About this title: Based on the remarkable true story of the strange and ultimately tragic relationship between an esteemed British mathematician and an unknown mathematical genius, this brilliant new novel transforms this bit of history into an emotional and spell-binding story.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781596910409ISBN:1596910402
Description: Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dustcover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "from the library of" labels. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. 2008-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Slight cover and edgewear. Pages unmarked, bright and tight. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 485 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: First U.S. Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Bloomsbury, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781596910409ISBN:1596910402
Description: Very Good. No Dust Jacket. Very Good, Hardback, No Dust Jacket, First U.S. Edition, rubbed, 485 pages, tight. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Date Published: 9/16/2008
ISBN-13:9781596910416ISBN:1596910410
Description: New. Paperback. Enjoyable reading copy for your personal pleasure. You are buying a Book in NEW condition with very light shelf wear to include very light edge and corner wear. Buy it Now! ! ! As always, thank you for buying this book from International Book Source, YOUR ONE source FOR ALL your BOOK related NEEDS. Please remember to CHOOSE carefully how QUICKLY you would like to RECEIVE this material FAST, or standard (on next page). Thanks again! ! ! ! read more
Edition: Advanced Reader's Edition
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Inc, New York
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781596910409ISBN:1596910402
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. Fiction. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Based on a remarkable true story this novel portrays the world on the brink of almost unimaginable change and gives us a spellbinding story about the fragility of human connection and our need to find order in the world. This book is in good shape. The spine is not creased. The corners have a little bit of wear. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780747581680ISBN:0747581681
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780747596325ISBN:0747596328
Description: Very Good. Minor rubbing to edges and extremities, otherwise unread. Next working day dispatch from the UK. Please contact us with any queries. read more
"he Indian Clerk, by David Leavitt, is a novel that I respected more than enjoyed. It's a fictionalized story about the Cambridge mathematician G.H. Hardy's relationship with the Indian prodigy Ramanujan during the First World War. After receiving a startling letter from Ramanujan, which seems to rediscover complicated theories and lay out entirely new ones, Hardy encourages him to come to England. They work together productively for just a few years before Ramanujan's health begins to fail and he returns to India, where he soon dies at the age of 33.
This is a longish novel (ca. 500 pages), and there are many other things going on. Hardy's life includes mathematics, university politics, a secret discussion society called the Apostles, and his sister and dying mother. Moreover, he deals with being a semipublic pacifist and a semicloseted homosexual in a time that was not friendly to either. Ultimately, this book isn't about Ramanujan; it's a complex portrait of a slice of Hardy's life that captures many levels of idiosyncrasy and finely weaves together imagined and historical events. Not until I read the afterword explaining which events are real and which are fictional did I really appreciate the ambition of this novel.
Still, it didn't quite connect with me in the sense of enjoying the story. I think this is because the characters are all rather cold and because the certainty of Ramanujan's death is not used as an effective pacing tool. The author also alternates between first-person and third-person-omniscient narration for no apparent purpose. The third-person sections are livelier.
Leavitt has written a biography of Alan Turing that might be worth a look--as I learned in The Code Book, Turing served honorably as a codebreaker during the Second World War but died, probably a suicide, after being outed and prosecuted for homosexuality."
"I really enjoyed this work of historical fiction. How often do I get to read a novel starring famous mathematicians? (Not very often, let me tell you.) Ramanujan's story is tragic, of course, as I knew going in. The characters are all treated well, and I think Leavitt was successful in including just enough of the math to give us a sense of what they were all up to."
"This, unlike Four Spirits, is a successful novel based on historical material. I don't know much about this time period of Cambridge or mathematics, but still found it really engaging. Leavitt dips into various characters (rarely the subject of the title, the actual Indian clerk) and uses letters to tell his story. But he never over-reaches in telling a larger story. The characters are all interesting, and in the end, what you get is something like A Passage to India, where the India is now brought to England, to Cambridge, but is still never really known. India is just a mirror through with the English see themselves. The Indian clerk himself is like the echo in the cave in A Passage to India. The main voice of the novel is Hardy, and it's especially interesting how your perpsective on his view changes throughout the book, and how Leavitt subtly leads you to question the particular version of events given by various characters. Really good read and amazingly written."
"I can't recommend this book to everyone. I thought the main character would be the Indian Mathematician, however, the book revolves around his mentor, Hardy. The book seems to spend a lot of time on Hardy's issues and politics at the university, which I did not find as interesting as the chapter revolving around Ramanujan and his struggles to adapt in the UK and produce meaningfull work."
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