about Einstein’s personal life before reading this book, not even that he had a wife. The book definitely presents him in a mostly unflattering way, while Mileva is fleshed out very sympathetically. Like other biographical fiction I’ve read, I’d say it’s one I finished with admiration but just short of loving it, but still enjoyed and would recommend.

This was one of my oldest unread Netgalley books, embarrassingly from 2016. So long ago that this was Marie Benedict’s first book and she’s written or co-written 8 books since then. Oops. But I’m glad I finally got to it!

3.75 stars

I had always heard that Albert Einstein was not exactly a kind person when it came to his relationships with women and the novel, which is an apparently based on the truth, solidifies that information. When he meets the young Serbian woman, Mileva she is a young, innocent, serious student of mathematics and science, sheltered by her parents who feel her deformity, and her brilliance will prevent her from ever finding a husband. Her father in particular has guided her education until he accompanies her to Switzerland, she lives in a pension and is exposed to a social life for the first time ever. Instead of being teased and revved by her peers, she is grudgingly accepted by her professor at the university, as well as her classmate, Einstein. He begins to impose himself on her life and share musical evenings with her and her new friends at the boarding house . She finally accepts him as a suitor, falling for his line of living a bohemian life. As the relationship becomes closer, she also assist hsim with some of his work as she is a much better mathematician than he is, and he has the habit of skipping classes, and then depending on her notes to help him catch up. Their relationship becomes more intimate, but is kept secret. Both her parents and her friends at first are unaware of just how close they have become. The reader senses that Einstein is using her in many ways but she is so naïve and trusting that she does not seem to realize it until it is too late. After he talks her into a secret getaway at Lake Como, she becomes pregnant and from then on the relationship slowly crumbles and goes downhill. It is very clear that Einstein does not want children and his selfishness becomes even more evident to the reader, although she tries to ignore it and his hateful family that doesn't accept her. After the child, who has kept secret from everyone except her parents falls ill to Scarlet fevered dies while in the care of her parents, she suffers, lifelong guilt for not being present when the child dies. Einstein shows no emotion about this child and treats it as if fMileva became pregnant by herself. They do eventually marry, and have two other children, but the marriage continues to disintegrate as she becomes aware of his infidelity with his cousin Elsa. Although he has always professed to offer her a bohemian life where unlike most women of her time she would be able to practice her profession, during marriage, that also proves to be untrue, and she finally realizes the extent to which she and her children have suffered because of his self centered étude and super ego. summoning her inner strength, and with the influence of one of her oldest friends, Helene, she finally puts her children first, leaves him and returns to Zürich, and under the terms of divorce is able to support herself tutoring students, and living alone the rest of her life.
The book is rather sad as the reader wishes right from the beginning that she will see exactly the kind of man Einstein is, and that a life with him will not, as she hopes it will be. As "the other Einstein" she is the reason he finally becomes recognized and employed, although she never receives credit for her contributions to his work. It is surprising that she chose him over her own family, and yet it is her family that supports her up to a certain extent, and then they simply seem to fade into the background. It's difficult for the reader to say I enjoyed the book, as my constant feeling, was to shake her and tell her to get out of the relationship before it even started, however, even though it was novel, it did provide some insights into life in Europe for talented women at that time. Mi;eeva had two strikes against her before she met Einstein: her intelligence and her deformity – unless you want to count a third as well, which was her being from a Slavic country and marrying a Jewish person.Eventually her goodness and strength are triumphant.

"The Other Einstein" by Marie Benedict is a captivating exploration of the life of Mileva Marić, the brilliant and overshadowed wife of Albert Einstein. Benedict skillfully weaves a tale that unveils the struggles and sacrifices of a woman whose intellect rivaled that of her famous husband. Set against the backdrop of the early 20th century, the novel transports readers to a time when societal norms and gender expectations stifled the aspirations of women.

Benedict delves into Mileva's contributions to Einstein's groundbreaking theories, raising thought-provoking questions about the extent of her influence on his work. The narrative is both poignant and thought-provoking, shedding light on the challenges faced by a woman determined to pursue her own scientific ambitions in a male-dominated world.

The author's meticulous research is evident, providing a rich historical context that enhances the authenticity of the story. Benedict's writing is both accessible and evocative, making "The Other Einstein" an engaging and illuminating read. This novel not only celebrates Mileva Marić's intellect but also serves as a timely exploration of the often-overlooked contributions of women in the history of science.

