About this title: A novel which follows the lives of four scientific researchers as they twist about each other in a double helix of desire, weaving intricately through the themes of music, science, language and love. By the author of "Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance" and "Prisoner's Dilemma".
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow & Co
Date published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780688098919ISBN:0688098916
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
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date published: 7/31/1992
ISBN-13:9780060975005ISBN:0060975008
Description: Good. 0060975008 Several dents to cover and several pages. --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on bottom/exterior edge of pages. read more
Edition: HARDCOVER
Binding: 3rd ptg
Publisher: William Morrow & Co Pub, NY
Date published: 1991 verso
ISBN-13:9780688098919ISBN:0688098916
Description: Landscape Painting DJ Cover. GOOD+Condition, Old Water riples to lower text block. 6x9" VERY GOOD DJ 639pg heavy GOLD spine titles on DARK BLUE CLOTH SPINE STRIP. very good UNCLIPT (S25.00) Dust Jacket in Brodart double love story in a twist...double helix of desire.. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Perennial
Date published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780060975005ISBN:0060975008
Description: Very Good. No creasing to covers. Light rubbing to corners. No creases to spine. Binding tight and square. Pages clean and bright. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow & Co
Date published: 1991-08
ISBN-13:9780688098919ISBN:0688098916
Description: Very Good. Very good unmarked copy in very good dust jacket. Not ex-library. Light bump to lower front corner. Minimal shelf wear to unclipped DJ. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Perennial
Date published: 1992-09-01
ISBN-13:9780060975005ISBN:0060975008
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780060975005. read more
Edition: First UK Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: London: Scribner's, 1992. First British edition.
Date published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780356206554ISBN:0356206556
Description: Fine in dust jacket with a light dent to front panel and board beneath. read more
Edition: First printing.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow & Company, New York: Morrow, (1991. )
Date published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780688098919ISBN:0688098916
Description: Ex-library with the usual markings, but overall tight and clean in a fine and unmarked dust jacket. Hardcover First edition-His third novel, a complex and brilliantly realized story of early DNA research and an intertwinedlove story of two couples separated by twenty-five years. Named by Time Magazine as the book of the year, finalist for the National Book Award. 639 pp. Dust jacket illustration by Honi Werner. read more
Edition: Later Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow & Co, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Date published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780688098919ISBN:0688098916
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. 8vo-8"-9" Tall. 3rd printing trade edition hard cover with dust jacket, VG/VG. Clean, tight, square, unmarked copy. Light reader's use and handling. Dust jacket with trace of rubbing at spine heel, offered in new mylar. 639pp. read more
"I loved the topics in this book very much, but I found it hard going at times as the book doesn't flow easily and I didn't care about any of the characters. The chapters seemed too short when writing about 1957, but Jan's seemed too long.
I'd just finished reading The Echo Maker, which I loved and found that it was still echoing in my head as I tried to get into Goldbug. However, I really like the things Powers writes about, so he gets stars for that."
"Can't say I learned anything about dna or genetics and there is a lot of scientific lingo here. However. It is a real tour de force and I had to give it five stars. The structure of the Goldberg Variations is so wonderful as background. The last few chapters of the book really dissect the Bach piece and the writer demonstrates that he really does knoww his music. I have read a lot about the Goldberg Variations, spent a lot of time listening to Glenn Gould's two recordings of the work, read bios of Bach, played his music on the piano, etc. Powers clearly has followed the same path and his references and allusions are always right on. So I assume he has a similar grasp of art history, genetics, computer programming, etc. Impressive. I also enjoyed the characters and the story line. I look forward to reading something else by this author."
"I found that the book doesn't hold my attention as do other of Powers' novels because when I read his works I usually devour them in a few days. Comparatively, this is a much slower read and due to the esoteric side story of genetics I labor through some sections. His novels start off esoterically with an introduction of the subject matter and the characters involved; however, at one point in these novels a major shift occurs in which he introduces a highly humanistic quality to the novel and the novel departs from the esoteric to a uniquely beautiful and human story. Goldbug doesn't follow this patter and the story switches back and forth between the beautifully human to the esoteric discussion and explanations of genetics (not that this is written any less beautifully). What I think is happening is that he is telling the stories of his characters in different threads: one on Ressler, the geneticist and on O'Deigh and FTODD; however, under more careful scrutiny I learn that the discussion of the genetic code is itself another narrative thread of another major character: DNA, which is a component of the characters as well as the reader, adding a level of participation of the reader as part of the novel. The story of the genetic code takes place in both the page of Goldbug as it does in our own cells, in life overall.
(previous tentative review): This is a book I never finished for grad school and I decided to go back to it because I am huge Powers fan. i wrote my thesis on him and I loved his more recent novel. More to come..."
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