Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Let me start by stating that I am in love with Maria Popova. I heard her at the 92nd street Y last year, and read Brain Pickings every Wednesday and Sunday. I am a fanboy. Thus I eagerly awaited Figuring. The book attempts to establish intellectual songlines of a diverse group of scientists and poets, mostly women, over some four centuries. The problem with the book (I am giving up on it at p93) is that most of the connections are slight at best; something along the line of... "and could it be merely coincidence that X and Y both use the conjunctive "and" in their writing, and as far as we can determine, both put salt in their soup, thus prefiguring FDA guidelines by a century... What seems to work well in short pieces which gesture at intellectual congruence falls apart in this more extended format, becoming a sort of intellectual ADHD. I will continue to read this most gifted and thoughtful author, and am sorry the current work fails me (clearly it hasn't for other reviewers) If anyone wants a pristine copy I will send it to you for the price of postage--you may have better luck.