What a wonderful read about a very complex relationship between husband and wife. The time when women were not given the credit they deserved. There are a few twists to this story that make it very interesting to read. Hard to put this one down. Good read.

Love Marie Benedict books. This one is no exception ! She has dedicated her writing to bring light to forgotten women in history. Great reading .

ARC
I have always liked reading about Albert Einstein, and was happy I was able to read this book about his wife. Mitza Maric wasn’t talked about much until Marie Benedict told the world about her. She was also an accomplished physicist. Some of what happened between their marriage was a bit shocking, and I’m not sure if all facts are true or not. This book kept me reading til the end.

A well-written and intriguing story about Einstein's wife and their relationship. I'm not sure how historically accurate this is but it was an enjoyable read nevertheless.

Not knowing much of Einstein, other than he is Einstein, I was excited to read the story of Einstein's wife, a gifted physicist in her own right. I had read that since this is fiction, a lot of this was embellished and false. The writing was so descriptive and flowery that I found myself either daydreaming or wanting to take a nap. Pretty boring.

The Other Einstein is my favorite kind of historical fiction- one that tells the story of a person or event that I know nothing about. MIleva Maric Einstein was a brilliant physics student when she met Albert at school in Zurich. This novel really highlights the difficulties women back then, especially Eastern European women, faced in academia. I really enjoyed the care Marie Benedict took in taking these wholly human people and crafting a story of love and betrayal that is, unfortunately, all too real in many relationships. I can't wait to read more by her.

Einstein's first wife was a brilliant student of math and physics and her influence on Einstein's work is speculated on in this interesting work of historical fiction.

This is an outstanding book describing the way Albert Einstein took credit for the mathematical and physics that his wife formulated. Eye opening and wonderful read.

What a wonderful - and educational- read this is! Mitza Einstein lived a fascinating live that is explored in this well written novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great one.

I tried and just couldn't get into this. I usually love historical fiction, especially about real life people!

I really enjoyed this book! Not only did it give me a different look into Albert Einstein's life, it gave me the opportunity to know and love Mitza, who was so much more than his wife. I really want to research her and learn more about this badass woman who had a brilliant mind of her own--a genius unappreciated because she was a woman.

The Other Einstein follows Mitza as she attends university, navigates the sexism standing against her there, and finds an ally in Albert Einstein. He seems to love her for her mind, whereas most men are worse than intimidated when it comes to her brilliance. Together they study, travel, and grow in love. Mitza never imagined she could be so happy in a relationship--but not everything is perfect when it comes to the two of them.

Actually, Albert Einstein seems like a real asshole, to say the least, and Mitza deserves so much more love and recognition in history.

I highly recommend this book because this is a real, historical strong female character who struggled to make a name and place for herself in a world that kept telling her she wasn't enough. Or that she was too different. The odds were always stacked against her, but Mitza continued to finds ways to succeed and find what happiness she could--sometimes in spite of Albert himself. You'll find yourself rooting for her, and holding tight to her story.

Interesting read about Albert Einstein and his first wife, whom I did not know was also a brilliant physicist who could have actually been the one to write the theory of relativity!

I like that most of the information was gleaned from primary sources, and I discovered that those parts I skipped were actually fictitious, as mentioned in the author's notes at the end of the book.

I hated how badly and cruelly Albert Einstein treated Mileva “Mitza” Marić and therefore was unable to enjoy reading some parts of the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the chance to read this title. This is my honest review and sorry it took so long!

Although this book was an enjoyable read, it seems that it is mainly fiction but made to seem as true facts. As a story, this is a great novel. As true history, I do not know if this is their "actual" story.

I recommend anything by Marie Benedict! Her characters bring names from history to life and help reveal "the rest of the story". Her work is well researched, articulately written and a pleasure to read.

I learned so much! It’s amazing how men have written history and left out the women that helped to build it! Mitza is a intelligent, remarkable woman in her own right! Sadly we would never know if her if her last name wasn’t Einstein. We wouldn’t probably know of Einstein if not for her. What’s the saying, “Behind every successful man stands a woman!” So, so, so true! So many times it’s the women who have helped make the man!

I enjoyed reading this book, seeing another side to Albert Einstein than the goofy pictures he's always pictured in. But the truth of the research lies in Google. When encouraged from the reading to find out the veracity of some of the claims in the book, a single website seems to capture the entire book. The writing was good, and the pace was well timed. But the respect for the extent of research was lacking. I will enjoy reading the next book to see if the research is more authentic.